Defender Dean Campelj makes the journey across the quarry to Knights Stadium for the 2016 NPL season.
The Melbourne Knights have today announced their latest signing for their 2016 NPL campaign, recruiting Dean Campelj from Avondale FC.
Four years ago Campelj was playing at Green Gully in the U21s where his performance on the pitch earned him recognition as the 2012 Player of the Season.
It was these efforts that saw him rewarded with a senior opportunity down the road at Avondale in State League 2.
A promotion into the inaugural NPL1 league allowed Capelj to further cement his position in the senior squad, as the club continued its meteoric rise in Victorian football with success both on and off the pitch.
Campelj and the rest of his defensive backline turned Doyle Street into a fortress for the club.
A record of just 25 goals conceded from 26 matches was a significant factor in the team’s promotion to the NPL top flight for 2015.
The excitement of finishing the season on a high and moving from NPL1 to NPL was put on hold for Campelj however, as the end of 2014 saw him experience a serious hip injury, missing the end of the season.
Talking to cornerflag.com.au back in May, Campelj said, “I had surgery in the off-season, a hip arthroscopy which set me back a bit. There was about four months of rehab, just because of the nature of the injury”.
Campelj made his way back into the senior squad, working his way through the U20s to gain match fitness.
The 21-year-old centre-back was restricted to just four senior appearances in 2015 as Anthony Barbieri’s men ensured top-flight survival via a mid-table finish.
Campelj now joins Andrew Marth and a youthful squad as the Melbourne Knights who are looking to continue their success in the NPL.
The Knights finished the 2014 season in fifth place and improved that to fourth to make the finals in 2015, where they were defeated by Hume City in a penalty shoot-out.
With a raft of new signings on the cards for the 2016 seasons, the Knights will be closely watched in the coming year.