Football Season Guide

Had a really good NSW NPL campaign, finishing top of the table despite fierce competition from APIA Leichhardt. However, they lost their focus in the play-offs, and surprisingly ended up losing 2-1 at home against Rockdale in the semi-finals. Most people had them pegged for a big final showdown against APIA Leichhardt but instead the visitors were able to win it against Rockdale. It's unclear what definitely prompted it but bizarrely boss David Petkovic left them at the end of the season for Sutherland Sharks, who barely managed to avoid relegation from the NSW NPL this season. It's rumoured they want to improve their stadium, pitch, training facilities etc. so it's possible there's more money on offer for him at his new club. Losing Petkovic - it's a big loss for the team, and is sure to have ramifications ahead of the Australian Championship. His successor is yet to be named, nor is his interim replacement so there has been no indication of preferred formation, eleven etc. at this stage. The above isn't their only worry. They also lost star Japanese striker Yu Okubo, the second-highest goal-scorer in the division. This is going to have a huge impact on their capacity to convert chances. As good as they are defensively, scoring less goals is going to call into question their capacity to win games more than it has been in the campaign that has just ended. The only thing to go in their favour of late is that they've been drawn in an easier group than most. There are still no guarantees that they'll get through it but the draw could have been a lot more unkind. For example, they don't have any tough derbies in this group unlike many of their contemporaries. The club should really be looking to not only make it out of the group stage but also launch a bid for the trophy. Instead, given the issues that now confront them, they may find it hard to make the next round.