Football Season Guide

Finished 9th in the A-League last season. Played some really entertaining football but lacked tactical nous. Realistically, Stanton got as much out of a severely limited group of players as anyone could though so it was a surprise when he did not have his contract extended at the end of last season. Things became clearer when Mark Milligan was appointed as manager. Under his stewardship, the club has already won the Australian Cup to qualify for next season's Asian Champions League 2. They pulled off some big wins en route, and showed great determination. Despite substantial pre-season changes, they've arguably come out of the transfer market in triumphant fashion. They mostly lost squad players but Timmins left too. That's the benefit of having a squad with not many good players, though - it's not so hard to replace them. Still, take nothing away from their incoming personnel, which were impressive. Veteran playmaker Burgess was a very good acquisition. Badolato and Scicluna bring a lot of energy and potential to the team. Delianov is arguably the best goalkeeper they've had in years. They've also added experience head Shaughnessy in defence. If they can keep attacking with purpose and composure then they should have a good campaign. The Jets tend to fall away at some point but they've got a good nucleus of industrious youngsters and a sprinkling of experience/talent that should, in theory, work well. They could make the play-offs if Lady Luck smiles on them.