A new-look Green Gully will do battle in this year’s National Premier League soccer competition.
The Cavaliers had a busy off-season with a number of new faces joining the club.
Coach Bob Stojcevski is impressed with the way the players have approached pre-season.
“We’ve been looking forward to rebuilding the team and building a new squad that will keep us in good stead for the next two or three years,” he said.
“I’m quite pleased with the signings we’ve been able to make and the players we’ve brought into the club who have such a strong desire to do well at premier league level.
“The attitude they’ve brought into the club has been great.”
Among the host of new faces are former FC Bendigo trio Aaron Cohen, Seb Mattei and Alon Blumgart, who have been joined by Macedonian forward Nikola Markovski and former Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Rani Dowisha.
Another former Victory player, Rodrigo Vargas, returns.
His brother, Andy, leads the list of players not returning. Vargas has retired from playing but remains at the club in a junior coaching role.
Green Gully finished a disappointing 10th last year.
Stojcevski believes his squad won’t be concerned by 2014’s struggles.
“The turnover in the team has been such that most of the players in the squad now are not affected by what happened last year,” he said.
“What they have seen is an opportunity to be involved with a top club in the premier league.
“It’s a huge challenge for them. They’re here to establish themselves and contribute to Green Gully’s – and their own – success.”
The fact Green Gully is going through a transition phase doesn’t mean it will accept below- average results, the coach insists.
“The overall objective is to try and make Green Gully a strong club within a three-year period,” Stojcevski said.
“That doesn’t mean to say we don’t have aspirations for 2015.
“On the contrary, Green Gully prides itself on doing well every year.”
