Springvale White Eagles FC

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Springvale White Eagles
Springvale White Eagles emblem
Full nameSpringvale White Eagles Football Club
Nickname(s)Beli Orlovi, Eagles
Founded1975
GroundSerbian Sports Centre
Capacity5000 (400 Seated)
ChairmanDalibor Saula
ManagerArtour Kirichian
LeagueNPL Victoria 3
2021Cancelled due to COVID-19
WebsiteClub website
Away colours
Third colours

Springvale White Eagles Football Club is a semi-professional Australian soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria currently playing in the NPL Victoria 3. Founded by Serbian Australians, they play at the Serbian Sports Centre in Keysborough, Victoria.

They were founded in 1975 and were in the Victorian Premier League from 1997 to 1999, 2007 and 2011.[1]

History[]

Springvale White Eagles Club was formed in 1975 as Springvale United,[2] and have been known by their current name since 1995.

In 2002 White Eagles got into the State League Cup Final, losing 4–2 to Westvale.

In June 2007, the coach Leon Gardikiotis resigned less than a month after replacing from Zoran Trajceski.[3] The club president Zoran Stojanovic also resigned. In 2008, Springvale White Eagles appointed former Frankston Pines coach Stan Webster, who experienced little success at the club.

The club was promoted to the Victorian Premier League in 2010, but suffered relegation in their first season in the top flight in the following year.[4]

In 2012 Springvale were relegated from State League 1, having finished bottom of the league with just 1 win in 22 league games. −[5] They took out the State League 2 South-East title the following season, pipping Dandenong City SC by one point.[6]

National Premier Leagues Victoria (2014–present)[]

The club entered the National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 division for the 2014 season, the new second tier of soccer in Victoria. The club finished the season in 12th place in the 14 team league, just avoiding the relegation playoffs.[7]

In 2015, the NPL 2 was split into an East and West division with the White Eagles competing in the East division, finishing in nineteenth place overall in the NPL1 league system.[8] Late in October 2015, head manager Zlatko Mihajlović resigned from his position.[9] Shortly after, Mihajlović was replaced by Boyan Mitkov as the new senior head coach.[10] Springvale then lost key player Šimo Jovanović to Kingston City. Jovanović had spent his entire career with the White Eagles, progressing through the youth system to eventually become the club's captain.[11] On 12 April 2016, it was announced that Mitkov and his assistant Gus Caminos (who were winless in their first seven league games in the NPL2 season) had resigned from their positions, with former White Eagles player Nik Kovacevic announced as the replacement.[12] Springvale subsequently finished the season in 6th place in the NPL2 East, its second best-ever finish in the NPL2 competition.[13] In November 2016, head coach Kovacevic departed the club to return to Pascoe Vale as a senior assistant coach.[14]

Springvale White Eagles appointed former Altona Magic coach Vlado Tortevski as their new manager for the 2017 NPL2 season.[15] Despite winning three of their opening four NPL2 league games, Tortevski's side then won just one of the following ten, leading to the departure of the head coach in May 2017.[16] The White Eagles finished the season in 7th place.[17]

For the 2018 season, Springvale reappointed former club coach Nik Kovacevic to lead the team, and had a total of 7 key signings in the off-season. This included the experienced central defensive partnership of Pavle Durkic (formerly at Whittlesea Ranges FC) and Milos Tošić (formerly at West Adelaide SC). Also adding to the squad were Andy Kecojević, Marcus Dimanche, Delarno Pharoe, Slaven Vranešević and Englishmen Luke Barrow. With the mid-season loss of Captain Dejan Erakovic the Eagles brought in other key signings to its squad, including Bonel Obradović, Nemanja Lojanica and Nenad Nikolic. The Eagles finished the 2018 campaign in fourth place in the NPL2 East, its best finish since the inception of the NPL in 2014.

In 2019 the club finished in last place, with just four wins in 28 games, and were relegated to NPL3 for the 2020 season.[18] Head coach Nebojsa Vukosavljevic resigned after the club's relegation, with Springvale appointing former Socceroo John Markovski for the 2020 NPL3 campaign.

