History of Melbourne Knights FC
Encyclopedia
Melbourne Knights FC has a long and illustrious history in Australian football. Since the clubs humble beginnings in 1953 it would go on to become one of the most successful football clubs in Australia with the club's peak coming in the mid 1990s when they were crowned Australian champions, winning back-to-back National Soccer League
titles.
to discuss the formation of a Croatian soccer club. The founders of the club were Perica Filipovic (the first President of the club), Ivica Matosevic, Tonika Durakovic, Drago Jukic and Hinko Durakovic. The club was given the name SC Croatia and from the very beginning it was decided the clubs colours would be the tri-colours of the Croatian flag (which continues to this day); red jerseys, white shorts and blue socks. An initial difficulty in fielding teams led SC Croatia to recruit players from various suburbs across Melbourne
, as well as from outside the city in Geelong
and even the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre
in north-eastern Victoria
. The club went as far as to meet arriving boats of immigrants at ports in Melbourne and Geelong to recruit players. Despite these initial difficulties the club quickly became successful, making its playing debut on 10 April 1953 (Croatian Independence Day). In 1954 the club became an affiliate of the state's governing body Victorian Amateur Soccer Football Association, which saw SC Croatia join and compete in a league competition for the first time that same year in the newly created Victorian Provisional League (a league for amateur clubs). The clubs opening match took place on 1 May 1954 against BWR, which finished 3-3. The clubs first win coming the week after on 8 May, with a 4-1 victory over Box Hill. It was a successful debut year for the club as they finished second, four points behind the league champions South Yarra. Also in 1954 SC Croatia participated in its first Dockerty Cup
, the young club was knocked out in the opening round losing to Yallourn
12-1.
, the furthest the club had been in the competition up until that point. Controversy embroiled the league in its post-season, which saw SC Croatia stripped of its Division 1 title after a successful appeal by the second placed Preston to overturn a result earlier in the season in their match against the Lions. The title was handed to Preston, whom gained promotion to the Victorian State League.
It was a bitter blow to the club, made worse by the fact the club was only informed they would not be competing in the Victorian Soccer League a month before the start of the 1960 season. The Preston club having not expected to be participating in the top league and was not prepared for the move, having lost the bulk of its squad. In an act of desperation the president of the Preston club contacted the president of SC Croatia, Joe Radojevic, to merge the two clubs. This was a move not supported by many at SC Croatia, so a vote was taken by the committee. The vote was very close, going just in favour of not merging. But unknown to members of the committee Joe Radojevic had already arranged the merger with the Federation and had 8 SC Croatia players transferred to the Preston club. Radojevic had also hoped to sell the club’s Division 1 spot to Makedonia. This decision was met with much anger and caused a split within the club, seeing SC Croatia remain in Geelong playing in Division 1, while Radojevic's breakaway faction played in Melbourne under the name of Preston Croat (a name officially adopted in 1961) in the Victorian State League. So for the next three seasons (1960–1962) the two clubs remained separate entities. SC Croatia, following the split, having lost the bulk of its squad merged with the Zagreb club from Geelong (founded in 1958) allowing it to be able to field a side for the season.
Despite the controversy of the split, the club's initial years of the 1950s had proven to be overwhelmingly successful, with the club finishing in the top 2 on five occasions in its first 6 seasons. The 1950s saw the club have its highest points per game ratio of any decade in its history (2.16 points per game), and an impressive 68% win ratio.
Preston Croat's inaugural State League season in 1960 was a complete disaster, seeing the club finish 2nd last and being relegated. Preston Croat would quickly return to the top flight after taking out the Division 1 South title in 1961. The club was so dominant that they went through the season undefeated. Also that year SC Croatia had come extremely close to promotion to the State League, having finished 3rd only 3 points off first.
Following the completion of the 1961 season turmoil engulfed the Victorian soccer landscape. Fed up with the way the VASFA was running the game the 12 State League clubs (now with Preston Croat among them) decided to breakaway and join the rebel Victorian Soccer Federation. Many of the clubs playing below the State League, including SC Croatia, initially decided to side with the VASFA. This saw Preston Croat poach a number of players from SC Croatia with the VSF proving to be a more attractive set-up for players. By February 1962 the VSF won the battle to gain control of the sport in Victoria as the VASFA collapsed and disbanded. The rest of the clubs in Victoria including SC Croatia joined the VSF.
The 1962 State League season again proved to be a poor one for Preston Croat, the club just avoided relegation by 2 points. It was disappointing given the promise shown by the club in the pre-season Ampol Cup, with the club making the Semi-Finals. That year saw Preston Croat goalkeeper Ilija Djukic become the club's first representative player, as he was selected in the Victorian state team squad to take on South Australia. SC Croatia on the other hand in 1962 took out the Division 1 title comfortably, winning 19 of its 22 matches. That amazing season saw the debut of club legend Billy Vojtek at the young age of 19. Vojtek had an incredible debut season for SC Croatia as he took out both the club's top goal-scorer and player of year honours. The 1962 season also saw SC Croatia move back to Melbourne, playing out of Tracey's Speedway in Maribyrnong.
With both clubs set to compete in the State League in 1963 factions at both clubs saw it as an opportunity for the two clubs to finally re-unite. Many at SC Croatia were still angry over the 1960 incident, but eventually terms were agreed to and the two clubs re-united under the banner of SC Croatia. Despite the high expectations within the Croatian community the club finished a disappointing 11th in its inaugural season as a re-united side in the State League, being relegated back to Division 1. The highlight of the disappointing year was SC Croatia making the semi finals of the Dockerty Cup. At the conclusion of the 1963 season SC Croatia president Enver Begovic and the President of Richmond Allemania took legal action against the VSF, arguing that the decision to relegate their respective clubs was unconstitutional. The courts decision went against the two clubs, seeing both relegated. SC Croatia would quickly return to the State League for the 1965 season after once more winning the Division 1 title in 1964, they lost only one match that season. SC Croatia clinched the 1964 title on the final day against Preston Makedonia. Both clubs went into the match on equal points, in a thrilling match SC Croatia came out on top defeating Makedonia 3-1 in front of 4,000 people at a ground in Port Melbourne. Goals came from Billy Vojtek with a double, and Horst Rau. Notably Northern Irishman Ollie Norris joined the club for the 1964 season. During the 1950s Norris had played in the English Division 1
(now Premier League) with Middlesbrough
, and was part of the giant killing AFC Bournemouth
team of 1957 which made the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup
. Norris was the most high profile player SC Croatia had up until this point in the clubs history.
Many of the early club legends of SC Croatia played and began their careers during this initial era of the club, the most prominent of these individuals being Bozo Bašić, Frank Bot, Billy Vojtek
, Jim Vojtek, Mirko Kovaček and Horst Rau.
), Bill McLyntyre, Joe Keenan, Bobby McLachlan and Ian Currie. The club went to great lengths to bring in these players, sending Frank Burin to Scotland to sign the majority of the newcomers. These incredible signings saw the club dubbed the 'Glamour Team' of the State League. In the final 13 matches of the season the club won 10 of the matches and had the best record, picking up the most points, of any team in the State League over that period. They even defeated the top 3 sides, South Melbourne SC, Sunshine George Cross and Brunswick Juventus
. Despite all this the club finished 6th as the damage at the start of the season was too much to overcome. Croatia also made the final of the Dockerty Cup for the first time, losing 1-0 to Slavia
. They defeated their arch rivals Footscray JUST 2-1 in the semi-final.
In the 1966 season, SC Croatia strengthened its already powerful side, bringing in Jimmy Mackay
and Bill MacArthur. The club continued its great form from the second half of the previous season. With 3 games remaining SC Croatia was sitting in 3rd spot, only 2 points behind the first placed South Melbourne SC. Unfortunately SC Croatia crumbled under the pressure, losing all 3 matches to finish fifth and just miss out on the top 4 qualification for the Australia Cup.
In 1967 SC Croatia found itself well off the pace after Round 10, sitting in 7th position. But the final 12 matches of the season saw the club rally as it went on an impressive run that saw it only lose 2 of those remaining 12 matches as they climbed all the way up to 3rd spot, its highest league finish. This first ever top 4 finish saw SC Croatia qualify for the prestigious Australia Cup, a national knock-out soccer tournament featuring the 16 best clubs in the country. SC Croatia won its opening round match 2-0 away to West Adelaide Hellas at Hindmarsh Stadium
. SC Croatia was eventually knocked out in the Quarter-Finals, losing against Brunswick Juventus.
In 1968 all the hard work of previous years finally paid off with what was the high point of this era, when SC Croatia won its first Victorian State League championship. Under the captaincy of Horst Rau (the club's longest serving captain) SC Croatia was dominant winning 15 of its 22 matches, and finishing 7 points clear of the second place Polonia
. The club had finally lived up to its tag as the 'Glamour Team'. It was a remarkable achievement particularly given that the club was sitting in 5th position by Round 10, a massive 5 points behind the league leaders at the time Hakoah Melbourne. From that point onwards SC Croatia went undefeated for the rest of the season, winning 10 of the final 12 matches of the season.
1968 also saw SC Croatia win the prestigious Dockerty Cup (defeating South Melbourne 1-0 in the final in front of 18,000 people at Olympic Park), as well as the Ampol Cup to complete a remarkable treble. SC Croatia is one of only two sides to ever achieve that treble, the other being Green Gully in 1981. SC Croatia also went on to narrowly lose the Inter City Cup to Hakoah Eastern Suburbs
of Sydney
3-2 at Olympic Park
. Finally in 1968 SC Croatia competed in its second Australia Cup in what would be the last tournament staged. In the opening round SC Croatia faced Adelaide Juventus at Olympic Park, winning 3-1. The club’s run would end in the Quarter-Finals, losing to eventual tournament Runner-Up Hakoah Melbourne. In the end 1968 proved to be an outstanding season where SC Croatia truly came of age, cementing itself as one of the most powerful clubs in the country.
Following the completion of the 1968 season, SC Croatia was part of a consortium of 9 clubs (Melbourne sides Hakoah, Hellas and George Cross, Sydney sides APIA, Prague, Hakoah, Sydney Croatia and Pan Hellenic) from both Victoria and NSW that announced their intention to organize a 12 team national league to begin in 1969. The proposed league did not eventuate.
The following two seasons of 1969 and 1970, while not being as successful as the landmark season of 1968, saw the club continue to consolidate its position as one of Australia’s strongest sides despite the loss of key figures from the 1968 side such as Hammy McMeechan, Alfred Glaser, Tommy Friganovic and Robert Symington. SC Croatia finished a respectable 4th in both 1969 and 1970, qualifying for the top 4 Sate League Cup in both seasons. Croatia also had success in cup competitions in 1969, in the pre-season Ampol Cup SC Croatia lost in the final to South Melbourne Hellas 2-1 in front of 15,000 fans at Olympic Park. While the club would go on to defend its Dockerty Cup title in 1969 defeating Brunswick Juventus 3-1 in the Final. The back-to-back Dockerty titles were an achievement that at that time had not been achieved by their more fancied and bitter rivals Footscray JUST
and South Melbourne Hellas. The 1970 State League season saw an exciting finish in the closing stages for SC Croatia. The final spot in the top 4 cup series was up for grabs between the club and South Melbourne Hellas. With only two matches remaining SC Croatia was in 4th spot on 26 points, while Hellas was in 5th on 24 points. Both the remaining matches would see SC Croatia play Hellas, this was due the earlier encounter in the season being postponed. Due to Croatia’s superior goal difference, Croatia would only need to gain a draw in one of the matches to clinch the top 4 spot. The first clash was contested mid-week and it proved to be a remarkable match which saw Hellas leading 3-1 early in the second half. Croatia bravely fought back, equalising on the 80th minute through Bill McLyntyre to see the match finish 3-3 and ensure a top 4 spot.
1971 was a year that proved to be another highlight for the club. Before the start of the season the club showed itself to be the firm favourites by taking out the Victorian Ampol Cup, defeating bitter rivals Footscray JUST 5-1 in the final. The club took this form into the State League season, after round 15 SC Croatia was equal first along with Footscray JUST. Both sides dominated the competition; SC Croatia had won 11 of those matches and lost only 2. But the club capitulated in the final 7 rounds, picking up only 3 points to finish 3rd behind Footscray JUST and South Melbourne Hellas. But SC Croatia got its revenge and proved it was the best side in Victoria by winning the State League Cup, a tournament played at the end of the season featuring the top four sides in the State League. This was very much like the playoffs system but it did not count as an official league championship at the time. SC Croatia defeated South Melbourne SC 3-2 in the Grand Final
at Olympic Park
.
1971 also saw SC Croatia qualify for the Inter City Cup final, which was a match that took place between the respective Victorian and New South Wales
Ampol Cup champions. This at the time was the only national club title available. SC Croatia won the Inter City Cup defeating Western Suburbs
of Sydney over two legs. The first leg in Melbourne ended in a 1-1 draw, but SC Croatia won the second leg in Sydney, defeating Western Suburbs 3-1 with a hat-trick from Bill McLyntyre. The win saw SC Croatia hold the unofficial mantle as the best club in the country. They again made the Inter City Cup final the following year, but lost to St George Budapest
. SC Croatia lost 4-1 in Sydney and 1-0 in Melbourne.
The strength of the club during this period was particularly shown by a number of its players representing Australia in international football. The first came in 1965 with Hammy McMeechan becoming the club's first international representative. In 1967 Billy Vojtek
would follow, becoming the first player of Croatian heritage to play for Australia. In 1970 Jimmy Mackay
would become another SC Croatia player to wear the Green and Gold, he became an integral part of Australia's side that went to the 1974 World Cup
. Other notable players during this era included Scottish international Duncan Mackay, Bill McLyntyre, Brian Adlam, Hugh Gunn, Bill McArthur, Frank Bot, Ante Kuželek, Bobby McLachlan, Mirko Kovaček, Welsh international Peter Davies (who joined in the side in 1968) and there was even a short stint from Yugoslavian international Stjepan Lamza
during the 1972 season.
at Olympic Park
in Round 19 of the VPL. The match was abandoned after the 62 minute mark after SC Croatia supporters invaded the pitch, attacking the match officials following the sending off of SC Croatia player Hugh Gunn. At the VSF Tribunal SC Croatia was found guilty of having failed to control its spectators, the club had its membership with the VSF revoked which saw it kicked out of all competitions. The club appealed the decision, but the punishment stood. It was the first time such a ruling had been handed down in Australian football, the decision saw the club forfeit its final three matches of the season. Before the Hakoah match SC Croatia was sitting in 5th spot, still a chance of making the top 4 State League Cup. SC Croatia felt it had been victimised, with the decision having more to do with politics as accusations of interference were made against Tony Kovac the president of bitter rivals Footscray JUST
. That same year North Geelong Croatia was also expelled from their league by the VSF, casting further doubt on the legitimacy and intent behind the VSF ruling. The VSF as part of their ruling allowed for SC Croatia to apply for re-admission into the VSF after the conclusion of the season, and on 22 August the club sent in their application. After reviewing the application the VSF rejected it, causing further anger within the Croatian community. As a consequence the club chose to go down the legal avenue taking the VSF to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1973, but the club would end up losing the case.
