In the lead-up to the opening of the 2015 NPL1 campaign, The Corner Flag had a chat to promising Springvale White Eagles defender Simo Jovanovic.
The 20 year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2014 where he started 19 games, scored twice and even captained the side as a teenager. Injury forced him to miss the latter stages of the season. Now fit and healthy, the centre-back is eager to kickstart the White Eagles’ season and hope to improve on a disappointing 2014 campaign for the club for Zed Mihajlovic’s youthful side.
***
Damir Kulas (D): Simo, thanks for taking time out to speak to The Corner Flag. How do you feel you and the club are shaping up for the 2015 season?
Simo Jovanovic (S): Not a problem. The club has had an intense pre-season, and i think we are more than capable of having a good season under our belts after a disappointing 2014 campaign.
D: You yourself are coming off a pretty lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a nasty bout of osteitis pubis, what was the rehabilitation like?
S: Yes I have been out for about 7 months with osteitis pubis. Not the best of injuries to be carrying around but thankfully that is in the past now. Rehab was not anything out of the ordinary with rest being the key to getting rid of it and thankfully enough I can look forward to kickstarting the new season.
D: Tell us about how you suffered this injury and how frustrated was it having your off-season disrupted it by it?
S: The injury occurred after a training session. I had no pain during the session and once I had cooled down, I started to feel pain around the pelvic area. I knew something was not right. It was really frustrating, especially when you are at the training and watching all your teammates playing. It really makes you miss running around and playing with the ball.
D: 2014 was really a breakout year for you as you excelled with some great performances for the club over the course of the season and you even captaining the side despite your young age. More of the same in 2015?
S: It definitely was, especially playing the majority of the games, injuries aside. Although I just feel that I need to get a bit more consistency going through in my game. Last year we had a lot of inexperience especially in the back line, and that cost us a lot during the course of the season. Also being only 20, captaining the side has been great as the team has shown a lot of faith in me leading them out before each game, so hopefully that continues.
D: Zed Mihajlovic is your mentor at the club, what is it like working with him and how important has he been to your progression as a player?
S: Zed has been great. I have always said he is one of the best coaches I have had, if not best. He is not scared to give the younger players a run in the senior squad, and that is exactly what he did with me. So that is why he has been important in my development over the last 3 years, where he has helped me progress technically as a player as well as mentally.
D: Your younger brother Milan broke into the senior side last season, culminating in him scoring a memorable goal away against St Albans. Are you expecting big things from him this season, and also, who is the better of the two siblings?
S: I have always told Milan that this season could be make or break for him. So it is important he keeps working hard and keeps consistent with his game play. So yes, I am expecting big things from him. He just has to keep his head screwed on and let his feet do the talking. I’ll just let the captaincy from last season do all the talking with the second part of that question, haha.
D: Your good mate and former teammate at the White Eagles, Vojo Milojevic, has left the club to join Avondale in the NPL this season. How big of a loss will he be for the club?
S: He has been a massive loss for us. He was our creative spark all season long, which is why I am not surprised he has had offers from NPL clubs. Having said that, we cannot dwell on the loss of a key player. We just have to move on and focus on our current squad. Although I will miss having someone cleaning my boots after every training session though.
D: I understand you started to get serious about your football at a later age, as before this you were a champion junior at karate. What prompted the change?
S: I have always enjoyed watching football from a young age. But I just never got into it. One day I decided to go and watch my brother train at the club and thought to myself, why not give it a shot? The very next day I joined up at the club and the rest is history. I have no regrets in taking up football and am enjoying it.
D: Finally I couldn’t resist but rumour has it that you’re a massive Liverpool fan. It has not been the best of seasons for your boys to say the least, with a 3-0 defeat to United and a Champions League exit the highlights for many neutrals. Your thoughts?
S: That is all in the past. You are only as good as your last performance and winning 2-0 away to the Saints and 2-1 to City at home are fantastic results for us so I’m not complaining, unlike Manchester United of course. The top four is ours for the taking again this season, not to worry!
The White Eagles opened 2015 with a 1-1 away result to Murray United and will look to pick up their first three points this week when they take on Box Hill United at White Eagles Stadium this Saturday the 7th of March, with kick-off at 3pm.