Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Coach: Miron Bleiberg
Pre-Season: LWWL (South Adelaide Panthers 1-2, Eastern Lions Soccer Club 2-1, Kingston City 3-2, Port Melbourne Sharks 1-2)
Upcoming: Nunawading City (Saturday 14th February)
2014 finish: 2nd It was close but no cigar for Oakleigh Cannons, who had to play bridesmaid to South Melbourne despite not losing to them throughout the season. They guaranteed South the inaugural NPL title with a 1-0 loss to Melbourne Knights on September 3, preventing a tantalising penultimate round encounter against the eventual champions.
The Cannons’ season highlights included a 3-0 win over South, a 6-0 demolition of Dandenong Thunder, and turning Green Gully into their whipping boys with 6-1 and 5-1 victories.
Miron Bleiberg’s men didn’t take too many wrong steps throughout the competition with only three defeats, but did stumble a few times along the way with five draws. Their Dockerty Cup run was also disappointing, losing to Werribee in Round 4.
[youtube id=”IlsY0fma-Wk” width=”620″ height=”360″]
New Signings: There’s been a considerable turnaround at Oakleigh, with a number of big outs including Nate Foster moving to Waitakere in New Zealand, Andreas Govas making the switch to Heidelberg, Bonel Obradovic at South Melbourne and Veton Korcari heading back to Dandenong Thunder.
In return, Oakleigh have secured the services other highly regarded NPL players. Former Goulburn Valley Suns duo Ben Clarke and Brian Vanega both add attacking threat to the line-up. It could also be a new look back four at the Cannons, with Northcote City’s VPL-winning captain Adrian Chiapetta making the move south, former Melbourne Victory man Steve Pandelidis joining from Malaysia, and crafty left wingback Kris Kioussis driving up the Princes Highway from Dandenong Thunder. The Cannons also acquire another Honos, with midfielder Ross joining from Port Melbourne.
The club has also made two interstate signings; attacking midfielder Jake McLean from Brisbane Olympic, who won the state double last season and scored three goals in two Westfield FFA Cup games, and Liam Boland, a Western Australian forward.
Players to watch: Oakleigh have still retained plenty of talent, with the likes of Goran Zoric, Dusan Bosnjak and Dean Piemonte set to again combine up front, while Dominic D’Angelo will continue to provide the link between defence and attack in the holding midfield role. Keep an eye out for Kioussis‘ marauding runs from the back, while 21-year-old McLean still harbors A-League ambitions.
What to expect in 2015: A big turnaround could see some inconsistency early, but Oakleigh’s acquisitions have been quality and would be predicted to click sooner rather than later. Miron Bleiberg has previously stated his preference of a first past the post system in NPL Victoria, so will the new finals system eventually suit or hinder his team come the end of the season? Regardless, expect a team that will push for honours in both the league and cup, and colourful tweets from their coach.