Throughout 1973 the club held weekly meetings despite having no side competing, also a SC Croatia old-boys team played friendly matches against local sides. In 1974 club members chose to go down a different path to bring the club back, they set their sights on a take-over of the financially struggling Division 1 club Essendon Lions
(a Ukrainian backed club). The first step occurred with the appointment of the influential SC Croatia figure Tony Vrzina as coach of the Essendon Lions late in the 1974 season, rescuing the club from relegation. With the completion of the season a total take-over of the club took place, with Croatia paying $25,000 to the Lions to take control of the club and the facilities at Montgomery Park in Essendon
. By the beginning of the 1975 season Tony Vrzina had become president of the club and Duje Zemunik was appointed coach. The club would become known as Essendon Croatia, though they would continue to play under the Lions name until 1978 when the name was officially changed to Essendon Croatia. Essendon Croatia's time in Division 1 did not see much success for the club, with the most successful season coming in 1976 when the club finished 3rd. That year the club also made the Semi-Finals of the Dockerty Cup
where they lost to Polonia.
The clubs time in Division 1 was marked by re-building, the drop and eventual take over of Essendon Lions saw most of the clubs previous State League players leave. But none-the-less the club continued to soldier on. In 1974 the club staged the first ‘unofficial’ Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament at Montgomery Park with 6 clubs competing; this was a pre-cursor to the official tournament which would take place the following year. Also the clubs youth system was producing great young talent during this time that would go on to have a deep influence on Australian football, namely Eddie Krnčević
and Branko Čulina
. This culminated in the clubs Reserve side winning the Division 1 Reserves Championship in 1976. Also during this time the club lost none of its ambition, shown in 1976 with the signings of high profile State League players such as Nick Kuzmamov, goalkeeper John Kennedy, Ivan Gruicic and the legendary John Gardiner from the George Cross for a then record fee of $6,000.
, four sides from Victoria entered the NSL. This exodus from the State League allowed the return of Essendon Croatia to the top flight of Victorian football after a 4 year absence. 1977 saw the clubs favourite son, Billy Vojtek
, return to Essendon Croatia to help them get back to the top. The clubs first season back was marked by mixed results. The club started the season as one of the favourites after having won the pre-season Ampol Cup, it was the first and only time that a newly promoted side had lifted the trophy. But early season player losses to NSL clubs, Ivan Gruičić to Canberra City FC and John Gardiner to South Melbourne SC (for $13,000), saw the club have a sluggish start to the State League winning only 2 of its first 12 matches. Club legend Duncan MacKay was brought in as coach, he introduced a number of new players including New Zealand international Brian Davidson and Steve Kokoska from Sunshine City. MacKay’s influence had a deep impact with the club having a great second half of the season as Essendon Croatia won 6 of its final 10 matches, to finish a respectable seventh. The club also went on to make the Final of the Dockerty Cup, losing to Brunswick Juventus.
It would not be too long before the club once more became one of the top sides in the state. In 1978 the club won its second Victorian State League championship comfortably under the guidance of coach and former club great Bill McArthur; the side won a staggering 17 of its 22 matches. The powerful side was one of the most dominant Victoria had seen, so much so that the club had clinched the title with 3 matches still remaining. That year the club took out the much sought after treble of Ampol Cup, Victorian champions and State League Cup (where it defeated George Cross 3-2), an achievement which no other club has ever been able to achieve. The club also made the semi-finals of the Dockerty Cup. Essendon Croatia defended its State League title in 1979 under the dual guidance of Duje Zemunik and player-coach John Gardiner. It proved to be a much tighter race than the previous year. Frankston City had led the league comfortably for most of the season, with the completion of round 17 seeing Frankston 5 points ahead of Essendon Croatia who were sitting in 3rd position. In the remaining 5 matches Essendon Croatia went undefeated as it won 4 and drew 1, clinching the league title on a dramatic final day (defeating Altona City 3-1) on goal difference over Frankston City. That year Essendon Croatia took out the prestigious treble; State Champions, Dockerty Cup and the State League Cup where it defeated Preston Makedonia 2-1. The success was made more remarkable given the club started the 1979 season in turmoil with mass players losses as Yaka Banovic and Eddie Krencevic transferred to National Soccer League clubs, while also losing four other players including Billy Vojtek and Brian Davidson. In its first three seasons back in the State League Essendon Croatia won every title that was available, an incredible come back from a club that was all but dead only a few years earlier. It was a testament to the dedication of the Croatian community.
This back to back championship winning side was a powerful one that contained 5 Socceroos; Ken Murphy
, Tommy Cumming
, Billy Vojtek
, Eddie Krnčević
and Steve Kokoska. Teenage star Eddie Krnčević made his senior debut at 16 for the club in 1977. He would become one of Australia’s first overseas success stories. Eddie Krnčević
headed to Europe
in 1981, joining Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb
, and he would spend nearly 15 years playing across Europe. However the stand out player of the back-to-back winning side was without a doubt the English forward Tommy Cumming
who was signed from Sunshine City for $6,500, he won the Player of the Year award in both 78 and 79.
From 1980-1983, the club painfully finished runner-up on four successive occasions. In 1980 they finished second to Preston Makedonia, despite having a fantastic season where Essendon Croatia only lost 2 matches (both losses being to the eventual champions Preston). It was a close battle between the two sides for a large part of the season. After round 14 both Essendon Croatia and Preston Makedonia found themselves on equal points with Preston just ahead on goal difference, the following round saw the two sides face off. Preston won the crucial match 1-0 as they pulled away from Essendon Croatia, holding onto top spot for the rest of the season.
The next three seasons saw the club finish runner-up to Green Gully each season. The season of 1981 saw Essendon Croatia finish 6 points behind Green Gully, who were now led by player-coach and former Croatia player John Gardiner. It proved to be a season of high frustration for Essendon Croatia with the club going through three different coaches as the high expectations of the club were not being met. The club started the season slowly but soon made up ground as a tight battle ensued with league leaders Green Gully. It was neck and neck until late into the season when Essendon Croatia capitulated following a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Green Gully in Round 20. Notably 1981 also saw David Brogan join Essendon Croatia from Croydon City mid-way through the season, he would go on to become one of the club’s most prolific strikers in its long history.
In 1982 the club changed its name to Melbourne Croatia. For the 82 season Bill McArthur was at the helm as coach of Melbourne Croatia. The club kicked off the season with an 8 match unbeaten streak. In round 9 the club lost 4-2 to main title rivals Green Gully, to record the clubs first loss of the season. The solitary loss resulted surprisingly in McArthur’s sacking. Up to round 12 the club was on equal points with Green Gully, but inconsistent results would follow for the rest of the season which saw the club fall behind Green Gully by a clear margin. In Round 15 legendary coach Mijo Kiss made a return to the club after an absence of over a decade. Though his return wasn’t enough to catch the runaway Green Gully, he was able to hold onto second place and lead the side to a triumphant 4-1 win over Green Gully in round 22. The 1982 season saw Josip Biskic make an incredible impact on his debut season, the beginning of a career which would see Biskic end up playing a club record 328 matches.
1983 saw the club came agonisingly close, losing the tile by one point. At this stage the point system in the State League was 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. If it had been done by today’s system of 3 points for a win Melbourne Croatia would have won the title on goal difference. That season Melbourne Croatia, now being coached by the returning John Gardiner, led Green Gully on the ladder for the first 19 rounds, being on top of the table for 18 of those weeks. A Round 20 loss to Brunswick Juventus would prove disastrous for the championship hopes of Melbourne Croatia. The club led 2-0 only to have Juventus come back and win 3-2, giving Green Gully top spot. Croatia would go on to win all 6 of its remaining matches, but still it wasn’t enough.
During the period of 1980-1983 Melbourne Croatia would make up for falling short so many times in the League by winning the end of year State League Cup in 1980, 1981 (defeating Doveton 3-1 in the final) and 1983 where the club gained its sweetest revenge defeating Green Gully 4-0 in the Final. The club had further success in cup competitions during this period as it won the Dockerty Cup in 1980 and 1983, and the Ampol Cup in 1980.
Also during this period Melbourne Croatia and its sister club Sydney Croatia were controversially denied entry into the NSL despite dominating their respective state competitions. Lesser clubs, with much smaller supporter bases were given priority over the two powerful Croatia clubs. In 1976 Melbourne Croatia was one of seven Victorian clubs to apply for the NSL: the others being Moorolbark, George Cross, Brunswick Juventus, South Melbourne Hellas, Footscray JUST and Fitzroy Alexander. The Australian Soccer Federation stressed the point that neither club would be welcome till they dropped 'Croatia' from their respective names. The same political back stabbing that had caused Melbourne Croatia’s expulsion in 1972 still remained in the football hierarchy.
Despite the snub from the ASF Melbourne Croatia showed its ability on the national level by participating in the National Soccer League Cup, which was open to the top state league sides for a short period, each year from 1978 to 1981. The clubs best performance came in 1978 when the club made it to the Quarter Finals. A notable victory came in the second round where they defeated Beograd, a Serbian backed club from Adelaide
, 3-0. In the Quarter Finals the club faced NSL side Adelaide City. Melbourne Croatia put up a brave fight, narrowly going down 1-0 to their more fancied opponents. Croatia proudly made it to at least the second round each time it participated in the Cup, except for 1980 when it was knocked out in the first round by Heidelberg United
. That year Heidelberg United
had finished 2nd in the NSL, Croatia once again showed the strength of Victorian State League football by pushing them all the way, eventually losing 3-2.
The 1980 Ampol Cup victory was also notable for the club's performances against Melbourne's NSL sides. In the semi-final Melbourne Croatia defeated a full strength South Melbourne NSL side 1-0 and then went on to defeat a full strength Heidelberg NSL side in the final 2-1. The result so infuriated and caused embarrassment for South Melbourne that the president of South, Sam Papasavas, came out in the local media demanding a re-match with a bet of $5,000.
Great players from this era not already mentioned included Peter Blasby, Branko Čulina
, Ante Bilaver, Josip Biškić
, Steve Short, Carl Gilder, Steve Gojević, Ivan Gruičić, George Hannah, Noel Mitten and Keith Adams.
, Tommy Cumming
, Keith Adams, David Brogan, Peter Blasby and George Hannah. The club had a major coup singing legendary Welsh footballer Terry Hennessey
as coach. The club would go onto make an incredible impact on debut, finishing 3rd in the regular season and qualifying for the finals, just showing what a strong side the club had in the State League. The highlight of the regular season was the clubs 12 match unbeaten streak, a record for the club in the NSL. But the season didn’t start off in such an amazing manner, winning only 3 of its opening 11 matches.
Hennessey was sacked after round 9 and the experienced Tony Vrzina (who had a couple of coaching stints with the club in the 1970s) came in at round 13 seeing a massive turnaround in the clubs fortunes. In the finals, Melbourne Croatia made it to the Major Semi-Final where they faced South Melbourne
for a spot in the Conference Grand Final. South Melbourne FC won 3-2 in extra-time in a thrilling match in front of 11,000 fans at Olympic Park. It was a painful loss as Melbourne Croatia had led for a large part of the game only to have South Melbourne FC equalise in the closing minutes to take it to extra-time. Melbourne Croatia with a second chance then faced Heidelberg United
, again for a spot in the final against South Melbourne FC
. Heidelberg United won 3-1 putting an end to Melbourne Croatia's finals campaign. Melbourne Croatia also made the NSL Cup final that season, winning 5 matches in a row before losing to Newcastle KB United
in the Final. That year also saw Melbourne Croatia reach the Final of the Buffalo Cup, where it lost 3-1 to South Melbourne in front of 13,000 people at Olympic Park.
In 1985 under coach Dom Kapetanovic the club would continue its good form again making the finals, but this time being knocked out in the first match by Preston 2-1 at Olympic Park in front of 6,000 spectators. 1985 saw the club once again lose the Buffalo Cup Final, this time to Heidelberg in a 5-1 thrashing. And the club would gain revenge against Preston, taking out the Dockerty Cup with a 2-0 victory over the Macedonian club.
The next three years were very disappointing for the club, they missed out on finals action each season (though there was no finals series in 1987). This was despite some major signings such as in 1987 under Terry Hennessey (in his second stint as coach), when the club signed Socceroos Robbie Dunn
and Alan Edward Davidson
, Croatian import Branko Milošević
and a major coup in Scottish international Ian Wallace
. As well as in 1988 with Socceroos Jeff Olver
and Theo Selemidis
, and experienced Scotsman Paul Donnelly. But on the park the club still struggled during this period of 1986-1988 despite having one of the strongest squads in the NSL, the club had become the perennial underachievers of the league. So frustrating was this period for the club that over those three seasons Melbourne Croatia had five different coaches. In the 1987 season Melbourne Croatia had been competitive for most of the season, by the end of round 23 the club was in 5th position only two points behind 2nd place. But the club picked up no further points in the remaining 3 rounds of the season as the club fell away to 9th. 1988 was a very similar story, Ian Wallace
had taken charge as coach and at the round 19 mark the club was sitting in 6th only a point outside a finals spot. But the club fell out of finals contention as it went onto lose 5 of its final 7 matches. One positive that came out of this period was Mark Talajić, a product of the club's youth system, who made his debut for the side at only 16 in 1986. He would go on to become a club legend.
However this period did see the club have success in cup competitions, dominating the pre-season Buffalo Cup (which had replaced the Ampol Cup) with victories in 1986 and 1987. Rather fittingly the victories came against Heidelberg and South Melbourne respectively, the two clubs to whom Melbourne Croatia had lost to in 1984 and 1985. Those victories in the Buffalo Cup earned the club a spot in the Final for the Ansett Cup against the NSW pre-season Champions. Ironically both years saw Melbourne Croatia take on Sydney Croatia for the Ansett Cup title. In 1986 Melbourne Croatia defeated their Sydney sister club 3-1 at Olympic Park in front 8,500 fans. The following year the club again defeated Sydney Croatia, this time 1-0 at the St George Stadium in Sydney. In 1988 the club also won the Dockerty Cup in a thrilling Final against South Melbourne, which saw Melbourne Croatia come out on top 4-3 after extra-time. The club was later stripped of the title after a protest by South Melbourne, as Melbourne Croatia had fielded an ineligible player.
1989 was where everything began to click for the club. The club strengthened an already impressive side with imports Željko Adžić
and Francis Awaritefe
, as well as Ivan Kelić
and Ivan Duzel from sister club St Albans Dinamo. The club had a strong season finishing 4th on the regular season table and making the finals for the first time since 1985. In the Finals the club defeated Preston
2-0, which was followed by an agonising 3-2 loss to Sydney Olympic in extra time that put an end to Melbourne Croatia's campaign. 1989 also saw Melbourne Croatia finally move away from Olympic Park
and move into its own stadium, the Melbourne Croatia Sports Centre in North Sunshine. This move saw a dramatic increase in crowds.
For the season 1989/90, Melbourne Croatia continued to impress, strengthening their side with Andrew Marth
from Sunshine George Cross. The club finished 3rd in the regular season, just 3 points behind top spot. In the Finals Melbourne Croatia defeated Southe Melbourne in a epic penalty shootout, with a 7-6 scoreline. The club just missed out on making the Grand Final
, losing the Preliminary Final to Sydney Olympic. Melbourne Croatia had taken a 1-0 lead, only to have Sydney Olympic claw their way back and score the winner 9 minutes from full-time.
In 1990/91 the club had its most successful season in the NSL up to that point. With Ken Worden as coach the club won the Minor premiership
for the first time after having an amazing season where the club only lost 4 matches. The club clinched the Minor Premiership with a game to spare following an 8-1 thrashing of Wollongong Macedonia, a match where star striker Ivan Kelic
scored 6 goals. The club went on to make it to its first Grand Final where they met city rivals South Melbourne FC
at Olympic Park in front of over 23,000 fans. It was a match that Melbourne Croatia came agonisingly close to winning. Melbourne Croatia led for most of the match before conceding a later equaliser with only minutes to go. The match went to a penalty shoot out where Melbourne Croatia led 2-1 following South Melbourne FC
missing 3 consecutive penalties. Melbourne Croatia had 2 penalty kicks to win the game, missing both and eventually losing the shootout 5-4.
