Caroline Springs George Cross has secured back-to-back promotions and will play in National Premier League 2 next season.
The Georgies dominated in FV state league 1 north-west last season, before moving into NPL3 this year.
They weren’t sure what to expect and started the season really slowly. But something clicked for the Georgies, with the side winning 12 games in a row.
The 12th of those on Saturday against Doveton was enough to seal a top two spot and promotion with three rounds remaining.
Georgies coach Eric Vassiliadis said it was pretty special to have locked up another promotion.
“It’s a huge sense of relief and I’m proud of everyone at the club,” he said. “We had COVID, cancelled seasons and four red cards in games.
“Everything felt like it was going against us. We showed the right mentality and that resistance.
“There was a superb effort of resilience, determination and perseverance.”
The Georgies had to come from behind against Doveton after going 1-0 down in the fourth minute.
Both sides went a player down in the 31st minute, with the Georgies able to level the scores just before half time.
The second half wasn’t without drama, but the Georgies were able to control the game to come away with a 5-1 win.
Vassiliadis said it definitely wasn’t the start they were after.
“We were determined to get off to a good start, but I thought we were a little bit flat,” he said.
“We came in at half time and had a quick reset and changed a couple of things and changed our mindset.
“They got a couple of red cards and we got one too but finished off strongly. We have a lot of depth in the squad.”
Vassiliadis said they don’t think much about winning 12 games in a row during the season, but knows it’s an achievement that doesn’t happen often in the NPL competitions.
While promotion has been locked in, the Georgies are hoping to add a second straight title as well.
The Georgies sit atop the ladder one point clear of Melbourne Victory, having played one less game.
Vassiliadis said they needed to continue to focus like they have to have some more success this season and hopefully have some more long term success.
“We were really excited and we want to see where the next three weeks take us, we’re not finished,” he said.
“We’ll continue speaking as a coaching group to try and find solutions. We’ve had a special set of events and we’ve achieved our first goal in promotion.
“We now want to win the next three games and win the championship.”
The Georgies this week face Nunawading with Vassiliadis saying it would be a tough challenge.
While happy with two promotions in a row, Vassiliadis isn’t content at leaving it at just that.
“I’m so proud of this club, but I’m not built to go sideways.
“As a club we’ll see what the future holds and I want to go harder again next year.”
