It’s fair to say 2016 wasn’t a memorable year for Northcote City or Zeljko Kuzman alike.
A Herculean club in Victorian football renowned for launching the careers of numerous professional footballers, Northcote suffered relegation from the top flight just three seasons after claiming the state’s highest honour, returning to the second tier for the first time since 2009.
A season that started on the back foot never reached great heights, blighted by excessive player and coach turnover mid-season. On the outside looking in, it seemed tumultuous and a fall from grace for one of Victoria’s most revered clubs.
Likewise Kuzman, having enjoyed promotion in 2015 with Richmond as an assistant, embarked on a head-coaching role with the ambitious St Albans, a club where he had previously coached the 20s.
A heavy recruitment drive yielded mixed results in a cluttered NPL2 West conference, and while St Albans were still in the promotion and title race, Kuzman wouldn’t see out the season, departing alongside assistants Steve Bebic and Theo Mihailidis, citing “irreconcilable differences” with the club which ended up being promoted with Kruni Razov at the helm.
Whatever the catalyst, he was the sixth coaching casualty in five years at Fox Street before moving to the top tier as Eric Vassiliadis’ assistant at Port Melbourne.
Vassiliadis departed at the end of 2016 and with Dom Barba appointed his successor, Kuzman made the switch to Northcote, replacing the outgoing favourite son Goran Lozanovski, who himself embarked on a State League One journey with Altona Magic.
Joining a wounded beast in the NPL2 can yield various results – some swim while others sink further.
But Kuzman – reunited with Bebic and Mihailidis – and Northcote both had a point to prove and the appointment has been a perfect marriage thus far, claiming 28 of 33 league points on offer after 11 rounds, the most recent one against East joint-leaders Dandenong City.
“It was a patient, polished, disciplined performance. We got the balance right tonight. We looked really good when we didn’t have the ball and made the most of the opportunities that we had.”
A hallmark of Northcote’s season has been its ability to secure points against teams high on the ladder in both conferences, having seen off the likes of Dandenong City, Whittlesea Ranges, Melbourne Victory and Brunswick City, and drawing against the Zebras, with defeat to Thunder the only blip on the radar.
But while bouncing back at the first time of asking is well and truly on the cards for the team sitting eight points in front, the 41-year-old holds no long-term outlook in regards to promotion.
“We focus week to week – it’s a cliché. We’re fussy about standards and comfort is a standard killer – something we don’t want to get into. We don’t think about the end prize, we think about standards that we set. Competition is rife,” he said.
“There is the belief we can compete against any team in the competition but it’s a long season and anything can happen. We’re happy with our start. Momentum is important and we have built some momentum and the belief and confidence is there.”
The temptation is also there to analyse the difference in Kuzman’s start to life at Churchill Reserve in 2016 with his current one at John Cain Memorial Reserve and the factors at play at both clubs.
Hesitant to compare his successive tenures in senior coaching, Kuzman does however credit his current playing squad – many of whom such as captain Josh Knight, Peter Sawan and Alec Goodwin he has worked with at previously clubs – for buying into the philosophy his coaching staff and the club are trying to implement, including rigorous standards in training and on match day.
“Having full control of who we’ve been able to select to play the brand we want to play [has been key].
“From the relegated team we retained four and had to bring in 16 – a lot of that was forced but some was unforced. I’ve been to a few clubs and built relationships with players but you get to a point where it’s also about attracting players to the brand you want to play and the quality of training.
“It’s good to have a good group of boys in the dressing room – we have a no dickheads policy and it’s worked so far.
“At the moment we’re pretty blessed with having a full healthy squad and it’s difficult to pick an XI. There’s plenty of internal pressure on our performances that helps what we do, but I’m pretty happy with we’re at and the squad is pretty settled and the balance is right and hopefully it continues.
“We like to be as professional as we can in this environment. To raise the bar you’ve got to do more than your opposition and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
The formula for Northcote City now is simple. Maintain the form that’s propelled it to the top of the table and an NPL2 West title alongside promotion will be the end result. It’s easier said than done, but a situation that’s the envy of many clubs at the moment, one that Kuzman hopes will long endure.