The 1991/92 season saw the governing body Soccer Australia begin to implement measures to de-ethnicise the NSL and give it more mainstream appeal. Clubs had to replace their ethnic names, which saw Melbourne Croatia change its name to Melbourne CSC. That season saw former club legend and Socceroo Ken Murphy
take over as coach. Under his tenure the club won the Minor premiership
once more, but again lost the Grand Final on penalties at Olympic Park, this time to Adelaide City
. During this period the club continued to produce young talent and introduce them into their side; Mark Silić made his debut at 18 for the club in 1990/91, while Oliver Pondeljak made his debut at 19 in 1991/92.
The 1992/93 season was a disappointing one, with the club failing to make the finals and finishing in 10th position. A lot of this had to do with the loss of a number of key players; Alan Edward Davidson
, Francis Awaritefe
, Damian Mori
and Branko Milošević
. Even with these losses the club still had a strong side that should have done better. The signs were positive early on, after round 7 the club was sitting in third spot only a point off top spot. But after that the season unravelled for the club as it tumbled down the ladder. Former Knights player Branko Culina
who was the coach at the time was sacked after 17 matches following the disappointing results. After Culina’s sacking the club saw a late resurgence, and by the end of round 22 the club was sitting in 7th position just a point outside a top 6 finals spot. The club fell away from finals contention as it struggled in the remaining 4 matches, only picking up 3 points. Despite the poor season the club saw some positives with even more new talent emerging in Mark Viduka
, Steve Horvat, Adrian Cervinski
and David Cervinski (David joined the club in the following season) and Vinko Buljubašić
, as well as the signing of Fausto De Amicis
.
In the 1993/94 season Soccer Australia continued with its campaign of de-ethnicising the sport in Australia. They ruled that Melbourne CSC was still too 'ethnic', seeing the club change its name once more, this time to the Melbourne Knights
. On the park to remedy the previous years poor display, the Knights looked to Croatia for help, bringing coach Mirko Bazić out to Australia. His influence had a major impact as the Knights dominated the season, easily winning its third Minor Premiership
6 points ahead of second place South Melbourne. Future Socceroo captain Mark Viduka
made a significant impact that season, at only 18 years of age he finished the season as the NSL's top goal scorer with 17 goals. He became the only player to win the treble of individual awards; Player of the Year, Under 21 Player of the Year and Top Goal-scorer. He achieved all this despite controversially missing 9 matches due to International duty with the Australian Youth team. But the Grand Final
saw a repeat of the events of 1991/92, again losing to Adelaide City
at Olympic Park. Cruelly it was former Knights player Damian Mori
that scored the winner for Adelaide City. It made three Grand Final defeats in 4 years for the Melbourne Knights, earning the club the tag of ‘chokers’.
left the club after round 20, signing with Malaysian club Selanagor FA. Coach Mirko Bazić using his contacts in Croatia brought in import Kresimir Marušić
to cover the loss, and he had an immediate impact for the club. The club won the Minor Premiership, its fourth in 5 seasons.
The Knights had a sluggish start to its finals campaign, losing to Adelaide City
over 2 legs. But the club soon made up for it, making the Grand Final
after defeating South Melbourne FC
3-2 in the Preliminary Final in a thrilling match at Olympic Park
, with Mark Viduka
scoring a hat-trick. So for the third time the club met Adelaide City in the Grand Final, but this time in Adelaide
at Hindmarsh Stadium
. The Knights were dominant, winning 2-0 with goals from captain Andrew Marth
and striker Joe Spiteri
. It was an impressive season for the club, claiming the treble that year; the Cup (where they defeated Heidelberg United
6-0 in the final), the Minor Premiership and the League. They were the only side to have achieved the feat until 2009, when A-League side Melbourne Victory also won the domestic treble. The tag of choker was finally put to rest for the Melbourne Knights. Mark Viduka
had another phenomenal season, this time scoring 21 goals and once again took out the treble of individual awards. No other player before or since has been such a dominant force on the national competition. But just as in the previous season there was controversy with Viduka missing 4 matches, which crucially including the first 2 matches of the finals series, due to international duty with the Australian Youth team.
Following the championship win, the club headed over to Japan for a series of matches against J-League sides. The Knights defeated Jubilo Iwata
and more significantly Yokohama Flügels
who were the Asian Super Cup
champions at the time.
The Knights defended its NSL title the following year, despite having lost a number of players during the off-season; Mark Viduka to Dinamo Zagreb
, Steve Horvat to Hajduk Split, Kresimir Marušić
also returning to Croatia and the loss of their coach Mirko Bazic. Mirko Bazic was replaced by former Knights player Ian Dobson
. These player losses were made up for with emerging talent in Josip Šimunić
, Tom Pondeljak
, Ante Kovačević
and Ice Kutlesovski.
The 1995/96 season was an extremely tight one, with only 6 points separating first and sixth at the conclusion of the regular season. Melbourne Knights
stormed home with 6 wins from its final 7 matches to finish second, only a point behind Minor Premiers Marconi Fairfield. In the finals the Melbourne Knights defeated Marconi over 2 legs, booking a spot in their 5th Grand Final
. In the Grand Final the Knights met Marconi again, a match which it would go into missing three of its players due to international duty with the Olyroos; Joe Spiteri
, Frank Juric
and Danny Tiatto
. The club defeated Marconi 2-1 at Olympic Park, their first Grand Final
win in their home city. The Knights goals were scored by captain Andrew Marth
and striker Adrian Cervinski
. The final whistle was followed by jubilant celebrations as thousands of Melbourne Knights supporters invaded the pitch and mobbed the players.
This back-to-back championship winning side is regarded by many as the greatest club side Australia has seen. Nine of the players would go on to play for the Australia national football team (Joe Spiteri
, Mark Viduka
, Frank Jurić
, Steve Horvat, Fausto De Amicis
, Tom Pondeljak
, John Markovski
, Andrew Marth
and Danny Tiatto
), as well as defender Josip Šimunić
whom would go on to played for the Croatia national football team
at two World Cups
.
, a key decision was the removal of ethnic symbols from club emblems. So the Melbourne Knights
had to change their emblem, removing the Croatian Grb (coat of arms) that had adorned the clubs emblem since 1953.
This was also the beginning of the decline of the side, the constant loss of its players began to catch up with the club. For the 1996/97 season the club lost Mark Silić, Frank Jurić
, Fausto De Amicis
, Danny Tiatto
and Vinko Buljubašić
, the side was decimated. But most importantly the club was no longer replenishing its ranks with new talent from its youth set up at the same rate as it had done in the past. As well as the club not being able to compete with the big dollars of the new non ethnic clubs that would join the league over the next decade; professional clubs like Perth Glory, Parramatta Power
and Carlton
. These clubs paid huge salaries to players, the traditional clubs like the Melbourne Knights could not compete and they were priced out of the market. Before the start of the season the Knights won the Dockerty Cup, defeating the Altona Magic
4-2. The 1996/7 season saw the Knights just scrape into the finals after a come from behind 3-1 win against Perth Glory in the last round of the regular season. The finals proved to be too much for the side, as they lost comprehensively to rivals South Melbourne FC
over 2 legs.
From 1997/98 to the final season of the NSL in 2003/04, the club only made the finals twice. The 1997/98 season saw the return of veterans Ivan Kelic
and Alan Edward Davidson
, as well as the loss of Josip Simunic
to Hamburg SV in Germany
, and David Červinski and Lubo Lapsansky to the newly formed Carlton SC. Despite another staggering string of player losses the Knights would still put up a brave fight, going onto narrowly miss the finals that season, losing their crucial final round match against Marconi.
The following two seasons were disastrous for a club so used to success, with the club finishing 12th in both seasons. Matters were made worse with captain Andrew Marth
leaving the club in 1998/99, going to Carlton SC. He left the Knights due to his frustrations with the recruitment policy of the club, it was a devastating blow to the club. One highlight in this dark period came in the 1999/00 season when English legend Peter Beardsley
came out for at two match guest stint at the club. His first match against South Melbourne FC
at Knights Stadium
attracted a record 11,500 people; unfortunately the side was thrashed 4-0.
The 2000/01 season was the most successful season during this period, a season that saw the return of championship players Andrew Marth
, Steve Horvat and Ljubo Lapsanksy after the early season disbanding of Carlton SC. Coach and club legend Vlado Vanis
led the side. He made a number of excellent signings, including forwards Joel Porter
and Toto Da Costa. Vanis employed a very attacking style of football, playing 3 strikers; Joel Porter
, Toto Da Costa and Adrian Cervinski
. They went on to score 36 goals between them. Despite all this Vanis was surprisingly sacked by club president Harry Mrksa late in the season after the two clashed over a number of issues. Andrew Marth
took over as player-coach and guided the club to the finals after finishing the regular season in 6th spot. In the finals the Knights took out Perth Glory over two thrilling legs and then narrowly lost to Sydney Olympic to finish the season in an impressive 4th position. The following year the Knights again made the finals, but were once more knocked out by Sydney Olympic over two legs.
By 2002/03 the club had once more lost much of their side, the loss of Joel Porter
and Toto Da Costa was particularly painful and the club struggled as a consequence in its final 2 seasons in the NSL. There were a few positives such as Anthony Pelikan
, who became the clubs star player and one of the NSL's leading players during this time. The 2002/03 season also saw the legendary coach Mirko Bazic return from Croatia to take charge of the side for the last 6 matches of that season, which included a 1-0 victory over rivals South Melbourne at home in the big derby clash in front of 7,157 spectators. In the final season of the NSL (2003/04) the club finished second last, its worst finish ever in the NSL. Despite the poor finish, 9 of the players from the squad in following years would end up at A-League
clubs (including 7 that would in subsequent years go on to play for Melbourne Victory
).
The club's final NSL match was fittingly against sister club Sydney United
on 29 February 2004. The match was played in front of a crowd of 8,423 at the Melbourne Croatia Sports Centre. It was an incredible atmosphere, a celebration of Croatian football in Australia. The match ended 0-0 and with the final whistle there was a mass pitch invasion by the fans of both clubs. The respective captains, Andrew Marth
and Mark Rudan
, were chaired off the ground.
. The Melbourne Knights knowing they would not be part of this new league, opted not to bid for a spot in the A-League unlike the other ethnic clubs. The club dropped back to the state league, now called the Victorian Premier League
. But the Knights along with South Melbourne FC
were not allowed to enter the 2004 VPL
season, with various clubs in a campaign led by former Socceroo and JUST player Ernie Tapai
at Whittlesea
blocking their entry. This was despite assurances from the majority of the VPL
clubs prior to the vote that they would vote in support of the entry of the Melbourne Knights
into the league.
The Knights went to the president of the new Football Federation of Australia, Frank Lowy
, for help. The club was told by Lowy that he and his organisation were powerless to do anything the help resolve the issue. As a consequence the club went over 12 months with no football and no source of revenue. This placed the club on the brink of financial ruin, so much so that the club was close to selling its stadium. The 12 month in-action also saw the club lose its entire squad on free transfers, including 3 players that went on to join A-League
club Melbourne Victory
(Daniel Piorkowski
, Steve Pantelidis
and Adrian Leijer
). The club has never been compensated for these losses.
For the 2005 VPL season the club finally resumed its football. The Knights had to re-build a squad, creating a difficult first few seasons in the VPL. 2005 saw mixed results for the club as they finished 9th, at one stage challenging for a finals spot before falling away.
The 2006 season was disastrous. The side started off brilliantly, leading the competition in the early stages. Then the club was hit by crisis after crisis; board interference in player selection, three coaching changes and a player walkout, which nearly saw the club relegated. On a positive note there was the unearthing of an exciting new talent, Mate Dugandžić
. He made his debut in the senior side at only 16 years of age making an impressive impact.
2007 was the year that saw a turnaround in the fortunes of the Melbourne Knights. Chris Taylor was appointed coach and strong recruiting by the club, including the signing of former NSL stars Steve Iosifidis and Joe Spiteri
, saw the club go into the season with high hopes. Despite this it was a mixed start to the season for the club, only winning 2 of its opening 8 games. Soon after the club made 3 key signings; former Knights NSL player Anthony Pelikan
from Oakleigh, 2006 under 21 VPL player of the year Daniel Višević from Richmond
and up-and-coming player Cameron Watson
who had spent time at Portugal’s FC Porto. These signings saw the club storm home, winning 7 of its final 9 matches and finishing second on the ladder, a point behind the Preston Lions.
In the finals the club lost to Preston
, 1-0, in a tightly fought affair with Preston scoring the winner late in the game. The Knights then took on Oakleigh to keep their title hopes alive. The club proved their class with a strong 1-0 win. Finally the Melbourne Knights once more faced off against Preston, this time for a spot in the Grand Final
against Whittlesea. The club lost 2-1 in a controversial match at Bob Jane Stadium. Anthony Pleikan was sent off just before half time, receiving a second yellow card for simulation. The Knights put on a brave performance in the second half. But a late strike from Preston against the run of play killed the game off despite a consolation goal deep in injury time. Overall it was a successful year for the club, finishing 3rd in what was the clubs highest league finish in well over a decade. Also the club went onto win the under 21 and under 18 Victorian titles.
2008 season saw the club aim high once more. There were a number of changes in the squad, with Mate Dugandzic and Daniel Visevic being signed by Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb, and influential goalkeeper Adrian Cagalj transferring to Oakleigh. Players brought into the club included the return of Andrew Barisic from a year stint in Germany.
A stellar start to the season saw the Knights go on a club record in the state league with a 19 match unbeaten streak, seeing the club lead the league for a large part of the season. But injuries late in the campaign took their toll bringing the unbeaten streak to an end, with the side’s midfield being decimated by the loss of Anthony Pelikan, Ivan Franjic and Cameron Watson, as well as the early season injury of influential captain Tom Milardovic. Eventually the Knights finished second just a point behind Minor Premiers Green Gully.
In the opening game of the finals the Knights took on Green Gully. The match ended 1-1 after extra time with the Knights taking out the match on penalties. Knights then took on the Altona Magic for a spot in the Grand Final. The match at Knights Stadium once more saw the game finish 1-1 and go to penalties. But it was Altona that took it out 4-3. Knights with a second chance at a Grand Final spot took on Heidelberg United, the Knights proved too strong winning 2-1. The Grand Final, the clubs first in 12 years, took place at Bob Jane Stadium in front of 5,500 mostly Knights fans. The club went into the match still missing influential players Franjic and Pelikan, as well as striker Joe Spiteri missing the game due to suspension. It was a game that the Knights dominated, creating many chances but failing to convert them. The match finished 0-0 after 90 minutes and moved into extra match. With the match poised to go to penalties Altona snatched victory with barely a minute left in the match. One piece of consolation came with captain Craig Elvin winning the Jimmy Rooney man of the match award. Also striker Andrew Barisic had a stellar season scoring 19 goals, the most by a Knights player since Mark Viduka in 1994/95.
The 2009 VPL season started with a mass exodus of players, this most notably included Andrew Barisic to new A-League franchise Gold Coast United, as well as veterans Joe Spiteri and Steve Iosifidis dropping to lowers leagues to finish off their careers. A number of new recruits were brought in, with a strong focus on youth, which saw players brought from the reserves into the senior squad and a handful of players from the Melbourne Victory Youth team. The side was strengthened with the signings of a few more experienced players, such as Mate Dugandzic who returned from his stint in Croatia.
The first half of the season was disastrous for the Knights, picking up 11 points from just as many matches as they sat third from bottom. The second half of the season saw a marked improvement from the club, as they came within throwing distance of the top 5 only to fall away late in the season.
