| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jim Patikas | ||
| Date of birth | 18 October 1963 | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1979–1983 | Sydney City | 59 | (10) |
| 1980 | Aberdeen | ||
| 1983–1984 | Sydney Olympic | 57 | (13) |
| 1985 | Sydney Croatia | 25 | (17) |
| 1985–1993 | AEK Athens | 142 | (27) |
| 1993 | Athinaikos | 10 | (1) |
| 1993 | A.P.I.A. Leichhardt Tigers | 1 | (0) |
| 1993–1994 | Athinaikos | 35 | (2) |
| 1995 | Kastoria | ||
| 1996 | Sydney United | 17 | (1) |
| 1996–1997 | Sydney Olympic | ||
| Total | 329 | (70) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Jim Patikas is a former Australian football player. Renowned for his exceptional speed, he was capped 28 times for the Socceroos and played as a forward and midfielder for Sydney City, Sydney Olympic, Sydney Croatia, AEK Athens, Athinaikos and Kastoria.[1]
Patikas represented the Young Socceroos in both the 1981 FIFA World Youth Cup in Sydney and 1983 World Youth Cup in Mexico. Despite being one of the youngest players in the 1981 World Youth Cup, Patikas had already played over two seasons for NSL Champions Sydney City. He was therefore a key part of the Australian squad that reached the Quarter Finals in 1981, losing 1-0 only to eventual winners, Germany. His performances for the Young Socceroos and Sydney City earned Patikas his first full international cap aged only 17 against Indonesia in 1981 World Cup Qualifying and a contract with a Sir Alex Ferguson coached Aberdeen.
In 1983, after five seasons and three NSL Championships with Sydney City, Patikas was signed by Tommy Docherty at Sydney Olympic. In his first season at Olympic, he won the NSL Cup and held the record for most Young Socceroos international appearances after playing in his 2nd FIFA World Youth Cup in Mexico. Against European Youth Champions Scotland, Patikas scored a goal with 3 minutes remaining to give the Young Socceroos a 2-1 victory elevating them to the top of Group A.[2] In the final round, a 2-1 defeat to Korea Republic saw the Young Socceroos exit the tournament with only one defeat. However, the performances of Patikas attracted the attention of many international scouts. One including newly appointed Barcelona F.C. coach Cesar Luis Menotti. According to media reports, Patikas was offered a contract by Menotti, but injury forced him to return to Australia.
In 1985, Patikas joined Olympic's rivals Sydney Croatia and scored 2 goals against his former club on his way to the NSL Player of the Year and Top Goalscorer titles (17 goals). He played 13 of his 28 caps during this season, and was a key member of the Socceroos 1986 World Cup Qualifying matches against a Scottish national side featuring Gordon Strachan, Alex McLeish and Graeme Souness.[3] Patikas who had experience in Scotland during his time at Aberdeen was one of the Socceroos stand-out performers in a 2-0 aggregate loss. Following these games, he was signed by Greek club AEK Athens.
In his third season at AEK, Patikas won the league title ending the club's 10 year championship drought. He went on to make over 200 appearances for AEK in all competitions (including European Cup, Uefa Cup and Cup Winners Cup) scoring 58 goals. He won 3 Greek Championships, 1 Greek League Cup, 1 Greek Super Cup and 1 Pre-1991 Mediterranean Games Cup.
After nearly a decade with AEK Athens, Patikas signed for Athinaikos during the 1993 season. In his first game back at Nikos Goumas Stadium, he scored against his old club, AEK. Despite being man-of-the-match, he ended up on the losing side as the Greek champions won 3-2.[4]
In 1995, Patikas signed for Northern Greek outfit Kastoria in Gamma Ethniki. The club was promoted into Beta Ethniki, and Patikas helped the club gain promotion into the Greek First Division for the first time since 1983. Following two successful seasons at Kastoria, Patikas returned home to play for Sydney United and Sydney Olympic in the NSL.
Player:
With Sydney City:
With Sydney Olympic
With AEK Athens
Individual: