Winning is becoming a habit at Keilor Wolves Soccer Club.
The Wolves got their 2015 campaign off to the perfect start with a 5-0 win against Elwood City in the opening round of the nationwide FFA Cup on Saturday,
The victory continues what has been a brilliant 12 months for Keilor, which took out the state league 5 title last year to secure the club promotion to SL4.
The buzz of the ultimate success still hasn’t worn off for club president Steven Talevski, who says: “That was one of the biggest moments in our history”.
“It was our first title in three years … and probably the biggest in our club’s short history.”
While many teams which jump up a grade struggle to keep their playing lists together, Keilor has gone the opposite way.
Only three players from last year’s group won’t be returning and the Wolves are rapt to have maintained the continuity in the playing group.
“The stability is very important for our future,” Talevski said.
“We have brought in a few other young players so the average age is pretty young. But we’re looking at the long run and are trying to build up the squad.”
On top of retaining its players, championship-winning coach Denii Lisajoski has also returned this season to lead Keilor.
While expecting a noticeable jump in standard from state league 5 to 4, Talevski is confident his players will be at their hard-working best.
“The way our boys handled themselves last year and with the few new boys we have brought into the team, we believe we’ll be competitive and have a pretty good year.”
Keilor begins its state league 4 campaign against Laverton Park next month.
The club’s next FFA Cup opponent will be Westvale.
More than 630 clubs across Australia have entered the 2015 FFA Cup following the success of last season’s inaugural competition, won by A-League club Adelaide United.