Two of Victorian football’s evergreen stalwarts have departed the NPL, with Isyan Erdogan and Daniel Vasilevski signing for Geelong SC and Altona Magic respectively.
33-year-old Erdogan departs Hume City after seven seasons with the club, having made 152 league appearances and scoring four goals – providing vital experience for the side during their FFA Cup run last season – with suspension ultimately ruling him out of their semi-final loss to the Melbourne Victory.
After making his senior debut as a teenager with Carlton in the NSL, the versatile defender spent the final two seasons of the NSL at the Melbourne Knights.
Spells with the Whittlesea Stallions, Heidelberg United and Sunshine George Cross followed, before a Grand Final triumph with the Preston Lions in 2007 catapulted him into the A-League limelight.
Two years across the border with Adelaide United saw Erdogan make 13 appearances as well as being part of Aurelio Vidmar’s 2008 Asian Champions League and Club World Cup squads.
A return to Melbourne in February 2009 saw him make the move to ABD Stadium where he established himself as an integral member of the dressing room under Managers Goran Lozanovski, Andrew Vlahos and most recently Louie Acevski.
His move to Geelong SC makes him the latest big name to join the State League 2 outfit with the likes of Stuart Webster (St Albans Saints), Sean McIlroy (Kingston City), Brodie Patterson (Dandenong Thunder), Tom Matthews (ex-Bentleigh Greens), Ross Harvey (St Albans Saints) and Dusko Delic (ex-Hume City) joining manager Steve Laurie and his assistant Toby Patterson at Station Street in 2016.
Erdogan’s former Carlton and Melbourne Knights teammate Daniel Vasilevski meanwhile has departed Heidelberg United and agreed terms with Altona Magic in State League 1.
A Magic junior, Vasilevski was an AIS Graduate in 1999 before making his NSL debut with Carlton and then established himself at Somers Street with the Knights in the final three seasons of the competition.
A member of the Young Socceroos 2001 World Cup squad, Vasilevski signed for the Perth Glory in the inaugural season of the A-League but departed the club at season’s end without making a league appearance.
A return to Paisley Park Soccer Complex followed where the right-sided versatility impressed in Altona’s run to the 2006 VPL Grand Final, where they were beaten by 1-0 by South Melbourne.
His form at the Magic saw him attract the interest of Ernie Merrick ahead of the 2007/08 A-League season, as Vasilevski was duly rewarded with a two-year contract at the then defending A-League Champions.
Two seasons at Etihad Stadium saw him win an A-League championship with Victory in season four, making 12 appearances before being released in 2009 and spending some time with the Newcastle Jets on a short-term contract.
A return to the VPL in 2010 saw Vasilevski sign for South Melbourne where he spent the next two seasons of his career before signing for the Moreland Zebras in 2012.
Upon the Zebras’ relegation from the top flight, the vastly experienced midfielder joined fellow relegation casualty Heidelberg United in 2013, helping George Katsakis’ men win promotion back to the first division at the first-time of asking.
Despite injuries limiting his game time over the last two years, Vasilevski was still able to showcase off his quality for the Bergers which included an opening day double in a 3-0 rout over Pascoe Vale last season.
The 34-year-old now returns to his old stomping ground as the 2008 and 2009 VPL Champions look to better their third place finish of 2015, with former Goulburn Valley Suns and Oakleigh Cannons forward Ben Clarke being another familiar name joining Vlado Tortevski’s men in 2016.
Images: Matt Johnson