SOCCER JOSH Hine’s nightmare may be over. Fatherhood, football and a positive prognosis are the keys to unlock the door and walk free of the personal hell he has endured for most of 2020 and throughout 2021. There’s a baby on the way (his partner is due in May) and his surgeon has told the 30-year-old that he’ll be able to play soccer again. That news was a godsend for the star Mornington striker who continues to battle a soul-destroying legacy from a road accident when cycling last year. “I’ve had at least five surgeries since then,” Hine said. Initially…
Author: Craig MacKenzie
MORNINGTON will take on A-League giant Melbourne City on Saturday in a glamour friendly at Dallas Brooks Park. The David and Goliath clash kicks off at 2pm and at 4pm Mornington’s reserves will square up to City’s NPL outfit featuring some of the finest young talent in Victorian soccer. The double-header is expected to attract a bumper crowd to the local venue with at least 10 players from City’s senior squad expected to feature. On Wednesday night City defeated Perth Glory 1-0 and the City substitutes for that match are all expected to play against Mornington. That should ensure significant…
SOCCER WHEN Alex Van Heerwarden went down injured during an intraclub training game at Centenary Park late last year he thought he’d never play again. The big defender had his worst fears confirmed a few days later when x-rays revealed a second ACL knee injury that required reconstructive surgery. It was his left knee this time having recovered from similar surgery to his right knee back in 2009 in his first season with Langwarrin. His route to Lawton Park had come via a junior career in NSW after his family had left Melbourne when he was four years old. His…
SOCCER CARLO Melino’s name has been synonymous with local football since the ’90s and 2022 will mark his fifth successive season as head coach of State 4 club Chelsea. The Melino family moved from Adelaide to the Victorian capital in 1996 after Melino’s father bought a Nissan dealership on the peninsula. Just 14 years old the teenager had spent his junior days at Adelaide City and had played in its under-18s when he was just 13. Here he played in the reserves at Glen Eira, spent a season at Bentleigh Greens alternating between the National Youth League and reserves squads…
SOCCER WHEN Aspendale Stingrays effectively sacked senior coach Lee Barber early last month it raised a few eyebrows. Barber was completely blindsided by the move. “I wanted to stay but I got an email from the president saying they wanted to go in a different coaching direction and good luck on your travels sort of thing,” Barber said. “Look the coaches they’ve got there now had the reserves last season so as far as I’m concerned it’s just bullshit. “I didn’t even respond to the email. I just got on with it.” On 9 October Aspendale announced that its senior…