SOCCER THE silly season exploded into action last week with Jamie Skelly, Billy Armour and Scott Morrison taking a spin on the annual coaching merry-go-round. And more local clubs will join in shortly with newly created coaching vacancies at Peninsula Strikers and Skye United, Baxter still searching for a senior coach and rumours of change at Frankston Pines. Skelly was appointed assistant to Scott Miller at Langwarrin last week. He is a former Langy player, reserves coach and senior assistant who has now finished a second stint as senior coach of Peninsula Strikers. “This is an opportunity to further my…
Author: Craig MacKenzie
SOCCER SOUTHERN United will lay claim to having the best under-14 squad in Victoria if it wins next weekend’s grand final and records an historic second successive double. Last year the side coached by former Matilda and FFV Hall of Famer Deb Nichols and former Langwarrin, South Melbourne and Casey Comets keeper Emma Bracken won the under-13 NPLW championship and Grand Final. That cemented their status as the premier outfit in Victoria’s elite underage competition. This season the squad clinched the under-14 title in August and on Saturday defeated Victorian powerhouse South Melbourne 3-2 at Monterey Reserve in the under-14…
SOCCER MORNINGTON’S senior women’s team enjoyed a landmark season by clinching the State 4 South championship on goal difference from Old Mentonians. It was their inaugural season in the competition and they now are preparing for the challenge of State 3 South in 2019. What makes their achievement remarkable is that the average age of the squad is just 17 with the youngest player only 15 years old. There also is a strong club connection with 10 of the 15 players having played with Mornington’s juniors. Coach Robin Smith was thrilled with his side’s triumph and highlighted the squad’s unity…
SOCCER Adam Jamieson’s return to Mornington and Baxter’s escape from relegation are the major stories to emerge from last weekend’s final round of the league season. Mornington will announce this week that Jamieson has been appointed as head coach for 2019. It will be his second stint at the club after stepping down last May citing work commitments as the main reason for his departure. Jamieson first took the reins at Dallas Brooks Park in 2009 and led Mornington from Provisional League to the doorstep of the NPL winning State 1 championships in 2015 and 2016. “A big part of…
SOCCER WHILE Langwarrin was unveiling The Gus Macleod Stand at Lawton Park on Saturday Peninsula Strikers were securing their State 2 South-East status. Macleod has held the reins at Langy for 20 years and in his final home match watched his side come from behind to snatch a 1-1 draw against already relegated Nunawading City. Big reputations and a big budget have not saved the visitors who featured former A-League stars Ben Khalfallah and Massimo Murdocca, the former playing as sweeper while Murdocca took up a central midfield role. After a goalless first half the deadlock was broken in the…