Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Coach: Andrew Marth
Pre-season: LLD (Green Gully 0-1, Sydney United 0-5, Pascoe Vale 0-0)
Victorian Croatian Cup Final: 1-3 defeat to North Geelong Warriors
Upcoming: Community Shield vs South Melbourne (13th Feb)
2014 Finish: 5th It was a fantastic finish to a campaign that threatened to turn ugly mid-season when the Knights languished at second last on the ladder with a number of long-term injuries to key players, forcing the club to turn to many of their up-and-coming youth stars. The Knights then enjoyed a mid-season resurgence, climbing all the way up to fifth place on the table, winning five of their last seven games, qualifying for the inaugural FFA Cup Round of 32, and winning the Dockerty Cup by beating South Springvale 1-0 in the final.
[youtube id=”-2N8LXJgPHA” width=”620″ height=”360″]
New Signings: Melbourne welcome back prolific goalscorer Andrew Barisic, who returns for his fourth spell with the club after spending the last two years in Hong Kong and India (where he featured in the Indian Super League). Exciting 21-year-old box-to-box midfielder Alex Dao signs on board from Bulleen Lions, after previously spending time at Melbourne Heart’s youth team. Left back Cameron Tew arrives at Somers Street from Brisbane City – joining a number of other Queenslanders in the league – while the club also announced the signing of former junior Joshua Brekalo, who is adept in midfield.
They replace the departed Daniel Visevic, who will turn out for Bentleigh Greens in 2015, while some of their young stars – Jordan O’Doherty and Anthony Duzel – are headed off to A-League youth teams.
Players to Watch: 21-year-old mid-season signing Stipo Andrijasevic was a revelation last season and played a big part in their late resurgence up the table. Expect him to again combine with playmaker Marijan Cvitkovic – a former FFV Gold Medalist – and Barisic, who rounds out a potent attacking third for the Knights.
At the back, the likes of captain Ben Surey, veteran Milan Batur and fan favourite Tomislav Uskok are all solid defensive units. The club also welcomes back goalkeeper Chris May from suspension, with the shot stopper possessing one of the safest pairs of gloves in the league.
What to expect in 2015: The Knights can take heart from their late season heroics and once again consolidate a top-half finish. They may not be expected to overcome the likes of South Melbourne, Bentleigh and Oakleigh over the course of the regular season, but Andrew Marth’s men can certainly beat any side on their day, and the re-implementation of finals football provides a great opportunity for them to shake things up should they be there or thereabouts on the ladder come the end of this campaign. Don’t write them off.