Green Gully SC

Green Gully
Full name Green Gully Soccer Club
Nickname(s) Cavaliers, Gully
Founded 1955 (1955)
Ground Green Gully Reserve
Ground Capacity 10,000
Chairman Dennis Venes
Manager Arthur Papas
League NPL Victoria
2016 5th
Website Club website

Green Gully Soccer Club is an Australian football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Green Gully is one of the largest clubs in Melbourne, having participated in the now defunct National Soccer League between 1984–1986. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, with matches played at Green Gully Reserve in Kealba. Green Gully, along with South Melbourne FC, hold the joint record for the most Victorian top flight league titles, winning the league nine times in their history.[1] It is one of five state league teams to eliminate an A-League team in the FFA Cup, alongside Blacktown City FC, Heidelberg United FC, Redlands United FC and Adelaide City FC.[2]

History

Early History

The club was established as Ajax Soccer Club in 1955 by Maltese immigrants.[3] In honour of the Maltese Floriana club, Ajax SC adopted their familiar green and white playing strips.[3] The club was renamed to Green Gully Ajax SC when it moved to its current home ground at Green Gully Reserve in 1966, in the West of Melbourne suburb of Kealba.[3] In 1972, the City of Keilor Council laid down two full size football pitches and constructed a large dressing room facility which included showers and toilets.[3] The "Ajax" was dropped in 1982.[3]

The club competed in the National Soccer League of Australia (NSL) from 1984 to 1986 and attracted some great players such as George Campbell from Preston (originally from Aberdeen), and Scott Fraser from Rangers. Green Gully is a 'Sister Club' with Sunshine George Cross FC, It is believed that both Green Gully and Sunshine Georgies adopted the Same kit as a Maltese Premier League club Floriana F.C., Floriana is one of the oldest clubs in Malta.

Green Gully have been Victorian Champions in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2011.

Recent History

Gully placed third in the league in 2012 and made it all the way to the preliminary final, but went down to Dandenong Thunder SC. After a fifth placed league finish in 2013, Gully exited the finals series at the first stage after a 1–0 loss to South Melbourne FC.

Green Gully had their bid for a place in the inaugural National Premier Leagues Victoria accepted and entered the competition in 2014. The NPLV replaced the old VPL. The Cavaliers finished in 10th place in the new 14 team competition in 2014, and finished in 7th place the following year, just missing out on the finals series. Bob Stojcevski departed the club mid-season after an extended period of poor form, with Rodrigo Vargas (as player-coach) and Stephen Downes taking on the head role to see out the season.

In October 2015, Green Gully announced that former Oakleigh Cannons boss Arthur Papas would lead the club in the 2016 NPL Victoria season.[4] Papas brought in the likes of Nicholas Krousoratis, former Brisbane Roar youngster George Lambadaridis, former Melbourne Heart FC player Kliment Taseski and Japanese left-back Yohei Iwasaki for the 2016 campaign.[5] Gully qualified for the national stage of the 2016 FFA Cup, drawing A-League side Central Coast Mariners in the Round of 32 and became only the second member federation club to beat an A-League club when Liam Boland's 92nd minute long-range goal saw the Cavaliers win the tie 2–1 in front of 900 people at Green Gully Reserve.[6] In the Round of 16, Gully came up against local rivals and NPL Victoria compatriots Melbourne Knights FC. Despite Stipo Andrijasevic giving the hosts a 1–0 lead early on at Knights Stadium, a Nicholas Krousoratis goal wedged between a Liam Boland brace saw the visitors progress to the quarter-finals of the competition in front of 2,472 people.[7] Gully were handed its first interstate opponent in the final eight, when it drew National Premier Leagues Capital Football side Canberra Olympic FC.[8]

On 23 February 2017, it was announced that Papas would be leaving his position as manager of Green Gully to join Saudi Professional League club Ettifaq FC as assistant coach to former Villareal coach Eelco Schattorie for the remainder of the Saudi Professional League season.[9] He was replaced by Green Gully's U20’s Head Coach Brian Vanega.[10]

Rivalries

The Green Gully Cavaliers have many rivalries, the biggest of the rivalries are the Sunshine George Cross FC with most games containing controversy. Other Victorian Premier League Clubs that are rivals include Melbourne Knights, South Melbourne FC and Non-Victorian Premier League rivalries include Keilor Park SC and the St. Albans Saints.

Kit supplier

The Kit Supplier for the Green Gully Cavaliers is Kappa, Kappa is the match day kit supplier and training kit supplier. Green Gully's matchday kit is green with white stripes, while the shorts and socks are just green. The green gully juniors also have their kit supplier as Kappa.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Australia GK Rani Dowisha
2 Australia GK Lucas Spinella
3 Australia GK Aaron Schille
4 England DF Daniel Jones
5 Australia DF Jeremy Walker
6 Australia DF Matthew Reid
7 Australia DF Callum Richardson
8 Australia MF Joshua Baressi
9 Australia DF Jonathan Bounas
10 Australia FW Alex Caniglia
11 Australia FW Wade Dekker
12 Australia FW Nick Krousouratis
13 England FW Matthew Breeze
14 England MF Jay Davies
15 Australia DF Luke Walker
16 Australia DF Josh Brindell-South
17 Australia MF Steve Hatzikostas
18 Australia FW Sami Nour
19 New Zealand MF Aleks Taleski
20 Australia MF George Lambadaridis
21 Australia MF Kliment Taseski
22 England MF Nathan Cook

Honours

Individual Honours

References

  1. ↑ "Past Victorian Champions". MFootball. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "Westfield FFA Cup wrap: Round of 32 MD 3". FFA Cup. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Green Gully Club History". Green Gully Soccer Club. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  4. ↑ Papas the new couch at Green Gully
  5. ↑ Kulas, Damir. "Pair join Gully as Papas completes squad". The Corner Flag. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  6. ↑ FFA Cup: Green Gully ousts Mariners thanks to wondergoal (ABC News)
  7. ↑ http://www.theffacup.com.au/matchcentre/Melbourne-Knights-v-Green-Gully/883885
  8. ↑ http://www.theffacup.com.au/article/westfield-ffa-cup-quarter-final-draw-revealed/13a7fz8yu85821ucyewzhaxfob
  9. ↑ "Star FFA Cup coach heads to Saudi club". A-League. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  10. ↑ "Arthur Papas signs with Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Pro League". Green Gully SC. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
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