Achievements[]

League

Division Champions Runners Up
VIC State League 1st Division (x2) 1996, 2010 (x1) 2006
VIC State League 2nd Division SE (x1) 2005
VIC State League 2nd Division (x1) 1995
VIC State League 3rd Division (x1) 1992
VIC Metropolitan League Division 4 (x1) 1984
VIC Buffalo Provisional League Division 3 (x1) 1983
VIC Provisional League Division 4 (x1) 1982
VIC District League Division 3 (x1) 1981

Cup

Cup Champions Runners Up
Victorian State League Cup  – (x1) 2002
Karadjordje Cup (x5) 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2019 (x2) 2000, 2006,

Victorian Premier League[]

  • Highest finish: 6th in 1997
  • Season Appearances: 5 Seasons
  • Greatest home win: 8–2 against Melton Reds in 1997
  • Greatest away win: 6–0 against Westvale in 1999

Notable current and former international players[]

Individual awards[]

Bill Fleming Medal – Media voted VPL Player of the Year

  • 1999 –

Club Top Goal Scorers[]

  • 2021 - Andrija Kecojevic - 5
  • 2020 - Cancelled due to COVID-19
  • 2019 - Taban Makoii - 7
  • 2018 - Damir Stoilovic - 9
  • 2017 - Damir Stoilovic - 10
  • 2016 - Damir Stoilovic - 16
  • 2015 – Hernan de Rito – 6
  • 2014 – Vojislav Milojević – 11
  • 2013 – Stephane Leblond – 15
  • 2012 – Philip Ajao – 5
  • 2011 – Goran Zoric – 8
  • 2010 – Nenad Pavasovic – 8
  • 2009 – Zoran Vukas – 6
  • 2008 – Grujo Mrdić – 7
  • 2007 – Goran Zorić – 5
  • 2006 – Nikolaos Papadopoulos – 11
  • 2005 – Sastre Teyedor Juan – 11
  • 2004 – Zlatko Mihajlović – 9
  • 2003 – Ricky Diaco – 12
  • 2002 – Eric Styczen – 9
  • 2001 – Nebojsa Kozlica – 6
  • 2000 – Eric Styczen – 6
  • 1999 – Zlatko Mihajlović – 10
  • 1998 – Sasha Nikolić �� 4
  • 1997 – Danny Gnjidić – 14
  • 1996 – Zlatko Mihajlović – 16
  • 1995 – Micheal Michalakopoulos – 14
  • 1994 – Zlatko Mihajlović – 7
  • 1993 – Zlatko Mihaljović – 11
  • 1992 – Zlatko Mihaljović – 12
  • 1991 – Ian Kerezovic – 9

Rivalries[]

Dandenong Thunder[]

The teams both situated 6 km apart, the rivalry between the clubs is immense.

On 11 February 2017 The White Eagles hosted The Thunder in the Second Round of the 2017 National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 competition. In front of a healthy contingent of local fans, the White Eagles got off to a perfect start early in the second half with new signing Cody Martindale gaining the lead for the Eagles. With a fiery clash on and off the field referee Alessandro Arbizzani was not holding back on the cautions. With Springvale leading the contest 1–0 in the 60th minute, a brawl erupted in the stands which escalated, forcing the referee to halt proceedings for approximately 10 minutes. In the final stages of the game the Eagles capitalised on a counterattack with goal scorer Tapiwanashe Munyanyiwa finishing a great move by the Eagles. Late in the game there was drama, with Springvale Player Nebojsa Pejić putting one in his own net bringing back the game to 2–1. The Eagles hung on for a vital three points, winning its first two games off the 2017 season under Vlado Tortevski. They later faced Dandenong at George Andrews Reserve in Round 17 losing 4–0.

Melbourne Knights[]

The teams were both in the Victorian Premier League in the and 2011 seasons.

St Albans Saints[]

These 2 clubs first met in the Victorian Premier league on 22 March 1997. The game was played in the Serbian Sports Centre where White Eagles recorded a 3–1 win. In that match, St Albans took the lead in the 43 minutes with a goal by Idriz Peja. White Eagles Jim Gacovski levelled the score in the 83rd minute. Anthony Burlak scored in the 89th minute and Nick Kovacevic in the 90th minute to give White Eagles a memorable 3–1 victory.

