Image: 4k Aerial Photography
The Eastern Lions have confirmed the signings of seven new players for the upcoming 2017 NPL2 campaign, including that of two players with prior second tier Championship-winning experience.
One of those is former Avondale defensive midfielder Resit Culculoglu, who returns to NPL football after a one-year hiatus, having last played for Brunswick City in 2015.
Formerly of Pascoe Vale, the talented futsal player helped Vitale Ferrante’s side achieve promotion to the top-flight in 2012 before embarking on a season-long spell with the Spartans in 2013.
He joined Avondale ahead of the implementation of the NPL and immediately helped Anthony Barbieri’s side to a surprise promotion before exiting Doyle Street Reserve in mid-2015.
Joining him in midfield will be Kingston City youngster Kostas Droutsas, who is reunited with his twin brother Chris at Gardiners Creek Reserve this year after a season-long stint at The Grange Reserve.
Having made his senior debut with the Bentleigh Greens in 2014, he made the move to Kingston last year in search of first-team opportunities and featured 17 times in the league, scoring once.
The Droutsas brothers are joined at the Lions by their former Bentleigh Greens 20s captain Marinos Panayi, who is expected to make his long-awaited foray into senior football.
A lifelong Bentleigh junior, he captained Kevin Taylor’s 20s side to Championship glory in 2015 and was an unused substitute in the senior team’s Grand Final triumph over South Melbourne.
Capable of playing either up front or in the heart of defence, the 21-year-old was listed on the Greens’ senior roster last term but did not make a senior appearance for his childhood club.
22-year-old Winger Arif Askari makes the short move down Highbury Road to Burwood from fellow NPL2 side Nunawading, having made his senior breakthrough with City in 2016.
A part of Bulleen’s senior roster in 2015, Askari has prior playing experience with local club Casey Comets as well as spending time in Spain with lower league side Recreativo de Nerja.
Chris Duncan joins the Lions having helped Collingwood City win promotion from State League Four East, while State League Five South Best and Fairest winner Gianni Allebi arrives from White Star Dandenong, for whom he netted eight goals over the course of the 2016 season.
The latter is joined at the club by his former Oakleigh Cannons 20s teammate Andreas Papanicolaou, who made two first-team league appearances for the Cannons last term.
The seven new arrivals are joined at the club by returning duo Matthew Parry and Michael Jones, who return to the Lions first team after lengthy spells on the sidelines, while 20s pair Jacob Lay and Sam Mac have been promoted alongside the re-signings of 11 squad members from 2016.
Skipper Andrew Williams and defensive partner Thomas Falconer are the most notable names, with the experienced duo looking to use their leadership to guide the young side to safety in 2017.
Further re-signings include Nigerian-born scoring sensation Philip Ajao, winger William Ellis, former Box Hill and Richmond fullback Matthew Collier, as well as Chris Droutsas and Daniel Rodrigues.
Midfield engines Yianni Toumanidis and Ryan Losty remain, as do Luke Paoli and Shaun Kenny, with the Lions losing the services of Cameron Neales, Sebastian Barrero, Ziggy Razuki and Robert Havercroft.
Jim Williams’ men open their season with a home encounter against Nunawading City this Sunday afternoon in what promising to be a highly competitive match-up between two sides hoping to beat the drop come the end of the campaign.