Photo: Matt Johnson
Melbourne Knights have acted quick to re-sign head coach Andrew Marth and assistant Frank Juric for the 2017 season.
Club favourite Marth lead a youthful side to an eighth-placed finish in the NPL Victoria last season in his fourth consecutive season in charge after his appointment in 2012, where he helped stave off relegation after taking over the reigns from Paul Magdic.
The 16-time capped Socceroo featured over 250 times for the Knights in the NSL over two stints at the club, skippering his side to consecutive top-flight championships in the mid-90’s and taking on a player-coach role in the early 2000’s.
As full-time coach, Marth has led the Knights to a fourth placed finish in the first iteration of the NPL Victoria, which didn’t feature a finals series, before securing a fifth placed finish in 2015, only to bow out in the Qualifying Finals.
The highlights of his tenure to date include a Dockerty Cup triumph in 2014, which also saw the club progress through to the inaugural FFA Cup National Stage, however exiting the competition with a 3-1 loss to Brisbane-based outfit Olympic FC.
It was a much more difficult campaign in 2016, where Marth helped nurture and bring through a number of youngsters as the club took a different direction with recruitment, however he was able to help his side to a second FFA Cup campaign, which saw them deliver two home fixtures as they progress to the Round of 16, before going out to Green Gully.
Former Knights and national team keeper Juric continues on for his fifth season with the club, after a glittering playing career that saw him grace the UEFA Champions League and Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen.
The pair will add a sense of stability for the club, as the pair look to help improve on the Knights’ 2016 campaign.