Photo: Mark Avellino
Former Box Hill United captain Nick Kokolakis has called time on his second spell at the club after just six rounds of the 2017 NPL2 season.
The 25-year-old returned to Wembley Park in the summer having spent the last two years playing top flight football with Northcote City and Richmond SC respectively.
After making his senior debut for the Oakleigh Cannons in 2009 under John Anastasiadis, the central midfielder departed Jack Edwards Reserve and joined Pythagoras in State League Two in 2011.
He spent four years at the club and was one of their most impressive performers in the inaugural NPL2 year in 2014 under Arthur Georgiou, as a star-studded United squad just missed out on promotion.
Two seasons in the NPL saw Kokolakis make 37 league appearances before re-joining United where he was one of the club’s most experienced players.
Despite starting all five of Box Hill’s first five league games, Kokolakis was told by manager Greg Kassidas that he would not be starting on the weekend against Whittlesea Ranges.
His midfield presence was missed in the 3-1 defeat with Box Hill currently struggling in the league, having collected four points from their opening six games and yet to record a victory.
Pythagoras were expected to be without the midfielder mid-campaign as he planned to travel overseas on a holiday although his departure has now been confirmed as immediate.
TCF understands Kokolakis was dropped from the starting eleven for his attitude although he himself believes he was made a scapegoat for the team’s poor form of late.
The news is a further blow to United who have also lost fan favourite Alex Schroen for the rest of the season after the goalscoring right-back ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in an Under 20’s game.