The 2010 season will best remembered for activities off the field which saw the monumental return of the Grb to the Melbourne Knights emblem after an absence of almost 15 years, with the club reverting to the emblem proudly worn during its back-to-back NSL championships of the mid 90s. The return to the classic emblem was most fitting as the club celebrated the 15th anniversary of those championships, gathering all of the players from that legendary side (except Josip Simunic
who was with the Croatian national team) for a successful gala night and reunion match.
On the field the 2010 VPL season proved to be an unsuccessful one. The year began with a complete clean out of players; only 3 players remained from the 2009 squad. The club had not seen such a clean out since it dropped out of the NSL in 2004. The task of re-building the side fell to former Knights player Ivan Duzel who took over from Chris Taylor as coach. What was implemented was a recruitment policy that saw a diverse range of players brought to the Knights, including imports such as the American-Croat Tomislav Skara, Englishman Kevin Townson
and Frenchman Jean-Charles Dubois. Also there was the return of club legend Danny Tiatto
, returning to finish off his career at the Knights.
The season itself was marred by inconsistency from the Knights as the club struggled and found itself near the bottom of the table for most of the season. With only 3 matches remaining the club was on the brink of relegation as it sat inside the bottom two. But the Knights ensured their placed in the VPL as it recorded its two most important victories of the season, defeating Bentleigh Greens
2-0 away and a 4-2 victory at home against Northcote City.
After the season the club won a number of individual awards with Kevin Townson awarded the media voted Player of the Year award, while finishing runner-up for the Gold Medal VPL Player of the Year award. Adrian Zahra
won the Under 21 Player of the Year award, soon after he was signed by A-League club Melbourne Heart.
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
titles.
Club foundation
The initial foundations of the club were set down in 1952 by a small group of Croatian immigrants who met at the home of Hinko Durakovic at 7 Leeds Street in the western suburb of FootscrayFootscray, Victoria
Footscray is a suburb 5 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Footscray had a population of 11,401....
to discuss the formation of a Croatian soccer club. The founders of the club were Perica Filipovic (the first President of the club), Ivica Matosevic, Tonika Durakovic, Drago Jukic and Hinko Durakovic. The club was given the name SC Croatia and from the very beginning it was decided the clubs colours would be the tri-colours of the Croatian flag (which continues to this day); red jerseys, white shorts and blue socks. An initial difficulty in fielding teams led SC Croatia to recruit players from various suburbs across Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, as well as from outside the city in Geelong
Geelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
and even the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre
Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre
The Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre was a camp set up for receiving and training migrants to Australia during the post World War II immigration boom. The camp was set on near the small town of Bonegilla in north east Victoria, between the Hume Dam and the city of Wodonga...
in north-eastern Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. The club went as far as to meet arriving boats of immigrants at ports in Melbourne and Geelong to recruit players. Despite these initial difficulties the club quickly became successful, making its playing debut on 10 April 1953 (Croatian Independence Day). In 1954 the club became an affiliate of the state's governing body Victorian Amateur Soccer Football Association, which saw SC Croatia join and compete in a league competition for the first time that same year in the newly created Victorian Provisional League (a league for amateur clubs). The clubs opening match took place on 1 May 1954 against BWR, which finished 3-3. The clubs first win coming the week after on 8 May, with a 4-1 victory over Box Hill. It was a successful debut year for the club as they finished second, four points behind the league champions South Yarra. Also in 1954 SC Croatia participated in its first Dockerty Cup
Dockerty Cup
The Dockerty Cup is a football competition held between clubs in Victoria, Australia. It is named after Harry Dockerty, a former president of the Victorian Soccer Federation. It has been in recess since 1996, except for the year 2004...
, the young club was knocked out in the opening round losing to Yallourn
Yallourn, Victoria
Yallourn, Victoria was a company town in Victoria, Australia built between the 1920s and 1950s to house employees of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, who operated the nearby Yallourn Power Station complex. However, expansion of the adjacent open-cut brown coal mine led to the closure...
12-1.
The early years
In 1957 after the conclusion of the season SC Croatia led by Joe Radojevic shifted its base to Geelong, where it would remain until 1962, which had become a hub for the Croatian community. SC Croatia amalgamated with the Croatia club of Geelong which had been founded in 1954. For those years in Geelong the club's home ground was initially at Separation Street in North Geelong before making the move to Corio Oval. SC Croatia quickly moved up the state divisions, and by 1959 they were in Division 1 just outside the premier competition of the State League. The club's first title came in 1959, winning the Division 1 championship over Preston on goal difference. That season included SC Croatia’s club record 29-1 victory over Brunswick, one of the highest scores ever recorded in a senior Australian football match. With three rounds to go in the season Preston led the league by a point from the second place Lions and two points ahead of SC Croatia in third. SC Croatia had to win all of the three remaining games to take the title, which included two matches against the Lions. SC Croatia was successful as it won the 3 matches, defeating the Lions 3-0 and 3-1 to clinch the title by a point over Preston. That year SC Croatia also made the 5th round of the Dockerty CupDockerty Cup
The Dockerty Cup is a football competition held between clubs in Victoria, Australia. It is named after Harry Dockerty, a former president of the Victorian Soccer Federation. It has been in recess since 1996, except for the year 2004...
, the furthest the club had been in the competition up until that point. Controversy embroiled the league in its post-season, which saw SC Croatia stripped of its Division 1 title after a successful appeal by the second placed Preston to overturn a result earlier in the season in their match against the Lions. The title was handed to Preston, whom gained promotion to the Victorian State League.
It was a bitter blow to the club, made worse by the fact the club was only informed they would not be competing in the Victorian Soccer League a month before the start of the 1960 season. The Preston club having not expected to be participating in the top league and was not prepared for the move, having lost the bulk of its squad. In an act of desperation the president of the Preston club contacted the president of SC Croatia, Joe Radojevic, to merge the two clubs. This was a move not supported by many at SC Croatia, so a vote was taken by the committee. The vote was very close, going just in favour of not merging. But unknown to members of the committee Joe Radojevic had already arranged the merger with the Federation and had 8 SC Croatia players transferred to the Preston club. Radojevic had also hoped to sell the club’s Division 1 spot to Makedonia. This decision was met with much anger and caused a split within the club, seeing SC Croatia remain in Geelong playing in Division 1, while Radojevic's breakaway faction played in Melbourne under the name of Preston Croat (a name officially adopted in 1961) in the Victorian State League. So for the next three seasons (1960–1962) the two clubs remained separate entities. SC Croatia, following the split, having lost the bulk of its squad merged with the Zagreb club from Geelong (founded in 1958) allowing it to be able to field a side for the season.
Despite the controversy of the split, the club's initial years of the 1950s had proven to be overwhelmingly successful, with the club finishing in the top 2 on five occasions in its first 6 seasons. The 1950s saw the club have its highest points per game ratio of any decade in its history (2.16 points per game), and an impressive 68% win ratio.
Preston Croat's inaugural State League season in 1960 was a complete disaster, seeing the club finish 2nd last and being relegated. Preston Croat would quickly return to the top flight after taking out the Division 1 South title in 1961. The club was so dominant that they went through the season undefeated. Also that year SC Croatia had come extremely close to promotion to the State League, having finished 3rd only 3 points off first.
Following the completion of the 1961 season turmoil engulfed the Victorian soccer landscape. Fed up with the way the VASFA was running the game the 12 State League clubs (now with Preston Croat among them) decided to breakaway and join the rebel Victorian Soccer Federation. Many of the clubs playing below the State League, including SC Croatia, initially decided to side with the VASFA. This saw Preston Croat poach a number of players from SC Croatia with the VSF proving to be a more attractive set-up for players. By February 1962 the VSF won the battle to gain control of the sport in Victoria as the VASFA collapsed and disbanded. The rest of the clubs in Victoria including SC Croatia joined the VSF.
The 1962 State League season again proved to be a poor one for Preston Croat, the club just avoided relegation by 2 points. It was disappointing given the promise shown by the club in the pre-season Ampol Cup, with the club making the Semi-Finals. That year saw Preston Croat goalkeeper Ilija Djukic become the club's first representative player, as he was selected in the Victorian state team squad to take on South Australia. SC Croatia on the other hand in 1962 took out the Division 1 title comfortably, winning 19 of its 22 matches. That amazing season saw the debut of club legend Billy Vojtek at the young age of 19. Vojtek had an incredible debut season for SC Croatia as he took out both the club's top goal-scorer and player of year honours. The 1962 season also saw SC Croatia move back to Melbourne, playing out of Tracey's Speedway in Maribyrnong.
With both clubs set to compete in the State League in 1963 factions at both clubs saw it as an opportunity for the two clubs to finally re-unite. Many at SC Croatia were still angry over the 1960 incident, but eventually terms were agreed to and the two clubs re-united under the banner of SC Croatia. Despite the high expectations within the Croatian community the club finished a disappointing 11th in its inaugural season as a re-united side in the State League, being relegated back to Division 1. The highlight of the disappointing year was SC Croatia making the semi finals of the Dockerty Cup. At the conclusion of the 1963 season SC Croatia president Enver Begovic and the President of Richmond Allemania took legal action against the VSF, arguing that the decision to relegate their respective clubs was unconstitutional. The courts decision went against the two clubs, seeing both relegated. SC Croatia would quickly return to the State League for the 1965 season after once more winning the Division 1 title in 1964, they lost only one match that season. SC Croatia clinched the 1964 title on the final day against Preston Makedonia. Both clubs went into the match on equal points, in a thrilling match SC Croatia came out on top defeating Makedonia 3-1 in front of 4,000 people at a ground in Port Melbourne. Goals came from Billy Vojtek with a double, and Horst Rau. Notably Northern Irishman Ollie Norris joined the club for the 1964 season. During the 1950s Norris had played in the English Division 1
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(now Premier League) with Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
, and was part of the giant killing AFC Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
team of 1957 which made the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. Norris was the most high profile player SC Croatia had up until this point in the clubs history.
Many of the early club legends of SC Croatia played and began their careers during this initial era of the club, the most prominent of these individuals being Bozo Bašić, Frank Bot, Billy Vojtek
Billy Vojtek
Billy Vojtek is a retired Croatian Australian footballer. He migrated to Australia with his family as a child, he would go on to become one of the leading players in Australia during the 1960s and 70s...
, Jim Vojtek, Mirko Kovaček and Horst Rau.
A Victorian powerhouse 1965-1972
With SC Croatia’s return to the State League in 1965 the club would cement itself as one of the states most powerful sides under the guidance, for the most part, of long-time coach Mijo Kis. Between 1965 and 1972, SC Croatia finished in the top 4 five times and won 9 titles. In its three previous seasons in the State League the club had struggled and the 1965 season looked like this would continue with SC Croatia losing 6 of its first 9 matches of the season as relegation was being faced once more. The club president at the time Enver Begović reacted by spending over 5000 pounds to bring in players such as Scottish international Duncan MacKay, Brian Adlam, Hammy McMeechan (who was bought for a then Victorian record transfer fee of 1200 pounds from SlaviaSlavia Melbourne
The Slavia Melbourne Soccer Club is a defunct Australian association football club that was based in Melbourne, Victoria. Club was founded in 1950 by Czech migrants and would go on to become a leading club in Australian football. Slavia competed in the Victorian State League from 1956 to 1970 and...
), Bill McLyntyre, Joe Keenan, Bobby McLachlan and Ian Currie. The club went to great lengths to bring in these players, sending Frank Burin to Scotland to sign the majority of the newcomers. These incredible signings saw the club dubbed the 'Glamour Team' of the State League. In the final 13 matches of the season the club won 10 of the matches and had the best record, picking up the most points, of any team in the State League over that period. They even defeated the top 3 sides, South Melbourne SC, Sunshine George Cross and Brunswick Juventus
Brunswick Juventus
Brunswick Juventus is an Australian association football club from Brunswick, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club was a participant in the National Soccer League, where they were champions in 1985, and Victorian Premier League, in which they won eight titles...
. Despite all this the club finished 6th as the damage at the start of the season was too much to overcome. Croatia also made the final of the Dockerty Cup for the first time, losing 1-0 to Slavia
Slavia Melbourne
The Slavia Melbourne Soccer Club is a defunct Australian association football club that was based in Melbourne, Victoria. Club was founded in 1950 by Czech migrants and would go on to become a leading club in Australian football. Slavia competed in the Victorian State League from 1956 to 1970 and...
. They defeated their arch rivals Footscray JUST 2-1 in the semi-final.
In the 1966 season, SC Croatia strengthened its already powerful side, bringing in Jimmy Mackay
Jimmy Mackay
James Birrell "Jimmy" Mackay is a former football player. He was a member of the Australian 1974 World Cup squad in West Germany....
and Bill MacArthur. The club continued its great form from the second half of the previous season. With 3 games remaining SC Croatia was sitting in 3rd spot, only 2 points behind the first placed South Melbourne SC. Unfortunately SC Croatia crumbled under the pressure, losing all 3 matches to finish fifth and just miss out on the top 4 qualification for the Australia Cup.
In 1967 SC Croatia found itself well off the pace after Round 10, sitting in 7th position. But the final 12 matches of the season saw the club rally as it went on an impressive run that saw it only lose 2 of those remaining 12 matches as they climbed all the way up to 3rd spot, its highest league finish. This first ever top 4 finish saw SC Croatia qualify for the prestigious Australia Cup, a national knock-out soccer tournament featuring the 16 best clubs in the country. SC Croatia won its opening round match 2-0 away to West Adelaide Hellas at Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
. SC Croatia was eventually knocked out in the Quarter-Finals, losing against Brunswick Juventus.
In 1968 all the hard work of previous years finally paid off with what was the high point of this era, when SC Croatia won its first Victorian State League championship. Under the captaincy of Horst Rau (the club's longest serving captain) SC Croatia was dominant winning 15 of its 22 matches, and finishing 7 points clear of the second place Polonia
Polonia
The Polish diaspora refers to people of Polish origin who live outside Poland. The Polish diaspora is also known in modern Polish language as Polonia, which is the name for Poland in Latin and in many other Romance languages....
. The club had finally lived up to its tag as the 'Glamour Team'. It was a remarkable achievement particularly given that the club was sitting in 5th position by Round 10, a massive 5 points behind the league leaders at the time Hakoah Melbourne. From that point onwards SC Croatia went undefeated for the rest of the season, winning 10 of the final 12 matches of the season.
1968 also saw SC Croatia win the prestigious Dockerty Cup (defeating South Melbourne 1-0 in the final in front of 18,000 people at Olympic Park), as well as the Ampol Cup to complete a remarkable treble. SC Croatia is one of only two sides to ever achieve that treble, the other being Green Gully in 1981. SC Croatia also went on to narrowly lose the Inter City Cup to Hakoah Eastern Suburbs
Sydney City Soccer Club
Sydney City Soccer Club is a football club from Sydney, Australia.The club was formed in 1939 as Sydney Hakoah by members of the Sydney Jewish community. They played between 1977 and 1986 in the National Soccer League as Eastern Suburbs and Sydney City...
of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
3-2 at Olympic Park
Olympic Park
An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics complex in the case of the summer games, or the main...
. Finally in 1968 SC Croatia competed in its second Australia Cup in what would be the last tournament staged. In the opening round SC Croatia faced Adelaide Juventus at Olympic Park, winning 3-1. The club’s run would end in the Quarter-Finals, losing to eventual tournament Runner-Up Hakoah Melbourne. In the end 1968 proved to be an outstanding season where SC Croatia truly came of age, cementing itself as one of the most powerful clubs in the country.
Following the completion of the 1968 season, SC Croatia was part of a consortium of 9 clubs (Melbourne sides Hakoah, Hellas and George Cross, Sydney sides APIA, Prague, Hakoah, Sydney Croatia and Pan Hellenic) from both Victoria and NSW that announced their intention to organize a 12 team national league to begin in 1969. The proposed league did not eventuate.