In Round 12 on 12 May 2019 in the NPL 2 season the eagles travelled to Churchill Reserve & took all three points back to White Eagles Stadium in a thrilling 2–1 win with goals to Taban Makoii from the penalty spot (19th minute) and Gerry Kavadas (21st minute). A win for the Eagles after a long unsuccessful period at Churchill Reserve in over 7 years.

Stadium[]

White Eagles play at the Serbian Sports Centre (Srpski Sportski Centar).

  • Serbian sports centre.jpg

Current squad[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Australia AUS George Tzamouranis
2 DF Australia AUS Steven Jansz
3 DF Australia AUS Nenad Nikolić
4 DF Australia AUS Slaviša Šarić
5 MF Australia AUS Dion Paola
6 DF Australia AUS Adrian Sekulovski
7 MF Australia AUS Brady Quinn
9 FW Australia AUS Masee Namdar
10 FW Australia AUS Mathul Kuei
11 FW Australia AUS Marko Stanisavljević
12 GK Australia AUS Steven Hadjikakou
13 MF Australia AUS Harout Kirichian
14 DF Australia AUS Steven Tonios
17 DF Australia AUS Slavko Grujić
18 DF Australia AUS Ethan Rosemond
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 FW Australia AUS Godwill Benjamin
20 FW Australia AUS Joseph Manual
23 MF Australia AUS Andrija Kecojević (Captain)
97 FW Australia AUS Alex Kubenko
99 MF Australia AUS Stefan Karac
— FW Australia AUS Milos Lujić
— FW Australia AUS Dylan Tate
— MF Australia AUS Michael Nobbs
— DF Australia AUS Nemanja Lojanica
— FW Australia AUS Daniel Eksiyan
— DF Australia AUS Thomas Podaridis

Squad correct at 22nd November 2021.

Competition timeline[]

Season League Top scorer Dockerty Cup
Division Pld W D L GF GA +/- Pts Position Player(s) Goals
26 20 1 5 75 23 52 43 2nd
26 23 2 1 95 21 74 48 1st Runner up
26 16 5 5 61 34 27 37 2nd
26 14 5 7 54 37 17 33 5th
26 10 4 12 59 51 8 24 9th
24 11 4 9 40 45 −5 26 4th
26 14 3 9 62 40 22 31 6th
26 6 8 12 31 66 −25 20 11th
26 7 4 15 28 58 −30 18 12th
26 7 8 11 25 36 −11 31 11th Ian Kerezovic 9
28 19 0 0 67 23 44 47 1st Zlatko Mihaljović 12
26 16 5 5 47 17 30 37 3rd Zlatko Mihaljović 11
26 11 7 8 41 32 9 29 5th Zlatko Mihaljović 7
26 18 5 3 56 29 27 59 1st Micheal Michalakopoulos 14
26 17 4 5 56 27 29 55 1st Zlatko Mihaljović 16
VPL 26 11 8 7 43 37 6 41 6th Danny Gnjidić 14
VPL 26 8 6 12 27 42 −15 30 11th Sasha Nikolić 4
VPL 26 8 6 12 37 40 −3 30 11th Zlatko Mihaljović 10
22 6 4 12 26 36 −10 22 9th Eric Styczen 6
22 8 6 8 27 37 −10 30 8th Nebojsa Kozlica 6
22 5 5 12 34 57 −23 20 11th Eric Styczen 9 Runner up
22 10 4 8 34 32 2 34 5th Ricky Diaco 12
22 4 8 10 25 45 −20 20 10th Zlatko Mihaljović 9
SL2 22 14 4 4 50 25 25 46 1st Sastre Teyedor Juan 11
SL1 22 11 6 5 30 22 8 39 2nd Nikolaos Papadopoulos 11
VPL 26 1 2 23 17 77 −60 5 16th Goran Zorić 5 No cup
2008 SL1 22 5 6 11 25 38 −13 21 9th Grujo Mrdić 7
2009 SL1 22 4 5 13 31 41 −10 17 10th Zoran Vukas 6
2010 SL1 22 12 3 7 45 34 11 39 2nd Nenad Pavasovic 8
2011 VPL 24 3 6 15 24 62 38 15 11th Goran Zoric 8 Quarter final
2012 SL1 22 1 5 16 19 69 −49 8 12th Philip Ajao 5 Zone final
2013 SL2 22 13 5 4 33 24 9 44 1st Stephane Leblond 14 4th round
2014 NPL 2 26 7 3 16 44 63 19 24 12th Vojislav Milojević 11 6th round
2015 NPL 2 28 4 5 19 24 54 30 17 9th Hernan de Rito 6 5th round
2016 NPL 2 28 12 4 12 52 43 +9 40 6th Damir Stoilovic 16 4th round
2017 NPL 2 28 10 4 14 44 58 14 32 7th Damir Stoilovic 10 4th round
2018 NPL 2 28 11 6 11 41 47 6 39 4th Damir Stoilovic 9 4th round
2019 NPL 2 28 4 7 17 26 70 −44 19 10th Taban Makoii 7 2nd round
2020 NPL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia
2021 NPL 3 14 2 3 9 19 37 −18 9 Cancelled Andrija Kecojevic 5 Cancelled

