It’s hard to believe that merely three seasons ago, Whittlesea Ranges were grazing the trough of State League 2 North-West, finishing three places off the bottom.
Fast forward three years through the induction of the NPL – determination, new additions and countless meetings, and you’re able to witness the same outfit perched at the peak of NPL2 West – two points clear at first place with 10 fixtures left to conquer.
Vinko Buljubasic’s men failed to be overcome until the ninth round of this season, a convincing period in which the side registered five victories and three draws, their heaviest affliction being a 4-0 walkover of Bendigo City.
A wake-up call was delivered after a 0-4 defeat to mid-table Moreland Zebras, a lapse in momentum which was momentarily overturned in the next fixture when the Ranges brushed off Eastern Lions 5-2.
Clinical forward Atilla Olfi was the lone suitor for the home scoresheet against the Lions, finding the back of the net all five times.
The attacker has been a pivotal part of the Ranges’ campaign this season, attributing 27 goals to his name, comprising of four hat-tricks – including one most recently against Kingston City, which stamped the club’s promotion and title-contending credentials in NPL2 West.
Olfi was the subject of interest from numerous sides, one of them being A-League outfit Western Sydney Wanderers, which he was invited to trial with before the 2016 season commenced.
Ranges manager Buljubasic highlighted the foreign interest, although stating his prolific striker is satisfied at Epping Stadium for the time-being as he continues to play a pivotal role .
“There was four or five clubs who were really pursuing [Olfi],” the manager said.
“I told him what our plans are for the future, he’s happy where he is at the moment. He’s friendly with all the boys, so that convinced him to stay.”
Buljubasic lauded Olfi’s determination to play which is not only shown in his striker’s touch, but also his workrate and off-the-ball movement.
“[Olfi] has been on fire all year with all the goals, but i’ve been very pleased with his workrate,” the manager stated.
“We know he can score goals, it’s when we haven’t got the ball, he’s working for the team and that’s very important.
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Olfi underlined his desire to perform to his full potential, also attributing his uprise in success to a fresh role which allows the striker more space to roam away from markers.
“Every game I walk in trying to give 110%, try get a result,” the striker said.
“The scoring boots have been week in week out for me. [I’m] obviously thanking god, I say my prayer before the game.
“Thanks to [Buljubasic], he’s letting me play a free role that allows me to drift away from the marking players.”
A player which can be noted as a catalyst for Olfi’s feature as top scorer is George Slefendoras – who arguably links up most effectively with Olfi – with his natural play style allowing the striker to wander into space and create further havoc.
Olfi hailed his teammate, comparing him to the likes of Socceroo great Mark Viduka, who also allowed his counterparts to break away from defenders through one-twos and holding the ball up.
“[Slefendorfas] is our key player, he’s like [Mark] Viduka, [he] holds the ball up and feeds me,” Olfi said.
“The way he holds the ball is unbelievable.
“George [Slefendorfas] plays a big role, [he] draws the players to him and I get the open opportunity space to do what I do best.
“The goals are a team effort, the team sets me up. I do my job, put the ball behind the net, get the three points.”
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A dark period mid-season left the Ranges with two wins from their past six games, their push for promotion done no favours by an unsettled line-up caused by multiple injuries.
The woeful interval consisted of a 1-4 loss to East conference outfit Dandenong City and arguably the most demotivating, a 1-2 defeat at the hands of then-strugglers Werribee City.
A number of Under 20’s players were handed stints off the bench in the absence of Stefan Baricevic, Sanni Dauda and Matthew Cundari who wouldn’t be available for numerous weeks, if not the season.
Buljubasic seized the opportunity to fill the gaps, predominantly in the midfield, through the mid-season transfer window.
Andrew Milicevic and Tedros Yabio conveyed their talent from St. Albans Saints to Epping Stadium, alongside some NPL top tier experience in Nick Tzoulis who relocated from Northcote City.
Buljubasic expressed the significance of a coup in the mid-season window, praising his new signings who have added depth to a squad previously lacking such.
“We had to go into the transfer window, we had quite a few injuries, and we’re talking two players who were out for the season,” the manager said.
“The new players that have come in have done an exceptional job, and now I can say that we got depth and that was very important.
“[Andrew Milicevic and Tedros Yabio] have been huge, I just love their work rate, they’re technical, they’re very good players and [they’re] two players that we needed.”
The Ranges have since been undefeated from the subsequent four games after their additions and ascended to first place on the table.
Round 16 saw a compelling tie with NPL2 East heavyweight Dandenong Thunder, handing their opponents their first loss of points all season at 15 wins and one draw.
After finding themselves behind at half time, a late surge in the 60th minute saw three goals from Buljubasic’s men in 15 minutes – two of them from reputable attacker Olfi.
Merely two fixtures later they faced another NPL2 East conference tycoon in Kingston City, who had only seen defeat from Dandenong.
Olfi tallied another three goals to his name as the Ranges again defied odds to cruise past Kingston 1-3.
Buljubasic appeared grateful for the teamwork displayed by his men, especially after obstructing a stream of pressure placed onto them by the second placed side late in the first period.
“I thought in the first 20 minutes we dominated, and towards the end of the first half they put a lot of pressure on us,” the manager said.
“We knew Kingston are a very good side, they’re up there for a reason, so we stuck to our game plan and in the end it was a great team effort.
“Every game I tell the boys it’s a challenge, no matter where the teams are on the ladder.
“We knew where Kingston have their strengths, we worked on that during the week and it worked very well for us today.
“They had their chances, they were dominant for a lot of the period in the second half, but we defended well as a unit.”
The performances against the top two NPL2 East outfits manifests a credible push for promotion, given 10 more fixtures to endure.
As visible as promotion looks on the cards to the Ranges’ faithful, the club personnel appear wary of alluding any possible elevation to NPL.
“I’m not mentioning promotion,” Buljubasic said.
The squad face another formidable opponent this Saturday on the road to Melbourne City – who are two points on the tails of the Ranges.
A victory would see the Ranges extend their position at the peak to five points, while a defeat would surrender first place to their opponents.
The remaining 10 fixtures comprise of matchups against every combatant in the NPL2 West except Werribee City, alongside matches against Murray United and Brunswick City – who are both in the bottom half of the NPL2 East table.
Image: Kingston City