The following two seasons of 1969 and 1970, while not being as successful as the landmark season of 1968, saw the club continue to consolidate its position as one of Australia’s strongest sides despite the loss of key figures from the 1968 side such as Hammy McMeechan, Alfred Glaser, Tommy Friganovic and Robert Symington. SC Croatia finished a respectable 4th in both 1969 and 1970, qualifying for the top 4 Sate League Cup in both seasons. Croatia also had success in cup competitions in 1969, in the pre-season Ampol Cup SC Croatia lost in the final to South Melbourne Hellas 2-1 in front of 15,000 fans at Olympic Park. While the club would go on to defend its Dockerty Cup title in 1969 defeating Brunswick Juventus 3-1 in the Final. The back-to-back Dockerty titles were an achievement that at that time had not been achieved by their more fancied and bitter rivals Footscray JUST
Footscray JUST
Footscray JUST is a defunct association football club from Melbourne, Australia.Established in 1950 by migrants from Yugoslavia they played in the Victorian leagues with a fair amount of success, winning five Victorian State League titles, and three Dockerty Cup titles...
and South Melbourne Hellas. The 1970 State League season saw an exciting finish in the closing stages for SC Croatia. The final spot in the top 4 cup series was up for grabs between the club and South Melbourne Hellas. With only two matches remaining SC Croatia was in 4th spot on 26 points, while Hellas was in 5th on 24 points. Both the remaining matches would see SC Croatia play Hellas, this was due the earlier encounter in the season being postponed. Due to Croatia’s superior goal difference, Croatia would only need to gain a draw in one of the matches to clinch the top 4 spot. The first clash was contested mid-week and it proved to be a remarkable match which saw Hellas leading 3-1 early in the second half. Croatia bravely fought back, equalising on the 80th minute through Bill McLyntyre to see the match finish 3-3 and ensure a top 4 spot.
1971 was a year that proved to be another highlight for the club. Before the start of the season the club showed itself to be the firm favourites by taking out the Victorian Ampol Cup, defeating bitter rivals Footscray JUST 5-1 in the final. The club took this form into the State League season, after round 15 SC Croatia was equal first along with Footscray JUST. Both sides dominated the competition; SC Croatia had won 11 of those matches and lost only 2. But the club capitulated in the final 7 rounds, picking up only 3 points to finish 3rd behind Footscray JUST and South Melbourne Hellas. But SC Croatia got its revenge and proved it was the best side in Victoria by winning the State League Cup, a tournament played at the end of the season featuring the top four sides in the State League. This was very much like the playoffs system but it did not count as an official league championship at the time. SC Croatia defeated South Melbourne SC 3-2 in the Grand Final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
at Olympic Park
Olympic Park, Melbourne
The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is a series of sports venues and stadia, located in Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. The precinct is situated around 3 km east of the Melbourne city centre, between the suburbs of East Melbourne and Richmond, and close to the north-eastern bank of...
.
1971 also saw SC Croatia qualify for the Inter City Cup final, which was a match that took place between the respective Victorian and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Ampol Cup champions. This at the time was the only national club title available. SC Croatia won the Inter City Cup defeating Western Suburbs
Western Suburbs
Western Suburbs is an association football club in Porirua, New Zealand. They play their home matches at Endeavour Park in the Porirua suburb of Whitby and compete in the Central Premier League....
of Sydney over two legs. The first leg in Melbourne ended in a 1-1 draw, but SC Croatia won the second leg in Sydney, defeating Western Suburbs 3-1 with a hat-trick from Bill McLyntyre. The win saw SC Croatia hold the unofficial mantle as the best club in the country. They again made the Inter City Cup final the following year, but lost to St George Budapest
St George Saints
The St. George Saints Football Club are an Association football club based in the St. George region of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The club plays its home games at St. George Stadium, after playing a brief stint at Belmore Sports Ground in the 2007-08. The St...
. SC Croatia lost 4-1 in Sydney and 1-0 in Melbourne.
The strength of the club during this period was particularly shown by a number of its players representing Australia in international football. The first came in 1965 with Hammy McMeechan becoming the club's first international representative. In 1967 Billy Vojtek
Billy Vojtek
Billy Vojtek is a retired Croatian Australian footballer. He migrated to Australia with his family as a child, he would go on to become one of the leading players in Australia during the 1960s and 70s...
would follow, becoming the first player of Croatian heritage to play for Australia. In 1970 Jimmy Mackay
Jimmy Mackay
James Birrell "Jimmy" Mackay is a former football player. He was a member of the Australian 1974 World Cup squad in West Germany....
would become another SC Croatia player to wear the Green and Gold, he became an integral part of Australia's side that went to the 1974 World Cup
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
. Other notable players during this era included Scottish international Duncan Mackay, Bill McLyntyre, Brian Adlam, Hugh Gunn, Bill McArthur, Frank Bot, Ante Kuželek, Bobby McLachlan, Mirko Kovaček, Welsh international Peter Davies (who joined in the side in 1968) and there was even a short stint from Yugoslavian international Stjepan Lamza
Stjepan Lamza
Stjepan "Štef" Lamza is a former Yugoslav football player. He is considered as one of the greatest Croatian players of all time and played for much of his career for NK Dinamo Zagreb, whom he helped in winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1967...
during the 1972 season.
Expulsion
1972 would be a dark year in SC Croatia's history. On 30 July 1972 SC Croatia played HakoahMelbourne Hakoah
Melbourne Hakoah is a defunct Australian sports club which had a predominantly Jewish Australian supporter base, akin to Hakoah Vienna. The club's best known arm was its soccer club.-History:...
at Olympic Park
Olympic Park Stadium
Olympic Park Stadium was a multi-purpose outdoor stadium located on Olympic Boulevard in inner Melbourne. The stadium was built as an athletics training venue for the 1956 Olympics, a short distance from the MCG, which served as the Olympic Stadium...
in Round 19 of the VPL. The match was abandoned after the 62 minute mark after SC Croatia supporters invaded the pitch, attacking the match officials following the sending off of SC Croatia player Hugh Gunn. At the VSF Tribunal SC Croatia was found guilty of having failed to control its spectators, the club had its membership with the VSF revoked which saw it kicked out of all competitions. The club appealed the decision, but the punishment stood. It was the first time such a ruling had been handed down in Australian football, the decision saw the club forfeit its final three matches of the season. Before the Hakoah match SC Croatia was sitting in 5th spot, still a chance of making the top 4 State League Cup. SC Croatia felt it had been victimised, with the decision having more to do with politics as accusations of interference were made against Tony Kovac the president of bitter rivals Footscray JUST
Footscray JUST
Footscray JUST is a defunct association football club from Melbourne, Australia.Established in 1950 by migrants from Yugoslavia they played in the Victorian leagues with a fair amount of success, winning five Victorian State League titles, and three Dockerty Cup titles...
. That same year North Geelong Croatia was also expelled from their league by the VSF, casting further doubt on the legitimacy and intent behind the VSF ruling. The VSF as part of their ruling allowed for SC Croatia to apply for re-admission into the VSF after the conclusion of the season, and on 22 August the club sent in their application. After reviewing the application the VSF rejected it, causing further anger within the Croatian community. As a consequence the club chose to go down the legal avenue taking the VSF to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1973, but the club would end up losing the case.
Throughout 1973 the club held weekly meetings despite having no side competing, also a SC Croatia old-boys team played friendly matches against local sides. In 1974 club members chose to go down a different path to bring the club back, they set their sights on a take-over of the financially struggling Division 1 club Essendon Lions
Essendon Lions
Essendon Lions is a now defunct football club from Melbourne suburb of Essendon, Victoria. At the clubs peak in the 1960s and 1970s it played in the Victorian State League, the top league in Victoria at the time.-Honours:...
(a Ukrainian backed club). The first step occurred with the appointment of the influential SC Croatia figure Tony Vrzina as coach of the Essendon Lions late in the 1974 season, rescuing the club from relegation. With the completion of the season a total take-over of the club took place, with Croatia paying $25,000 to the Lions to take control of the club and the facilities at Montgomery Park in Essendon
Essendon, Victoria
Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...
. By the beginning of the 1975 season Tony Vrzina had become president of the club and Duje Zemunik was appointed coach. The club would become known as Essendon Croatia, though they would continue to play under the Lions name until 1978 when the name was officially changed to Essendon Croatia. Essendon Croatia's time in Division 1 did not see much success for the club, with the most successful season coming in 1976 when the club finished 3rd. That year the club also made the Semi-Finals of the Dockerty Cup
Dockerty Cup
The Dockerty Cup is a football competition held between clubs in Victoria, Australia. It is named after Harry Dockerty, a former president of the Victorian Soccer Federation. It has been in recess since 1996, except for the year 2004...
where they lost to Polonia.
The clubs time in Division 1 was marked by re-building, the drop and eventual take over of Essendon Lions saw most of the clubs previous State League players leave. But none-the-less the club continued to soldier on. In 1974 the club staged the first ‘unofficial’ Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament at Montgomery Park with 6 clubs competing; this was a pre-cursor to the official tournament which would take place the following year. Also the clubs youth system was producing great young talent during this time that would go on to have a deep influence on Australian football, namely Eddie Krnčević
Eddie Krncevic
Edward "Eddie" Krnčević is a retired Australian footballer who played as a striker, and a current manager.The son of Croatian immigrants, he played most of his professional career in Belgium.-Football career:...
and Branko Čulina
Branko Culina
Branko Čulina is a football coach and former player. He is currently without a club after being sacked by Newcastle Jets.-Club career:...
. This culminated in the clubs Reserve side winning the Division 1 Reserves Championship in 1976. Also during this time the club lost none of its ambition, shown in 1976 with the signings of high profile State League players such as Nick Kuzmamov, goalkeeper John Kennedy, Ivan Gruicic and the legendary John Gardiner from the George Cross for a then record fee of $6,000.
The return 1977-1983
1977 saw the creation of the National Soccer LeagueNational Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
, four sides from Victoria entered the NSL. This exodus from the State League allowed the return of Essendon Croatia to the top flight of Victorian football after a 4 year absence. 1977 saw the clubs favourite son, Billy Vojtek
Billy Vojtek
Billy Vojtek is a retired Croatian Australian footballer. He migrated to Australia with his family as a child, he would go on to become one of the leading players in Australia during the 1960s and 70s...
, return to Essendon Croatia to help them get back to the top. The clubs first season back was marked by mixed results. The club started the season as one of the favourites after having won the pre-season Ampol Cup, it was the first and only time that a newly promoted side had lifted the trophy. But early season player losses to NSL clubs, Ivan Gruičić to Canberra City FC and John Gardiner to South Melbourne SC (for $13,000), saw the club have a sluggish start to the State League winning only 2 of its first 12 matches. Club legend Duncan MacKay was brought in as coach, he introduced a number of new players including New Zealand international Brian Davidson and Steve Kokoska from Sunshine City. MacKay’s influence had a deep impact with the club having a great second half of the season as Essendon Croatia won 6 of its final 10 matches, to finish a respectable seventh. The club also went on to make the Final of the Dockerty Cup, losing to Brunswick Juventus.
It would not be too long before the club once more became one of the top sides in the state. In 1978 the club won its second Victorian State League championship comfortably under the guidance of coach and former club great Bill McArthur; the side won a staggering 17 of its 22 matches. The powerful side was one of the most dominant Victoria had seen, so much so that the club had clinched the title with 3 matches still remaining. That year the club took out the much sought after treble of Ampol Cup, Victorian champions and State League Cup (where it defeated George Cross 3-2), an achievement which no other club has ever been able to achieve. The club also made the semi-finals of the Dockerty Cup. Essendon Croatia defended its State League title in 1979 under the dual guidance of Duje Zemunik and player-coach John Gardiner. It proved to be a much tighter race than the previous year. Frankston City had led the league comfortably for most of the season, with the completion of round 17 seeing Frankston 5 points ahead of Essendon Croatia who were sitting in 3rd position. In the remaining 5 matches Essendon Croatia went undefeated as it won 4 and drew 1, clinching the league title on a dramatic final day (defeating Altona City 3-1) on goal difference over Frankston City. That year Essendon Croatia took out the prestigious treble; State Champions, Dockerty Cup and the State League Cup where it defeated Preston Makedonia 2-1. The success was made more remarkable given the club started the 1979 season in turmoil with mass players losses as Yaka Banovic and Eddie Krencevic transferred to National Soccer League clubs, while also losing four other players including Billy Vojtek and Brian Davidson. In its first three seasons back in the State League Essendon Croatia won every title that was available, an incredible come back from a club that was all but dead only a few years earlier. It was a testament to the dedication of the Croatian community.
This back to back championship winning side was a powerful one that contained 5 Socceroos; Ken Murphy
Ken Murphy
Kenneth "Kenny" Murphy is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and is currently the head coach of the Connecticut College men's soccer team.-Youth:...
, Tommy Cumming
Tommy Cumming
Tommy Cumming is an Australian former association football player and coach.-Club career:Cumming played for Sunshine George Cross and Essendon Croatia in the Victoria State League before playing for the Melbourne Knights in the National Soccer League.-International career:Cumming played four times...
, Billy Vojtek
Billy Vojtek
Billy Vojtek is a retired Croatian Australian footballer. He migrated to Australia with his family as a child, he would go on to become one of the leading players in Australia during the 1960s and 70s...
, Eddie Krnčević
Eddie Krncevic
Edward "Eddie" Krnčević is a retired Australian footballer who played as a striker, and a current manager.The son of Croatian immigrants, he played most of his professional career in Belgium.-Football career:...
and Steve Kokoska. Teenage star Eddie Krnčević made his senior debut at 16 for the club in 1977. He would become one of Australia’s first overseas success stories. Eddie Krnčević
Eddie Krncevic
Edward "Eddie" Krnčević is a retired Australian footballer who played as a striker, and a current manager.The son of Croatian immigrants, he played most of his professional career in Belgium.-Football career:...
headed to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1981, joining Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...
, and he would spend nearly 15 years playing across Europe. However the stand out player of the back-to-back winning side was without a doubt the English forward Tommy Cumming
Tommy Cumming
Tommy Cumming is an Australian former association football player and coach.-Club career:Cumming played for Sunshine George Cross and Essendon Croatia in the Victoria State League before playing for the Melbourne Knights in the National Soccer League.-International career:Cumming played four times...
who was signed from Sunshine City for $6,500, he won the Player of the Year award in both 78 and 79.
From 1980-1983, the club painfully finished runner-up on four successive occasions. In 1980 they finished second to Preston Makedonia, despite having a fantastic season where Essendon Croatia only lost 2 matches (both losses being to the eventual champions Preston). It was a close battle between the two sides for a large part of the season. After round 14 both Essendon Croatia and Preston Makedonia found themselves on equal points with Preston just ahead on goal difference, the following round saw the two sides face off. Preston won the crucial match 1-0 as they pulled away from Essendon Croatia, holding onto top spot for the rest of the season.
The next three seasons saw the club finish runner-up to Green Gully each season. The season of 1981 saw Essendon Croatia finish 6 points behind Green Gully, who were now led by player-coach and former Croatia player John Gardiner. It proved to be a season of high frustration for Essendon Croatia with the club going through three different coaches as the high expectations of the club were not being met. The club started the season slowly but soon made up ground as a tight battle ensued with league leaders Green Gully. It was neck and neck until late into the season when Essendon Croatia capitulated following a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Green Gully in Round 20. Notably 1981 also saw David Brogan join Essendon Croatia from Croydon City mid-way through the season, he would go on to become one of the club’s most prolific strikers in its long history.
