Green Gully Manager Arthur Papas is satisfied with his side’s start to the 2016 NPL Victoria campaign but believes more needs to be done if the Keilor East-based club is to challenge the league’s front runners.
The nine-time state champions sit fourth on the competition ladder heading into Round 11, two points behind third-placed Heidelberg heading into the round.
Despite last week’s narrow 2-1 home defeat to the second placed Bentleigh Greens, the 36-year-old has overseen Gully’s best start to the season since 2008.
“Given some of the setbacks we have suffered, as a group we have made a reasonable start,” he said.
Papas began life at the helm of the former NSL side with a 1-1 draw against the Melbourne Knights in Round 1, a fixture brought to life by a superb strike from long range by Matthew Breeze.
However that fixture at Knights Stadium would be the wide forward’s last of the campaign, as a knee injury brought an end to the Englishman’s season.
Further injuries to in-form strike duo Liam Boland and Nick Krousoratis has seen Gully’s depth up front tested with attacking midfielder Evan Christodoulou even being deployed as a centre forward to great effect.
But the long-term loss of the Breeze, who scored eight goals in 21 league games for the side last term, has severely depleted the 2013 Dockerty Cup winners according to the man roaming the touchline at Green Gully Reserve.
“Huge blow for the team and more so for Breezey, he’s a fantastic talent and one of the most dangerous players in this league and his absence has been a big loss for us all as have the injuries to Liam [Boland] and Nick [Krousoratis],” Papas said.
“Both of them are only now starting to get back to full fitness and their absence has been felt in a few of those games as they all operate in the same area of the ground.”
While being overall satisfied with the progress of his side, the NPL’s youngest manager believes that reinforcements will be needed if the club is to build on from its good start.
“Generally squad depth is tested over the winter months, having been hit so hard in the attacking third could not be anticipated. At the moment I’d say we’re two to three players short of having the depth of some of the frontrunners in this league and that showed last week in the 2-1 defeat to Bentleigh.
“Given the loss of Breeze in addition to the exit of Simon Tolli late-on in the pre-season, we don’t have the correct depth in the forward positions. Boys who have filled in have done well in those roles but it’s also difficult for them to expect to do that over a full season.”
Papas stresses that he appreciates the club and its board for how they have facilitated a seamless transition to his tenure at the club and are aware of the predicament.
“In the end if we want to challenge on both fronts, the ability to make the correct signings in the window could be a deciding factor. Within the group there is a strong mentality and a high level of quality but to make us a stronger force as we progress, squad depth is a given to compete if the ambition is to return to being a champion club.”
Green Gully will look to momentarily leapfrog Heidelberg – who they will face in the final 16 of the cup – into third position with a victory over the Oakleigh Cannons tomorrow.
It will mark the first time that Papas will come up against his former club, whom he managed in two respective spells in 2011 and last year.
While having plenty of happy memories of his time at the club, he believes more credit should be paid to his side last season.
“If you look at where Oakleigh were when I came in, it was five points from eight games and in the relegation zone.
“We were in a similar position to that which the bottom teams are in right now and yet we comfortably managed to avoid relegation while making the Dockerty Cup final in addition to the FFA Cup Quarter-Finals.
“On another day, we would have beaten Hume and reached the last four, Australia-wide so you have to appreciate what that group managed last season under some difficult circumstances, I wish them all the best as it’s a big club that must play finals and cup football every year.”
The Cannons fixture will also be a reunion for Boland, Walker and Christodoulou, who captain the club as well as George Lambadaridis who spent a short time at Jack Edwards Reserve in the early days of his senior career.
Kick-off at Green Gully Reserve is at 3pm tomorrow afternoon.