Image: Mark Avellino
Coach: Nick Tolios
2016 finish: 1st in NPL2 East (promoted), FFA Cup Round 6 (defeated by Richmond)
Summary: In incredible circumstances, Kingston City’s promotion came all in seemingly the last minute. Having trailed Dandenong Thunder in second spot most of the season, the latter slipped up late and allowed Kingston to make their move up the ladder. It all came down to the final day when a 1-1 draw against Brunswick City sealed promotion, the all-important goal coming via Damian Iaconis’ last-ditch effort to send City back into the top flight for the first time since 2007.
Ins: Daniel Bennett (Dandenong Thunder), Faisal Sakhizada (Dandenong Thunder), Nathan Tidmarsh (Bulleen Lions), Chris Irwin (South Melbourne), Sean McIlroy (Geelong SC), Erhaz Yalaz (Port Melbourne Sharks), Kile Kennedy (Bentleigh Greens)
Outs: Deniz Sabanovski (Box Hill United), George Stavridis (Northcote City), Luke Eyles (Dandenong City), David Thomson, Peter Koundanis, Steve Ferg, Nick Teichmann, Zdenek Koukal
Re-signed: Nick Stamatiou, Damian Iaconis, Stelios Konstandinidis, Ryan Love, Slaven Vranesevic, Velibor Mitrovic, Simo Jovanovic, Sermin Sadikovski, Mouad Zwed, Konstantinos Droutsas, Hamish Millar, Rowan McNamee
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Player Q&A: Sermin Sadikovski
How’s pre-season going? Where have you been with the team?
Pre-season has been good so far, getting used to the new players that we’ve signed. We didn’t get a chance to get a weekend away with the team which was a bit of a shame.
What have the club’s pre-season results been?
Northcote City 2-2, Green Gully 2-1 loss, South Melbourne 3-1 loss, Oakleigh Cannons 3-3, Box Hill 5-3 win, Bentleigh Greens 3-1 loss, Bulleen Lions 1-0 loss, Springvale White Eagles 5-1 win, Malvern City 3-0 win, Dandenong City 1-1 draw.
To us, pre-season results meant nothing, but it was all about the attitude we came with on the game day and how we go about things and how we played as a team. That’s what Nick Tolios was looking at the most.
How are the new signings settling in?
The new signings settled in right from the first week of training, we all made them welcome and they fitted in right away, which was fantastic to see.
Who are the Kingston players to watch in 2017 (new or existing) and why?
I’ll probably say Val (Velibor Mitrovic) and Mo (Mouad Zwed) I myself personally can’t wait to watch them play. They’re just very talented players with the ball at their feet and can do incredible things on the pitch.
Who are the some of the bigger characters off the pitch and why?
You can’t really go past Sean (McIlroy), he’s always got a good story to tell. Then again, Stama (Nick Stamatiou) isn’t too far behind also.
How’s Nick Tolios been preparing the squad?
Nick prepares the squad based on players’ performance at training each week. If players are injured or not 100% he won’t risk playing them.
Which team/player are you most looking forward to facing this year?
To be honest I’m looking forward to playing every team in the NPL as this is my first year, but the most would probably be the first game of the season against Oakleigh Cannons. Greek derby, just can’t go past that. And the player would probably be my old teammate Nate Foster. Also Milos Lujic (wouldn’t mind keeping a clean sheet against him, though). Playing against the best teams is always exciting in seeing how we fare against the benchmark clubs in the league, so South Melbourne and Bentleigh Greens would be matches I’m also looking forward to.
Which opposition club(s) have impressed you most in pre-season?
I think Avondale and Hume City with all the signings they made has got my attention. Every year South and Bentliegh make a big array of signings, and this year has been no different, but the signings we’ve made I think won’t go unnoticed and will prove to be pivotal in our seasons’ successes.
What are the expectations/objectives in 2017?
Making a rise into NPL, our obvious goal is to stay in the top division. Also a goal of ours is to prove our brand of football can compete with all the top clubs in the competition. And you never know, if we get in good form and play to the ability we know we have, then a top-half finish is more than achievable.
What’s one headline we may see about Kingston City this season?
‘Dark horse of NPL’
We may make might be a couple of big upsets this year. We have a great team with exceptional chemistry, which proved to be a huge factor in our success last year, so causing a few upsets along our campaign is a big possibility.