In 1982 the club changed its name to Melbourne Croatia. For the 82 season Bill McArthur was at the helm as coach of Melbourne Croatia. The club kicked off the season with an 8 match unbeaten streak. In round 9 the club lost 4-2 to main title rivals Green Gully, to record the clubs first loss of the season. The solitary loss resulted surprisingly in McArthur’s sacking. Up to round 12 the club was on equal points with Green Gully, but inconsistent results would follow for the rest of the season which saw the club fall behind Green Gully by a clear margin. In Round 15 legendary coach Mijo Kiss made a return to the club after an absence of over a decade. Though his return wasn’t enough to catch the runaway Green Gully, he was able to hold onto second place and lead the side to a triumphant 4-1 win over Green Gully in round 22. The 1982 season saw Josip Biskic make an incredible impact on his debut season, the beginning of a career which would see Biskic end up playing a club record 328 matches.
1983 saw the club came agonisingly close, losing the tile by one point. At this stage the point system in the State League was 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. If it had been done by today’s system of 3 points for a win Melbourne Croatia would have won the title on goal difference. That season Melbourne Croatia, now being coached by the returning John Gardiner, led Green Gully on the ladder for the first 19 rounds, being on top of the table for 18 of those weeks. A Round 20 loss to Brunswick Juventus would prove disastrous for the championship hopes of Melbourne Croatia. The club led 2-0 only to have Juventus come back and win 3-2, giving Green Gully top spot. Croatia would go on to win all 6 of its remaining matches, but still it wasn’t enough.
During the period of 1980-1983 Melbourne Croatia would make up for falling short so many times in the League by winning the end of year State League Cup in 1980, 1981 (defeating Doveton 3-1 in the final) and 1983 where the club gained its sweetest revenge defeating Green Gully 4-0 in the Final. The club had further success in cup competitions during this period as it won the Dockerty Cup in 1980 and 1983, and the Ampol Cup in 1980.
Also during this period Melbourne Croatia and its sister club Sydney Croatia were controversially denied entry into the NSL despite dominating their respective state competitions. Lesser clubs, with much smaller supporter bases were given priority over the two powerful Croatia clubs. In 1976 Melbourne Croatia was one of seven Victorian clubs to apply for the NSL: the others being Moorolbark, George Cross, Brunswick Juventus, South Melbourne Hellas, Footscray JUST and Fitzroy Alexander. The Australian Soccer Federation stressed the point that neither club would be welcome till they dropped 'Croatia' from their respective names. The same political back stabbing that had caused Melbourne Croatia’s expulsion in 1972 still remained in the football hierarchy.
Despite the snub from the ASF Melbourne Croatia showed its ability on the national level by participating in the National Soccer League Cup, which was open to the top state league sides for a short period, each year from 1978 to 1981. The clubs best performance came in 1978 when the club made it to the Quarter Finals. A notable victory came in the second round where they defeated Beograd, a Serbian backed club from Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, 3-0. In the Quarter Finals the club faced NSL side Adelaide City. Melbourne Croatia put up a brave fight, narrowly going down 1-0 to their more fancied opponents. Croatia proudly made it to at least the second round each time it participated in the Cup, except for 1980 when it was knocked out in the first round by Heidelberg United
Heidelberg United
Heidelberg United Football Club is a football club based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia...
. That year Heidelberg United
Heidelberg United
Heidelberg United Football Club is a football club based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia...
had finished 2nd in the NSL, Croatia once again showed the strength of Victorian State League football by pushing them all the way, eventually losing 3-2.
The 1980 Ampol Cup victory was also notable for the club's performances against Melbourne's NSL sides. In the semi-final Melbourne Croatia defeated a full strength South Melbourne NSL side 1-0 and then went on to defeat a full strength Heidelberg NSL side in the final 2-1. The result so infuriated and caused embarrassment for South Melbourne that the president of South, Sam Papasavas, came out in the local media demanding a re-match with a bet of $5,000.
Great players from this era not already mentioned included Peter Blasby, Branko Čulina
Branko Culina
Branko Čulina is a football coach and former player. He is currently without a club after being sacked by Newcastle Jets.-Club career:...
, Ante Bilaver, Josip Biškić
Josip Biskic
Josip Biskić was an Australian football player who played for National Soccer League club the Melbourne Knights, Malaysian club Selangor FA, and Victorian Premier League clubs Heidelberg United and the Fawkner Blues...
, Steve Short, Carl Gilder, Steve Gojević, Ivan Gruičić, George Hannah, Noel Mitten and Keith Adams.
1984 NSL entry
Finally in 1984 economics gave the club what lobbying could not. The NSL had been struggling financially, with dwindling crowds. So as a solution the Federation reverted from a one division competition of 16 teams, to a duel conference set-up (North and South) with each conference consisting of twelve teams. With the expansion the club could no longer be ignored and entry to the NSL was finally given. For the 1984 season the club had a squad made up mostly of players from their 1983 state league season, including Steve Gojević, Josip BiskicJosip Biskic
Josip Biskić was an Australian football player who played for National Soccer League club the Melbourne Knights, Malaysian club Selangor FA, and Victorian Premier League clubs Heidelberg United and the Fawkner Blues...
, Tommy Cumming
Tommy Cumming
Tommy Cumming is an Australian former association football player and coach.-Club career:Cumming played for Sunshine George Cross and Essendon Croatia in the Victoria State League before playing for the Melbourne Knights in the National Soccer League.-International career:Cumming played four times...
, Keith Adams, David Brogan, Peter Blasby and George Hannah. The club had a major coup singing legendary Welsh footballer Terry Hennessey
Terry Hennessey
William Terrence "Terry" Hennessey is a Welsh former international footballer who gained 39 caps for Wales. He played as a defender and made 400 Football League appearances in the 1960s and 1970s with Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest and Derby County.After his playing career, he managed a number...
as coach. The club would go onto make an incredible impact on debut, finishing 3rd in the regular season and qualifying for the finals, just showing what a strong side the club had in the State League. The highlight of the regular season was the clubs 12 match unbeaten streak, a record for the club in the NSL. But the season didn’t start off in such an amazing manner, winning only 3 of its opening 11 matches.
Hennessey was sacked after round 9 and the experienced Tony Vrzina (who had a couple of coaching stints with the club in the 1970s) came in at round 13 seeing a massive turnaround in the clubs fortunes. In the finals, Melbourne Croatia made it to the Major Semi-Final where they faced South Melbourne
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
for a spot in the Conference Grand Final. South Melbourne FC won 3-2 in extra-time in a thrilling match in front of 11,000 fans at Olympic Park. It was a painful loss as Melbourne Croatia had led for a large part of the game only to have South Melbourne FC equalise in the closing minutes to take it to extra-time. Melbourne Croatia with a second chance then faced Heidelberg United
Heidelberg United
Heidelberg United Football Club is a football club based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia...
, again for a spot in the final against South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
. Heidelberg United won 3-1 putting an end to Melbourne Croatia's finals campaign. Melbourne Croatia also made the NSL Cup final that season, winning 5 matches in a row before losing to Newcastle KB United
Newcastle KB United
Newcastle KB United are a defunct Australian association football club. They participated in the National Soccer League from 1978 until early in the 1984 season.-History:...
in the Final. That year also saw Melbourne Croatia reach the Final of the Buffalo Cup, where it lost 3-1 to South Melbourne in front of 13,000 people at Olympic Park.
In 1985 under coach Dom Kapetanovic the club would continue its good form again making the finals, but this time being knocked out in the first match by Preston 2-1 at Olympic Park in front of 6,000 spectators. 1985 saw the club once again lose the Buffalo Cup Final, this time to Heidelberg in a 5-1 thrashing. And the club would gain revenge against Preston, taking out the Dockerty Cup with a 2-0 victory over the Macedonian club.
The next three years were very disappointing for the club, they missed out on finals action each season (though there was no finals series in 1987). This was despite some major signings such as in 1987 under Terry Hennessey (in his second stint as coach), when the club signed Socceroos Robbie Dunn
Robbie Dunn
Robert "Robbie" Dunn is an Australian former football player. Dunn played as a defender in a career that spanned 15 years.-Club career:...
and Alan Edward Davidson
Alan Edward Davidson
Alan Edward Davidson was an Australian football player. His mother is Japanese.-Club career:Davidson began his domestic senior football career in 1976 and 1977, playing for Altona City SC which had been his junior club...
, Croatian import Branko Milošević
Branko Milosevic
Branko Milosevic is a midfielder who made several appearances for the Socceroos. Milosevic was known for his extremely fast bursts of speed, vision, goal scoring ability, positioning, work rate, distribution and skill with the ball.-Europe:...
and a major coup in Scottish international Ian Wallace
Ian Wallace (footballer)
Ian Wallace, , was a professional Scottish footballer who had great success in the late-1970s and early-1980s when he played for top flight English clubs.-Club career:...
. As well as in 1988 with Socceroos Jeff Olver
Jeff Olver
Jeff Olver is an Australian former football player. Olver is a member of the Football Federation Australia - Football Hall of Fame.-Club career:...
and Theo Selemidis
Theo Selemidis
Theo Selemidis is an Australian former soccer player who played at both professional and international levels as a midfielder.-Career:Selemidis played at club level for Heidelberg United and Melbourne Croatia....
, and experienced Scotsman Paul Donnelly. But on the park the club still struggled during this period of 1986-1988 despite having one of the strongest squads in the NSL, the club had become the perennial underachievers of the league. So frustrating was this period for the club that over those three seasons Melbourne Croatia had five different coaches. In the 1987 season Melbourne Croatia had been competitive for most of the season, by the end of round 23 the club was in 5th position only two points behind 2nd place. But the club picked up no further points in the remaining 3 rounds of the season as the club fell away to 9th. 1988 was a very similar story, Ian Wallace
Ian Wallace (footballer)
Ian Wallace, , was a professional Scottish footballer who had great success in the late-1970s and early-1980s when he played for top flight English clubs.-Club career:...
had taken charge as coach and at the round 19 mark the club was sitting in 6th only a point outside a finals spot. But the club fell out of finals contention as it went onto lose 5 of its final 7 matches. One positive that came out of this period was Mark Talajić, a product of the club's youth system, who made his debut for the side at only 16 in 1986. He would go on to become a club legend.
However this period did see the club have success in cup competitions, dominating the pre-season Buffalo Cup (which had replaced the Ampol Cup) with victories in 1986 and 1987. Rather fittingly the victories came against Heidelberg and South Melbourne respectively, the two clubs to whom Melbourne Croatia had lost to in 1984 and 1985. Those victories in the Buffalo Cup earned the club a spot in the Final for the Ansett Cup against the NSW pre-season Champions. Ironically both years saw Melbourne Croatia take on Sydney Croatia for the Ansett Cup title. In 1986 Melbourne Croatia defeated their Sydney sister club 3-1 at Olympic Park in front 8,500 fans. The following year the club again defeated Sydney Croatia, this time 1-0 at the St George Stadium in Sydney. In 1988 the club also won the Dockerty Cup in a thrilling Final against South Melbourne, which saw Melbourne Croatia come out on top 4-3 after extra-time. The club was later stripped of the title after a protest by South Melbourne, as Melbourne Croatia had fielded an ineligible player.
Dominance
After those three painful years of non-finals action, 1989 saw the beginning of what can only be described as the golden era of the club. For the next decade the club would make the NSL finals 8 times out of 9 seasons.1989 was where everything began to click for the club. The club strengthened an already impressive side with imports Željko Adžić
Željko Adžic
Željko Adžić is a former Croatian footballer.He played one game internationally for Croatia against Ukraine on June 26, 1993 scoring at Maksimir Stadium. He won the Prva HNL with HAŠK Građanski in 1993. While playing with Melbourne Croatia he won the Johnny Warren Medal.-External links:*...
and Francis Awaritefe
Francis Awaritefe
Francis Edgar Awaritefe is an Australian former football player, and is currently Director of Football at Melbourne Victory...
, as well as Ivan Kelić
Ivan Kelic
Ivan Kelic was an Australian football player who played for NSL clubs Melbourne Knights, Sydney Olympic and South Melbourne FC....
and Ivan Duzel from sister club St Albans Dinamo. The club had a strong season finishing 4th on the regular season table and making the finals for the first time since 1985. In the Finals the club defeated Preston
Preston Lions FC
The Preston Lions Football Club are an Australian football club from Preston, a northern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
2-0, which was followed by an agonising 3-2 loss to Sydney Olympic in extra time that put an end to Melbourne Croatia's campaign. 1989 also saw Melbourne Croatia finally move away from Olympic Park
Olympic Park, Melbourne
The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is a series of sports venues and stadia, located in Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. The precinct is situated around 3 km east of the Melbourne city centre, between the suburbs of East Melbourne and Richmond, and close to the north-eastern bank of...
and move into its own stadium, the Melbourne Croatia Sports Centre in North Sunshine. This move saw a dramatic increase in crowds.
For the season 1989/90, Melbourne Croatia continued to impress, strengthening their side with Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth is a retired Australian football player who represented Australia 21 times.Marth spent all of his club career in Australia and mainly at the Melbourne Knights, where he was involved in their two National Soccer League titles, as well as becoming captain of the club...
from Sunshine George Cross. The club finished 3rd in the regular season, just 3 points behind top spot. In the Finals Melbourne Croatia defeated Southe Melbourne in a epic penalty shootout, with a 7-6 scoreline. The club just missed out on making the Grand Final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
, losing the Preliminary Final to Sydney Olympic. Melbourne Croatia had taken a 1-0 lead, only to have Sydney Olympic claw their way back and score the winner 9 minutes from full-time.
In 1990/91 the club had its most successful season in the NSL up to that point. With Ken Worden as coach the club won the Minor premiership
Minor premiership
A minor premiership is the name of the title given to the team which finishes a sporting competition first in the league standings after the regular season but prior to commencement of the playoffs....
for the first time after having an amazing season where the club only lost 4 matches. The club clinched the Minor Premiership with a game to spare following an 8-1 thrashing of Wollongong Macedonia, a match where star striker Ivan Kelic
Ivan Kelic
Ivan Kelic was an Australian football player who played for NSL clubs Melbourne Knights, Sydney Olympic and South Melbourne FC....
scored 6 goals. The club went on to make it to its first Grand Final where they met city rivals South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
at Olympic Park in front of over 23,000 fans. It was a match that Melbourne Croatia came agonisingly close to winning. Melbourne Croatia led for most of the match before conceding a later equaliser with only minutes to go. The match went to a penalty shoot out where Melbourne Croatia led 2-1 following South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
missing 3 consecutive penalties. Melbourne Croatia had 2 penalty kicks to win the game, missing both and eventually losing the shootout 5-4.
The 1991/92 season saw the governing body Soccer Australia begin to implement measures to de-ethnicise the NSL and give it more mainstream appeal. Clubs had to replace their ethnic names, which saw Melbourne Croatia change its name to Melbourne CSC. That season saw former club legend and Socceroo Ken Murphy
Ken Murphy
Kenneth "Kenny" Murphy is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the North American Soccer League and is currently the head coach of the Connecticut College men's soccer team.-Youth:...
take over as coach. Under his tenure the club won the Minor premiership
Minor premiership
A minor premiership is the name of the title given to the team which finishes a sporting competition first in the league standings after the regular season but prior to commencement of the playoffs....
once more, but again lost the Grand Final on penalties at Olympic Park, this time to Adelaide City
Adelaide City
Adelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League...
. During this period the club continued to produce young talent and introduce them into their side; Mark Silić made his debut at 18 for the club in 1990/91, while Oliver Pondeljak made his debut at 19 in 1991/92.