Managerial history[]

  • Scotland Gus MacLeod (1987–1996)
  • Serbia Dušan Kalezić (1997–1998)
  • Scotland John Gardiner (1998)
  • Serbia Miloš Nasić (1999)
  • Australia Bobby McLaughlin (1999)
  • North Macedonia Zoran Trajčevski (2006–2007)
  • Serbia Vlado Zorić (2007)
  • Greece/Australia Leon Gardikiotis (2007)
  • Australia James Sid (2007)
  • England Stan Webster (2008)
  • Serbia/Australia Zlatko Mihajlović (2008–2011)
  • Serbia/Australia Bojo Jevdjevic (2012)
  • Serbia/Australia Zlatko Mihajlović (2013–2015)
  • North Macedonia/Australia Boyan Mitkov (2015–2016)
  • Serbia/Australia Nik Kovačević (2016)
  • North Macedonia/Australia Vlado Tortevski (2017)
  • Serbia/Australia Nik Kovačević (2018–2019)
  • Serbia/Australia Nebojša Vukosavljević (2019)
  • North Macedonia/Australia John Markovski (2020)
  • Australia Artour Kirichian (2021–)

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Springvale White Eagles Divisional History". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  2. ^ https://digitised-collections.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/54914/UDS2013221-14-0127-wm.jpg?sequence=125&isAllowed=y
  3. ^ "Springvale coach Gardikiotis resigns". www.heraldsun.com.au/. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  4. ^ "2011 Victorian Premier League – Final Table". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Ladder for Men's State League Div 1 – FOX SPORTS PULSE". foxsportspulse.com. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Ladder for Men's State League 2 South-East – FOX SPORTS PULSE". foxsportspulse.com. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Summary – Victoria Division One – Australia – Results, fixtures, tables and news – Soccerway". au.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  8. ^ "Summary – Victoria Division One – Australia – Results, fixtures, tables and news – Soccerway". au.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  9. ^ "Mihajlovic departs White Eagles – The Corner Flag". cornerflag.com.au. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  10. ^ "White Eagles add Mitkov, Caminos to coaching structure – The Corner Flag". cornerflag.com.au. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  11. ^ Kulas, Damir. "Jovanovic departs childhood club for Kingston". The Corner Flag. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Mitkov and Caminos depart White Eagles, Kovacevic joins". The Corner Flag. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Summary - State Leagues - Australia - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway".
  14. ^ "Kovacevic departs White Eagles, takes up Paco role". The Corner Flag. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  15. ^ Kulas, Damir. "White Eagles appoint former Altona championship winner Tortevski". The Corner Flag. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  16. ^ Kulas, Damir. "Tortevski and White Eagles part ways". The Corner Flag. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  17. ^ "Ladder for PS4 NPL2 East VIC Men". SportsTG. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  18. ^ "Ladder for NPL2 East VIC Men". SportsTG. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
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