Image: Mark Avellino
Port Melbourne have further strengthened their squad with the additions of Jason Shade and Kobbie Boahene.
A well-known figure in Victorian football, Boahene is a former Melbourne Victory youth team member who last featured for Box Hill in 2016, while Shade is a Queenslander who had a brief stint with Bendigo in 2015.
Boahene netted seven times in 24 games and was one of the club’s standouts, earning selection in TCF’s NPL2 East Team of the Season.
The midfielder also spent time at the likes of Victorian powerhouses Bentleigh Greens and South Melbourne, while also featuring for Werribee City in 2015.
He returns to top flight action after a season of consolidation in the state’s second tier.
Meanwhile, Shade is a lesser-known quantity in Victoria having featured prominently in Queensland football, but he did represent Bendigo in 2015.
A Brisbane Roar youth product, he also enjoyed stints at Brisbane Strikers and Brisbane City.
The talented central defender has overseas experience with the Sheffield United Reserves, Southport United in the English Conference, along with the Norwegian second division.
Having had injuries thwart his progress previously, he had a period of time away altogether before returning and featuring prominently in Australia’s second tiers.
Both strengthen Dom Barba’s squad which has taken promising early steps towards next year, the duo following Takanori Nishimoto, Michael McGowan, Philippe Bernabo-Madrid and Brendan White to JL Murphy Reserve, with the team taking a big interstate flavour into 2017.