The 1992/93 season was a disappointing one, with the club failing to make the finals and finishing in 10th position. A lot of this had to do with the loss of a number of key players; Alan Edward Davidson
Alan Edward Davidson
Alan Edward Davidson was an Australian football player. His mother is Japanese.-Club career:Davidson began his domestic senior football career in 1976 and 1977, playing for Altona City SC which had been his junior club...
, Francis Awaritefe
Francis Awaritefe
Francis Edgar Awaritefe is an Australian former football player, and is currently Director of Football at Melbourne Victory...
, Damian Mori
Damian Mori
Damian Mori is an Australian football player who is the top scorer for the Socceroos...
and Branko Milošević
Branko Milosevic
Branko Milosevic is a midfielder who made several appearances for the Socceroos. Milosevic was known for his extremely fast bursts of speed, vision, goal scoring ability, positioning, work rate, distribution and skill with the ball.-Europe:...
. Even with these losses the club still had a strong side that should have done better. The signs were positive early on, after round 7 the club was sitting in third spot only a point off top spot. But after that the season unravelled for the club as it tumbled down the ladder. Former Knights player Branko Culina
Branko Culina
Branko Čulina is a football coach and former player. He is currently without a club after being sacked by Newcastle Jets.-Club career:...
who was the coach at the time was sacked after 17 matches following the disappointing results. After Culina’s sacking the club saw a late resurgence, and by the end of round 22 the club was sitting in 7th position just a point outside a top 6 finals spot. The club fell away from finals contention as it struggled in the remaining 4 matches, only picking up 3 points. Despite the poor season the club saw some positives with even more new talent emerging in Mark Viduka
Mark Viduka
Mark Anthony Viduka is a former Australian soccer player who played as a centre forward. He captained the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to the last 16.-Melbourne Croatia:...
, Steve Horvat, Adrian Cervinski
Adrian Cervinski
Adrian Cervinski is an Australian footballer of Polish descent who currently plays for North Geelong Warriors in the Victorian State League Division 1, Australia's Third Division....
and David Cervinski (David joined the club in the following season) and Vinko Buljubašić
Vinko Buljubasic
Vinko Buljubasic was an Australian football player who used to play for NSL clubs Melbourne Knights, Perth Glory and the Football Kingz.-References:...
, as well as the signing of Fausto De Amicis
Fausto De Amicis
Fausto De Amicis is a former Australian soccer player. He was a member of the Australian team that scored a record 31 goals against American Samoa in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. Overall, De Amicis was involved in four National Soccer League title winning sides, twice with the Melbourne Knights,...
.
In the 1993/94 season Soccer Australia continued with its campaign of de-ethnicising the sport in Australia. They ruled that Melbourne CSC was still too 'ethnic', seeing the club change its name once more, this time to the Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights Football Club is a football club representing Melbourne, Australia in the Victorian Premier League . The club is one of the most successful football clubs in Australia, being a two-time championship and four-time premiership winner in the now defunct National Soccer League...
. On the park to remedy the previous years poor display, the Knights looked to Croatia for help, bringing coach Mirko Bazić out to Australia. His influence had a major impact as the Knights dominated the season, easily winning its third Minor Premiership
Minor premiership
A minor premiership is the name of the title given to the team which finishes a sporting competition first in the league standings after the regular season but prior to commencement of the playoffs....
6 points ahead of second place South Melbourne. Future Socceroo captain Mark Viduka
Mark Viduka
Mark Anthony Viduka is a former Australian soccer player who played as a centre forward. He captained the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to the last 16.-Melbourne Croatia:...
made a significant impact that season, at only 18 years of age he finished the season as the NSL's top goal scorer with 17 goals. He became the only player to win the treble of individual awards; Player of the Year, Under 21 Player of the Year and Top Goal-scorer. He achieved all this despite controversially missing 9 matches due to International duty with the Australian Youth team. But the Grand Final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
saw a repeat of the events of 1991/92, again losing to Adelaide City
Adelaide City
Adelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League...
at Olympic Park. Cruelly it was former Knights player Damian Mori
Damian Mori
Damian Mori is an Australian football player who is the top scorer for the Socceroos...
that scored the winner for Adelaide City. It made three Grand Final defeats in 4 years for the Melbourne Knights, earning the club the tag of ‘chokers’.
Champions of Australia
1994/95 was the season when the long awaited breakthrough was made. Once more the club was a dominant force during the season, the side played a style of football that was head and shoulders above the rest. The club started the season on fire, winning its first 7 matches, a record that is yet to be broken. Unfortunately long-time captain Josip BiskicJosip Biskic
Josip Biskić was an Australian football player who played for National Soccer League club the Melbourne Knights, Malaysian club Selangor FA, and Victorian Premier League clubs Heidelberg United and the Fawkner Blues...
left the club after round 20, signing with Malaysian club Selanagor FA. Coach Mirko Bazić using his contacts in Croatia brought in import Kresimir Marušić
Krešimir Marušic
Krešimir Marušić , was an Australian football player who played for several National Soccer League clubs, including Melbourne Knights, Sydney United, Carlton SC, Northern Spirit FC and Sydney Olympic...
to cover the loss, and he had an immediate impact for the club. The club won the Minor Premiership, its fourth in 5 seasons.
The Knights had a sluggish start to its finals campaign, losing to Adelaide City
Adelaide City
Adelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League...
over 2 legs. But the club soon made up for it, making the Grand Final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
after defeating South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
3-2 in the Preliminary Final in a thrilling match at Olympic Park
Olympic Park
An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics complex in the case of the summer games, or the main...
, with Mark Viduka
Mark Viduka
Mark Anthony Viduka is a former Australian soccer player who played as a centre forward. He captained the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to the last 16.-Melbourne Croatia:...
scoring a hat-trick. So for the third time the club met Adelaide City in the Grand Final, but this time in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
at Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
. The Knights were dominant, winning 2-0 with goals from captain Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth is a retired Australian football player who represented Australia 21 times.Marth spent all of his club career in Australia and mainly at the Melbourne Knights, where he was involved in their two National Soccer League titles, as well as becoming captain of the club...
and striker Joe Spiteri
Joe Spiteri
Joe Spiteri is an Australian former soccer player who played at both professional and international levels as a striker.-Career:...
. It was an impressive season for the club, claiming the treble that year; the Cup (where they defeated Heidelberg United
Heidelberg United
Heidelberg United Football Club is a football club based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia...
6-0 in the final), the Minor Premiership and the League. They were the only side to have achieved the feat until 2009, when A-League side Melbourne Victory also won the domestic treble. The tag of choker was finally put to rest for the Melbourne Knights. Mark Viduka
Mark Viduka
Mark Anthony Viduka is a former Australian soccer player who played as a centre forward. He captained the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to the last 16.-Melbourne Croatia:...
had another phenomenal season, this time scoring 21 goals and once again took out the treble of individual awards. No other player before or since has been such a dominant force on the national competition. But just as in the previous season there was controversy with Viduka missing 4 matches, which crucially including the first 2 matches of the finals series, due to international duty with the Australian Youth team.
Following the championship win, the club headed over to Japan for a series of matches against J-League sides. The Knights defeated Jubilo Iwata
Júbilo Iwata
is a professional Japanese association football team currently playing in the J. League Division 1 . The team name Júbilo means 'joy' in Portuguese and Spanish. The team's home town is Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture and they play at Yamaha Stadium...
and more significantly Yokohama Flügels
Yokohama Flügels
was a Japanese football club that played in the J. League between 1993 and 1998. In 1999 the club was officially merged with local rivals Yokohama Marinos and the two teams became known together as Yokohama F. Marinos.- History :...
who were the Asian Super Cup
Asian Super Cup
The Asian Super Cup was an annual competition between the winners of the Asian Champions Cup and the Asian Cup Winners Cup.The competition started in 1995, but came to an end in 2002 after both major AFC tournaments were merged into the Asian Champions League...
champions at the time.
The Knights defended its NSL title the following year, despite having lost a number of players during the off-season; Mark Viduka to Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...
, Steve Horvat to Hajduk Split, Kresimir Marušić
Krešimir Marušic
Krešimir Marušić , was an Australian football player who played for several National Soccer League clubs, including Melbourne Knights, Sydney United, Carlton SC, Northern Spirit FC and Sydney Olympic...
also returning to Croatia and the loss of their coach Mirko Bazic. Mirko Bazic was replaced by former Knights player Ian Dobson
Ian Dobson
Ian Dobson is a former Australian football player who has won the Victorian Premier League Coach of the Year Award twice...
. These player losses were made up for with emerging talent in Josip Šimunić
Josip Šimunic
Josip Šimunić is a Croatian footballer who plays as a defender for Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian national team.-Club career:...
, Tom Pondeljak
Tom Pondeljak
Tomislav Pondeljak is an Australian football player, who is currently playing for A-league club Melbourne Victory.-Club career:...
, Ante Kovačević
Ante Kovacevic
Andrew Kovacevic is an Australian football player with Croatian origins playing for Floreat Athena. He last played as a centre full back for the Australian A-League club Perth Glory before retiring in March 2007...
and Ice Kutlesovski.
The 1995/96 season was an extremely tight one, with only 6 points separating first and sixth at the conclusion of the regular season. Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights Football Club is a football club representing Melbourne, Australia in the Victorian Premier League . The club is one of the most successful football clubs in Australia, being a two-time championship and four-time premiership winner in the now defunct National Soccer League...
stormed home with 6 wins from its final 7 matches to finish second, only a point behind Minor Premiers Marconi Fairfield. In the finals the Melbourne Knights defeated Marconi over 2 legs, booking a spot in their 5th Grand Final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
. In the Grand Final the Knights met Marconi again, a match which it would go into missing three of its players due to international duty with the Olyroos; Joe Spiteri
Joe Spiteri
Joe Spiteri is an Australian former soccer player who played at both professional and international levels as a striker.-Career:...
, Frank Juric
Frank Juric
Frank Jurić is an Australian football goalkeeper of Croatian descent. He is currently the goalkeeping coach of A-League club Perth Glory.-Club career:...
and Danny Tiatto
Danny Tiatto
Daniele Amadeo "Danny" Tiatto is an Australian professional football player who plays for St Albans Saints in the Victorian Premier League.-Early years:...
. The club defeated Marconi 2-1 at Olympic Park, their first Grand Final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
win in their home city. The Knights goals were scored by captain Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth is a retired Australian football player who represented Australia 21 times.Marth spent all of his club career in Australia and mainly at the Melbourne Knights, where he was involved in their two National Soccer League titles, as well as becoming captain of the club...
and striker Adrian Cervinski
Adrian Cervinski
Adrian Cervinski is an Australian footballer of Polish descent who currently plays for North Geelong Warriors in the Victorian State League Division 1, Australia's Third Division....
. The final whistle was followed by jubilant celebrations as thousands of Melbourne Knights supporters invaded the pitch and mobbed the players.
This back-to-back championship winning side is regarded by many as the greatest club side Australia has seen. Nine of the players would go on to play for the Australia national football team (Joe Spiteri
Joe Spiteri
Joe Spiteri is an Australian former soccer player who played at both professional and international levels as a striker.-Career:...
, Mark Viduka
Mark Viduka
Mark Anthony Viduka is a former Australian soccer player who played as a centre forward. He captained the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to the last 16.-Melbourne Croatia:...
, Frank Jurić
Frank Juric
Frank Jurić is an Australian football goalkeeper of Croatian descent. He is currently the goalkeeping coach of A-League club Perth Glory.-Club career:...
, Steve Horvat, Fausto De Amicis
Fausto De Amicis
Fausto De Amicis is a former Australian soccer player. He was a member of the Australian team that scored a record 31 goals against American Samoa in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. Overall, De Amicis was involved in four National Soccer League title winning sides, twice with the Melbourne Knights,...
, Tom Pondeljak
Tom Pondeljak
Tomislav Pondeljak is an Australian football player, who is currently playing for A-league club Melbourne Victory.-Club career:...
, John Markovski
John Markovski
John Markovski is an Australian football coach and former player.Markovski played in the National Soccer League for Sunshine George Cross, Preston Lions , Morwell Falcons, Canberra Cosmos, Auckland Kingz, Carlton SC, Melbourne Knights and Perth Glory FC and was known Australia wide for his...
, Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth is a retired Australian football player who represented Australia 21 times.Marth spent all of his club career in Australia and mainly at the Melbourne Knights, where he was involved in their two National Soccer League titles, as well as becoming captain of the club...
and Danny Tiatto
Danny Tiatto
Daniele Amadeo "Danny" Tiatto is an Australian professional football player who plays for St Albans Saints in the Victorian Premier League.-Early years:...
), as well as defender Josip Šimunić
Josip Šimunic
Josip Šimunić is a Croatian footballer who plays as a defender for Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian national team.-Club career:...
whom would go on to played for the Croatia national football team
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
at two World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
.
End of an era
For the 1996/97 season the de-ethnicising continued under the helm of the Soccer Australia president David HillDavid Hill (businessman)
David Hill is a British-born Australian businessman who has held a number of high profile senior positions with public authorities in Australia. He is also a writer....
, a key decision was the removal of ethnic symbols from club emblems. So the Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights Football Club is a football club representing Melbourne, Australia in the Victorian Premier League . The club is one of the most successful football clubs in Australia, being a two-time championship and four-time premiership winner in the now defunct National Soccer League...
had to change their emblem, removing the Croatian Grb (coat of arms) that had adorned the clubs emblem since 1953.
This was also the beginning of the decline of the side, the constant loss of its players began to catch up with the club. For the 1996/97 season the club lost Mark Silić, Frank Jurić
Frank Juric
Frank Jurić is an Australian football goalkeeper of Croatian descent. He is currently the goalkeeping coach of A-League club Perth Glory.-Club career:...
, Fausto De Amicis
Fausto De Amicis
Fausto De Amicis is a former Australian soccer player. He was a member of the Australian team that scored a record 31 goals against American Samoa in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. Overall, De Amicis was involved in four National Soccer League title winning sides, twice with the Melbourne Knights,...
, Danny Tiatto
Danny Tiatto
Daniele Amadeo "Danny" Tiatto is an Australian professional football player who plays for St Albans Saints in the Victorian Premier League.-Early years:...
and Vinko Buljubašić
Vinko Buljubasic
Vinko Buljubasic was an Australian football player who used to play for NSL clubs Melbourne Knights, Perth Glory and the Football Kingz.-References:...
, the side was decimated. But most importantly the club was no longer replenishing its ranks with new talent from its youth set up at the same rate as it had done in the past. As well as the club not being able to compete with the big dollars of the new non ethnic clubs that would join the league over the next decade; professional clubs like Perth Glory, Parramatta Power
Parramatta Power
Parramatta Power were a football team which was based in western Sydney. They played in the National Soccer League from season 1999/2000 until the league folded in 2004. The Power were runners up to Perth Glory in the 2003/04 season of the NSL after Perth made the Grand Final look easy in...
and Carlton
Carlton S.C.
Carlton Soccer Club is a defunct Australian association football club. It participated in the National Soccer League from the 1997/98 season until round eight of the 2000/2001 season, after which it folded. The club was strongly linked to the Carlton Australian Rules club, and suffered from poor...
. These clubs paid huge salaries to players, the traditional clubs like the Melbourne Knights could not compete and they were priced out of the market. Before the start of the season the Knights won the Dockerty Cup, defeating the Altona Magic
Altona Magic
Altona Magic Soccer Club is a football team based in Altona North, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They currently play in the Victorian State League Division 1.-History:...
4-2. The 1996/7 season saw the Knights just scrape into the finals after a come from behind 3-1 win against Perth Glory in the last round of the regular season. The finals proved to be too much for the side, as they lost comprehensively to rivals South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
over 2 legs.
