Image: Whittlesea Ranges
In 2014, Box Hill United narrowly missed out on promotion to the top flight after finishing four points behind the North Geelong Warriors in third place.
Scroll through that Pythagoras squad and you will see just why many to this day are perplexed as to how such a talented group of players failed to earn elevation into the NPL. Kenny Athiu, George Howard, Chris Irwin, Alex Pavlidis, Rinor Muriqi, Nick Kokolakis, Adrian Del Monaco, Samuel Catherine, Matthew Collier, Damien Peters and Josh Valadon amongst others all called Wembley Park home that year.
Not only were United one of the best-assembled second-tier squads that year but they also played some of the most attractive and entertaining football seen in the state. Watch Athiu’s 33-second goal against Whittlesea to see for yourself, with Arthur Georgiou’s side stringing together 15 passes before finding the back of the net.
Fast forward to the present day and Box Hill are a shadow of the side that competed for promotion three years ago. Many of those players have gone onto bigger and better things. Howard is a full-time professional in the A-League with Melbourne Victory, Athiu is one of the most prolific strikers outside of the national competition, while Pavlidis combines his playing commitments at high-flying Pascoe Vale with a full-time role in Melbourne City’s media team. Irwin is a midfield engine at Kingston City having won an NPL Championship with South Melbourne, while Georgiou is reportedly now living in Greece for work purposes.
His assistant that year was Greg Kassidas – the man who currently presides over the managerial reins at the club. The former Bentleigh Greens U21s coach initially did not succeed Georgiou in the hotseat as the committee decided to appoint Alfredo Constantino to the role before bringing Kassidas back mid-way through 2015.
A distinguished youth coach, Kassidas managed to steer United to 11 victories from their remaining 15 matches as Box Hill finished the campaign fourth and beat promoted duo Richmond and Melbourne Victory along the way. Had the league season begun when Kassidas took over, Pythagoras would have been crowned Champions and secured promotion to the top flight.
Despite an impressive recruitment campaign in the off-season, United failed to challenge for promotion last term and finished 21 points behind second-placed Dandenong Thunder – with Kassidas’ outfit famously ending their unbeaten 20 game start to the campaign. Inconsistent is a term that can be used to accurately describe their 2016, with rumours of discontent within the dressing room rife throughout the season.
The last off-season saw United release several experienced players and put their faith in a young squad with talent in abundance but perceivably lacking the experience necessary to challenge for honours. A mundane start to the season followed as United drew their opening three games 0-0 before being denied a maiden victory as Veton Korcari’s last-minute equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw at home against Thunder. What followed was a four-game losing streak – in the meantime key players Kokolakis and Caleb Ludlow exited as United plummeted to the bottom of the NPL2 East standings.
An encouraging yet unfavourable scoreless draw against table toppers Dandenong City was followed by a thrilling 3-2 FFA Cup win over rivals South Springvale to set up a showdown with South Melbourne in Round 6. Those two results should have given Pythagoras confidence to go out and grab their first league win of the year against the wounded Springvale White Eagles, who were winless in six.
Yet yesterday’s result was more of the same for Box Hill, who conceded a last minute penalty and subsequently lost 1-0 following Cody Martindale’s successful spot-kick. The ladder now makes for uncomfortable viewing for a club with one of the best junior systems in the state. They sit last on the standings, four points behind ninth place Richmond, who themselves have struggled this term following their relegation from the NPL.
The most compelling statistic is that United have managed just three goals in 10 games – one of those a penalty – with the lack of a prolific out-an-out striker hampering progress on Canterbury Road. While much of Box Hill’s squad is made up of players either side of 20 who have plenty of talent and potential about them – they have been competitive in most fixtures – the lack of leadership and experience to get the side over the line in tight encounters also appears to be costing United.
The worry for the 2012 State League Two runners-up now is that if the slide continues, the good work done by those behind the scenes at Wembley Park– including Kassidas – will be undone. The advent of promotion/relegation to and from NPL2 means that the shortcomings that have plagued United in the first third of their campaign could manifest itself in greater punishment.
United boast a level of professionalism not seen in many other parts of NPL2: a solid supporter and sponsorship base, a fantastic stadium with great facilities, an NPLW licence, as well as one of the most advanced youth set-ups in the state. Relegation into the third tier will dent their capabilities and compromise much of the progress made in the past five or so years.
Kassidas has previously overseen a Herculean string of performances and while such a feat is not needed this time around, results need to come – and come quickly. With the mid-season transfer window still over a month away, many of the players in the senior squad will need to show maturity beyond their years and prove themselves at such a level or risk sliding down the division alongside the club.
The good news is that there is still time to do that. 18 games equals 47 points on offer and an opportunity to turn the season around. The bad news is that time is often an overvalued commodity in the unforgiving world of football and United could become the master of its own downfall.