By Tara Murray
New Green Gully coach David Chick is ken to for the season and new challenge to get underway in the National Premier League.
Chick joined the Cavaliers in the off season, after coaching Hume City to the finals in all three competitions after taking over early in the season.
Chick said compared to back home, the pre-seasons were so long, so he was itching to get out there.
“We’ve had 12 weeks of hard work, to play an actual match is good,” he said. “It’s my first year there and we’ve worked hard.”
Chick said they had kept most of the players they had been hoping to keep while also bringing in 11 new players.
“We’ve had a few key signings throughout the pre-season and hopefully we have a pretty decent group,” he said.
“We’ve kept our senior key players that we wanted to keep. They are important and the foundation of the club.
“They represent Green Gully.”
The club has also looked to add depth from their under-23 team which had a strong season last year.
He said they’ve had pretty strong pre-seasons and would likely play some minutes this season and gain some experience.
The Cavaliers made big signing news early in the off-season, signing last year’s Bill Fleming Medal winner Aamir Abdallah. He played under Chick at Hume City
Jacob Eliopoulos crosses from Oakleigh Cannons where he was part of the NPL championship last year.
Maurice Nugent arrives from League of Ireland premier division side Galway United, where he made more than 100 appearances for the club during two stints.
The defender also spent time with both Hendon and Uxbridge in the English non-league, prior to returning to Galway in 2022.
Scottish striker Joe McGlynn has also joined the club after developing his game through Burnley’s youth system. He is a proven goal scorer in Scotland.
Chick said all four bring plenty of experience which would be valuable.
The Cavaliers kick off their season on Saturday against Dandenong Thunder.
Chick said it would be an interesting match against one of his former sides which he expects will improve on last season.
The Cavaliers are hoping this season they can turn it around after a tough 2024.
“Last year was not where they wanted to be,” Chick said.
“Our aim is to be better and be as competitive as we can. Where we fit in the table, it’s too early to tell.
“We want to improve on last season and leave the club in a better position to challenge in the league, cups.
“If we can get momentum, you never know where we will finish.”