From 1997/98 to the final season of the NSL in 2003/04, the club only made the finals twice. The 1997/98 season saw the return of veterans Ivan Kelic
Ivan Kelic
Ivan Kelic was an Australian football player who played for NSL clubs Melbourne Knights, Sydney Olympic and South Melbourne FC....
and Alan Edward Davidson
Alan Edward Davidson
Alan Edward Davidson was an Australian football player. His mother is Japanese.-Club career:Davidson began his domestic senior football career in 1976 and 1977, playing for Altona City SC which had been his junior club...
, as well as the loss of Josip Simunic
Josip Šimunic
Josip Šimunić is a Croatian footballer who plays as a defender for Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian national team.-Club career:...
to Hamburg SV in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and David Červinski and Lubo Lapsansky to the newly formed Carlton SC. Despite another staggering string of player losses the Knights would still put up a brave fight, going onto narrowly miss the finals that season, losing their crucial final round match against Marconi.
The following two seasons were disastrous for a club so used to success, with the club finishing 12th in both seasons. Matters were made worse with captain Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth is a retired Australian football player who represented Australia 21 times.Marth spent all of his club career in Australia and mainly at the Melbourne Knights, where he was involved in their two National Soccer League titles, as well as becoming captain of the club...
leaving the club in 1998/99, going to Carlton SC. He left the Knights due to his frustrations with the recruitment policy of the club, it was a devastating blow to the club. One highlight in this dark period came in the 1999/00 season when English legend Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
came out for at two match guest stint at the club. His first match against South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
at Knights Stadium
Knights Stadium
Knights Stadium is the home of the International League's Charlotte Knights, the AAA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. It was opened in 1990 and seats 10,002 fans. The park is actually across the state line from Charlotte, North Carolina in Fort Mill, South Carolina.Knights Stadium is easily...
attracted a record 11,500 people; unfortunately the side was thrashed 4-0.
The 2000/01 season was the most successful season during this period, a season that saw the return of championship players Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth is a retired Australian football player who represented Australia 21 times.Marth spent all of his club career in Australia and mainly at the Melbourne Knights, where he was involved in their two National Soccer League titles, as well as becoming captain of the club...
, Steve Horvat and Ljubo Lapsanksy after the early season disbanding of Carlton SC. Coach and club legend Vlado Vanis
Vlado Vanis
Vlado Vanis was a Croatian Australian Football player and coach.-References:...
led the side. He made a number of excellent signings, including forwards Joel Porter
Joel Porter
Joel William Porter is an Australian football player who plays as a striker for the Hyundai A-League team Gold Coast United...
and Toto Da Costa. Vanis employed a very attacking style of football, playing 3 strikers; Joel Porter
Joel Porter
Joel William Porter is an Australian football player who plays as a striker for the Hyundai A-League team Gold Coast United...
, Toto Da Costa and Adrian Cervinski
Adrian Cervinski
Adrian Cervinski is an Australian footballer of Polish descent who currently plays for North Geelong Warriors in the Victorian State League Division 1, Australia's Third Division....
. They went on to score 36 goals between them. Despite all this Vanis was surprisingly sacked by club president Harry Mrksa late in the season after the two clashed over a number of issues. Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth is a retired Australian football player who represented Australia 21 times.Marth spent all of his club career in Australia and mainly at the Melbourne Knights, where he was involved in their two National Soccer League titles, as well as becoming captain of the club...
took over as player-coach and guided the club to the finals after finishing the regular season in 6th spot. In the finals the Knights took out Perth Glory over two thrilling legs and then narrowly lost to Sydney Olympic to finish the season in an impressive 4th position. The following year the Knights again made the finals, but were once more knocked out by Sydney Olympic over two legs.
By 2002/03 the club had once more lost much of their side, the loss of Joel Porter
Joel Porter
Joel William Porter is an Australian football player who plays as a striker for the Hyundai A-League team Gold Coast United...
and Toto Da Costa was particularly painful and the club struggled as a consequence in its final 2 seasons in the NSL. There were a few positives such as Anthony Pelikan
Anthony Pelikan
Anthony Pelikan is an Australian football player who currently plays for the Melbourne Knights in the Victorian Premier League. He also played in the National Soccer League for 5 seasons with the Melbourne Knights. He spent a season with Dinamo Zagreb but was unable to crack into the senior...
, who became the clubs star player and one of the NSL's leading players during this time. The 2002/03 season also saw the legendary coach Mirko Bazic return from Croatia to take charge of the side for the last 6 matches of that season, which included a 1-0 victory over rivals South Melbourne at home in the big derby clash in front of 7,157 spectators. In the final season of the NSL (2003/04) the club finished second last, its worst finish ever in the NSL. Despite the poor finish, 9 of the players from the squad in following years would end up at A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
clubs (including 7 that would in subsequent years go on to play for Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
).
The club's final NSL match was fittingly against sister club Sydney United
Sydney United
Sydney United Football Club are an Australian football club from Sydney, Australia, established in 1957 by Croatian Australians in the area...
on 29 February 2004. The match was played in front of a crowd of 8,423 at the Melbourne Croatia Sports Centre. It was an incredible atmosphere, a celebration of Croatian football in Australia. The match ended 0-0 and with the final whistle there was a mass pitch invasion by the fans of both clubs. The respective captains, Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth is a retired Australian football player who represented Australia 21 times.Marth spent all of his club career in Australia and mainly at the Melbourne Knights, where he was involved in their two National Soccer League titles, as well as becoming captain of the club...
and Mark Rudan
Mark Rudan
Mark Rudan is a former Australian football player who last played for Adelaide United in the A-League.-Club career:...
, were chaired off the ground.
Return to State football
The NSL was disbanded in 2004 to make way for a new professional league, the A-LeagueA-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
. The Melbourne Knights knowing they would not be part of this new league, opted not to bid for a spot in the A-League unlike the other ethnic clubs. The club dropped back to the state league, now called the Victorian Premier League
Victorian Premier League
The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League...
. But the Knights along with South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
were not allowed to enter the 2004 VPL
Victorian Premier League
The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League...
season, with various clubs in a campaign led by former Socceroo and JUST player Ernie Tapai
Ernie Tapai
Ernie Tapai is a former Australian football player. Currently, he is head soccer coach for Geelong Grammar School.-Club career:...
at Whittlesea
Whittlesea, Victoria
Whittlesea is a town in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea. At the 2006 Census, Whittlesea had a population of 4,563.-History:...
blocking their entry. This was despite assurances from the majority of the VPL
Victorian Premier League
The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League...
clubs prior to the vote that they would vote in support of the entry of the Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights Football Club is a football club representing Melbourne, Australia in the Victorian Premier League . The club is one of the most successful football clubs in Australia, being a two-time championship and four-time premiership winner in the now defunct National Soccer League...
into the league.
The Knights went to the president of the new Football Federation of Australia, Frank Lowy
Frank Lowy
Frank Lowy, AC is an Australian-Israeli businessman. He is a co-founder of the Westfield Group, operator of over 100 shopping centres in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Great Britain...
, for help. The club was told by Lowy that he and his organisation were powerless to do anything the help resolve the issue. As a consequence the club went over 12 months with no football and no source of revenue. This placed the club on the brink of financial ruin, so much so that the club was close to selling its stadium. The 12 month in-action also saw the club lose its entire squad on free transfers, including 3 players that went on to join A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
club Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
(Daniel Piorkowski
Daniel Piorkowski
Daniel Piorkowski is an Australian football player of Polish descent who is currently without a club.-Melbourne Knights:...
, Steve Pantelidis
Steve Pantelidis
Steven Pantelidis is an Australian football player of Greek descent, who currently plays as a central midfielder for Perth Glory in the Australian A-League.- Club career :...
and Adrian Leijer
Adrian Leijer
Adrian Leijer is an Australian football player who currently plays as a centre back for A-League team Melbourne Victory and is also the Captain of the side.-Early years:...
). The club has never been compensated for these losses.
For the 2005 VPL season the club finally resumed its football. The Knights had to re-build a squad, creating a difficult first few seasons in the VPL. 2005 saw mixed results for the club as they finished 9th, at one stage challenging for a finals spot before falling away.
The 2006 season was disastrous. The side started off brilliantly, leading the competition in the early stages. Then the club was hit by crisis after crisis; board interference in player selection, three coaching changes and a player walkout, which nearly saw the club relegated. On a positive note there was the unearthing of an exciting new talent, Mate Dugandžić
Mate Dugandžic
Mate Dugandžić is an Australian football player, who currently plays for Melbourne Heart FC in the Hyundai A-League. He was the first player ever to make a direct switch between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart....
. He made his debut in the senior side at only 16 years of age making an impressive impact.
2007 was the year that saw a turnaround in the fortunes of the Melbourne Knights. Chris Taylor was appointed coach and strong recruiting by the club, including the signing of former NSL stars Steve Iosifidis and Joe Spiteri
Joe Spiteri
Joe Spiteri is an Australian former soccer player who played at both professional and international levels as a striker.-Career:...
, saw the club go into the season with high hopes. Despite this it was a mixed start to the season for the club, only winning 2 of its opening 8 games. Soon after the club made 3 key signings; former Knights NSL player Anthony Pelikan
Anthony Pelikan
Anthony Pelikan is an Australian football player who currently plays for the Melbourne Knights in the Victorian Premier League. He also played in the National Soccer League for 5 seasons with the Melbourne Knights. He spent a season with Dinamo Zagreb but was unable to crack into the senior...
from Oakleigh, 2006 under 21 VPL player of the year Daniel Višević from Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
and up-and-coming player Cameron Watson
Cameron Watson
Cameron Watson is an American actor, screenwriter, and director, best known for playing Bart Fallmont in the TV miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion....
who had spent time at Portugal’s FC Porto. These signings saw the club storm home, winning 7 of its final 9 matches and finishing second on the ladder, a point behind the Preston Lions.
In the finals the club lost to Preston
Preston Lions FC
The Preston Lions Football Club are an Australian football club from Preston, a northern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
, 1-0, in a tightly fought affair with Preston scoring the winner late in the game. The Knights then took on Oakleigh to keep their title hopes alive. The club proved their class with a strong 1-0 win. Finally the Melbourne Knights once more faced off against Preston, this time for a spot in the Grand Final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
against Whittlesea. The club lost 2-1 in a controversial match at Bob Jane Stadium. Anthony Pleikan was sent off just before half time, receiving a second yellow card for simulation. The Knights put on a brave performance in the second half. But a late strike from Preston against the run of play killed the game off despite a consolation goal deep in injury time. Overall it was a successful year for the club, finishing 3rd in what was the clubs highest league finish in well over a decade. Also the club went onto win the under 21 and under 18 Victorian titles.
2008 season saw the club aim high once more. There were a number of changes in the squad, with Mate Dugandzic and Daniel Visevic being signed by Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb, and influential goalkeeper Adrian Cagalj transferring to Oakleigh. Players brought into the club included the return of Andrew Barisic from a year stint in Germany.
A stellar start to the season saw the Knights go on a club record in the state league with a 19 match unbeaten streak, seeing the club lead the league for a large part of the season. But injuries late in the campaign took their toll bringing the unbeaten streak to an end, with the side’s midfield being decimated by the loss of Anthony Pelikan, Ivan Franjic and Cameron Watson, as well as the early season injury of influential captain Tom Milardovic. Eventually the Knights finished second just a point behind Minor Premiers Green Gully.
In the opening game of the finals the Knights took on Green Gully. The match ended 1-1 after extra time with the Knights taking out the match on penalties. Knights then took on the Altona Magic for a spot in the Grand Final. The match at Knights Stadium once more saw the game finish 1-1 and go to penalties. But it was Altona that took it out 4-3. Knights with a second chance at a Grand Final spot took on Heidelberg United, the Knights proved too strong winning 2-1. The Grand Final, the clubs first in 12 years, took place at Bob Jane Stadium in front of 5,500 mostly Knights fans. The club went into the match still missing influential players Franjic and Pelikan, as well as striker Joe Spiteri missing the game due to suspension. It was a game that the Knights dominated, creating many chances but failing to convert them. The match finished 0-0 after 90 minutes and moved into extra match. With the match poised to go to penalties Altona snatched victory with barely a minute left in the match. One piece of consolation came with captain Craig Elvin winning the Jimmy Rooney man of the match award. Also striker Andrew Barisic had a stellar season scoring 19 goals, the most by a Knights player since Mark Viduka in 1994/95.
The 2009 VPL season started with a mass exodus of players, this most notably included Andrew Barisic to new A-League franchise Gold Coast United, as well as veterans Joe Spiteri and Steve Iosifidis dropping to lowers leagues to finish off their careers. A number of new recruits were brought in, with a strong focus on youth, which saw players brought from the reserves into the senior squad and a handful of players from the Melbourne Victory Youth team. The side was strengthened with the signings of a few more experienced players, such as Mate Dugandzic who returned from his stint in Croatia.
The first half of the season was disastrous for the Knights, picking up 11 points from just as many matches as they sat third from bottom. The second half of the season saw a marked improvement from the club, as they came within throwing distance of the top 5 only to fall away late in the season.
The 2010 season will best remembered for activities off the field which saw the monumental return of the Grb to the Melbourne Knights emblem after an absence of almost 15 years, with the club reverting to the emblem proudly worn during its back-to-back NSL championships of the mid 90s. The return to the classic emblem was most fitting as the club celebrated the 15th anniversary of those championships, gathering all of the players from that legendary side (except Josip Simunic
Josip Šimunic
Josip Šimunić is a Croatian footballer who plays as a defender for Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian national team.-Club career:...
who was with the Croatian national team) for a successful gala night and reunion match.
On the field the 2010 VPL season proved to be an unsuccessful one. The year began with a complete clean out of players; only 3 players remained from the 2009 squad. The club had not seen such a clean out since it dropped out of the NSL in 2004. The task of re-building the side fell to former Knights player Ivan Duzel who took over from Chris Taylor as coach. What was implemented was a recruitment policy that saw a diverse range of players brought to the Knights, including imports such as the American-Croat Tomislav Skara, Englishman Kevin Townson
Kevin Townson
Kevin Townson in Liverpool, England, is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for AFC Fylde. He has played for Rochdale and Macclesfield Town in the Football League. Townson won the Bill Fleming Media Player of the Year in the Victorian Premier League in 2010 for the Melbourne...
and Frenchman Jean-Charles Dubois. Also there was the return of club legend Danny Tiatto
Danny Tiatto
Daniele Amadeo "Danny" Tiatto is an Australian professional football player who plays for St Albans Saints in the Victorian Premier League.-Early years:...
, returning to finish off his career at the Knights.
The season itself was marred by inconsistency from the Knights as the club struggled and found itself near the bottom of the table for most of the season. With only 3 matches remaining the club was on the brink of relegation as it sat inside the bottom two. But the Knights ensured their placed in the VPL as it recorded its two most important victories of the season, defeating Bentleigh Greens
Bentleigh Greens
Bentleigh Greens Soccer Club is a football club from Cheltenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club was formed in 1986 by the Greek Cypriot community and currently play in the Victorian Premier League. They spent the years 1996–2005 in the Victorian Premier League,...
2-0 away and a 4-2 victory at home against Northcote City.
After the season the club won a number of individual awards with Kevin Townson awarded the media voted Player of the Year award, while finishing runner-up for the Gold Medal VPL Player of the Year award. Adrian Zahra
Adrian Zahra
Adrian Zahra is an Australian football player who plays for Melbourne Heart in the A-League. He started his senior career with Melbourne Knights in the Victorian Premier League, before signing with the Heart in 2010 – one of many Heart players to come through the Victorian leagues up to the top...
won the Under 21 Player of the Year award, soon after he was signed by A-League club Melbourne Heart.