ST ALBANS is steadfast in its quest to rebuild in the Football Federation Victoria men’s state league 1.
From the committee members to the players and coaches, the Saints are pulling in the right direction with their desire to regenerate.
That means no quick fixes, no cheque-book football.
Sure, there will be pain along the way and the bright lights of the Victorian Premier League may seem a long way off, but Saints coach Micky Colina is adamant the outcome will be worth it.
The Saints envisage a settled team, a more stable club, one that is not living day to day financially or having to fret when the transfer window opens.
“It’s a long-term project,” Colina told the Weekly.
“We want to develop a side that will be around for a long time rather than use Band-aid fixes that can hurt the club financially.
“It has to be that way after the side got relegated from the premier league and in the situation the club was in – financially shattered from bad management, probably over-paying some players, who I thought probably didn’t deserve to earn what they were earning, given where they were playing and, in the end, left the club in the lurch by leaving.”
Many clubs have a vision to rebuild, but succumb to the temptation of luring a marquee player in the transfer marketplace.
The Saints have big-name players in Tom Pondeljak, Johnny Sapazovski, Hrvoje Matkovic and Josip Kozic, but only because they are there for the right reasons and they will continue to ride an unwavering course to a stable and prosperous future.
The squad is dominated by youth, which is seen as the future of this proud club.
“The people we have here . . . I wouldn’t swap them for anybody,” Colina said.
“They’re honest lads who represent the jersey they play in on a weekly basis and fit the culture of the club and where we want to take it.
“The club, the board as a whole, we sat down and said to ourselves, let’s have a long-term plan where we develop and construct a side and have a club that will be stable and create an environment where you’ve got a team that can take you through for many years to come, rather than people who chase the dollars and then somebody offers them $50 more and they’re gone again.
“The people that are here are definitely not here for the money.”
The Saints have set a “realistic” aim of a mid-table finish.
Their form has been up and down, sitting ninth with 15 points from 13 matches, but a recent road draw with Sunshine George Cross was promising.
Tristan Romein, Michael Grgic and Sapasovski have been superb for the Saints this season, as was Pondeljak until he was injured.
The former Socceroo and long-time national leaguer was due for knee surgery on Monday that could rule him out for the season.
It’s a massive blow for the inexperienced Saints, but Colina is confident Pondeljak will return for the pre-season at the latest.
“To lose somebody like that leaves a big hole for us because we have limited experience,” Colina said. “He was a player giving us that X-factor.
“He’ll be back. I know what he’s like and he’s not going to finish his career like this.”
Like most other fixtures in the western suburbs on Saturday, the Saints’ clash with Box Hill United was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.
