Coach: Vaughan Coveny
Home Ground: Epping Stadium
2015 Season:
League: 2nd place (PS4 NPL1 East Vic)
Club Overview/History: The club was founded in 2008 as the youth team of A-League club Melbourne Victory. Having previously played in the National Youth League, it was announced in 2014 that the Victory would also compete in Victoria’s NPL 1 competition to extend their football to an all-year cycle. Melbourne Victory Youth was added to the NPL1 East conference for the 2015 season. After a spirited first year in the competition, the Victory youth squad managed to secure promotion into the top-flight of the NPL
Pre-season: 1 win (4 goals for, 1 goal against)
– Melbourne Victory 4 (McNamara, Maclean, Katebian x2) defeated Whittlesea Ranges 1
Last season: The Melbourne Victory squad surpassed expectations in 2015, surging past their competitors to finish the season second on the NPL1 East table (17 wins, four draws and seven losses). Victory had some big wins last season including three 9-1 games (against Brunswick City SC, Murray United FC, Nunawading City FC respectively) and a 7-0 thrashing of Kingston City early in the season.
Victory almost had a chance to win the league but a last-round loss to Box Hill United enabled Richmond SC to leapfrog Melbourne and clinch first place. Despite the youth of the side, their lack of experience proved no issue for Melbourne Victory in their first season in the NPL1 competition. Darren Davies’ men defeated NPL1 West runner-up Moreland Zebras FC in the qualification play-off followed by a win over 12th placed NPL side North Geelong Warriors to secure promotion.
Transfer movement:
In:
Ryan Lambert, Richmond SC
Matt Hennessey, Hume City
Oliver Paterno, Box Hill United
Michael Holden, Tasmania
Josh Hope, Tasmania
Squad: Ryan Lambert, Matt Hennessey, Jordan Brown, Christian Cavallo, Wyatt Chant, Lucas Derrick, Kieran Dover, Anthony Duzel, Callum Goulding, Michael Holden, Josh Hope, George Howard, Joey Katebian, Andre McNamara, John Maclean, Damien Miskulin, Stefan Nigro, Dion Paola, Oliver Paterno, Lucas Spinella, John Vakirtzis, Pierce Waring, James Xydias
READ MORE > Victory announce NPL squad
Players to watch: In Joey Katebian, the Victory have a powerful striker with an eye for goal. He was Victory’s leading goalscorer in the team’s maiden NPL1 season, netting 32 times in 26 games. A skilled finisher with an A-League debut (Round Seven) under his belt, Katebian could trouble NPL defences as he looks to earn an A-League contract with Melbourne Victory.
Stefan Nigro could be in for a breakout season in 2016, having already played at this level with Port Melbourne Sharks in the first season of the NPL Victoria. Nigro made his A-League debut in Round 15 of the 2015/16 A-League season and gained national exposure after a brilliant performance against Thomas Broich in Victory’s 4-0 win over Brisbane Roar.
Another experienced head in Kieran Dover could prove to be a pivotal player in Victory’s NPL campaign. A silky midfielder with A-League and NPL experience – the creative force nabbed eight goals last season. Other players to look out for in 2016 include Damien Miskulin, Anthony Duzel and the exciting Pierce Waring – who represented Australia at the U17 World Cup in Chile, netting against Germany.
What to expect in 2016: 2015 proved to be a fruitful one for the boys in blue with impressive performances from Darren Davies’ squad throughout the season. However, the NPL is a different ballgame. Although the standard of football is higher, the Victory squad boasts a number of talented players who can easily match it against some of the NPL’s biggest names. Expect the Victory to claim some big scalps throughout 2016 to help them push away from the bottom three.