As the Springvale White Eagles push forward in search of an equaliser in their Round 7 fixture against Box Hill United, there is a feeling that it may be a case of more of the same for the league strugglers.
Another narrow home loss is on the agenda as the clock ticks past the 90th minute mark, before youngster Damir Stoilovic finds himself in the right place at the right time to nod home a late leveller and ensure a share of the spoils between the two sides.
It is the second week in a row that Boyan Mitkov’s side have been rescued in injury time by a teenager to earn their third point of the season from seven games. For Stoilovic, the goal is his fourth of the season, marking an impressive feat for the 18-year-old, who has only played 10 senior league games in his career.
“I’m quite happy how I’ve been playing so far and scoring four goals in seven games from a limited number of chances is a great accomplishment for me,” Stoilovic said.
“The team itself has struggled to score goals but the boys have started to step up and we can see the improvement in front of goals from where we were at in the beginning of the season.”
The two stoppage time equalisers in as many weeks have renewed optimism at White Eagles Stadium that their fortunes are beginning to change, with Stoilovic believing the side’s pursuit of continuous improvement – in addition to support from the backroom staff at the club – will bring out the best in them.
“There has been a big change from the start of the season to now with the quality of training sessions improving and the boys themselves giving 100 per cent commitment,” Stoilovic said.
“We feel that we can pick up more points in the upcoming games and have the full support of the committee since day one.
“That helps as it boosts team confidence given that we know we have their support no matter what the result on the pitch is.”
A striking feature of the White Eagles starting XI is the number of young and inexperienced players on their books, although the in-form attacker points to the positive influence some of the more experienced campaigners have in the dressing room in terms of boosting team morale.
“Inexperience has not been a major problem in our side as we have experienced players such as Jason Ricciuti and Marcus Holmes, who provide the rest of the boys great advice,” he said.
Far from using their collective youthfulness as an excuse for their winless start to the campaign, Stoilovic believes that Springvale have been unlucky on many occasions, with narrow late losses being the story of their season so far.
A point against the Goulburn Valley Suns in the season-opener had seemed secured, only for Craig Carley’s 94th minute strike to steal all three points. A late red card and penalty goal saw them draw 2-2 at home to Brunswick, before a sensational goal from the boot of Sam Burfoot late in the contest saw the Eastern Lions pick up three points against the White Eagles.
A narrow 3-2 home defeat to NPL2 West league leaders Whittlesea Ranges followed, meaning the White Eagles have only picked up two points from a possible 15 at home this season.
“We do not use inexperience as our excuse for losing our matches and have given most teams this season a run for their money, with it not being easy going for them to defeat us,” he said.
“We blame ourselves for not putting away our chances and consistently conceding last minute goals, and we look to improve on that.”
A former Springvale and Monash City junior, Stoilovic featured for the Bentleigh Greens Under-18s two years ago before earning mid-season elevation into the 20s squad under the experienced Frank McGrellis.
At the time, his good friend Luke Gallo was playing in the Greens senior squad, while Stoilovic formed an effective partnership in the 20s with Marcus Dimanche, both of whom have since gone on to progress and currently feature for Melbourne City Youth.
The wide forward is hoping to replicate the achievements of the two as he aims to further continue his progression and perhaps attract the interest of either of the city’s two A-League sides.
“I am proud of the boys who I played with and how far they have progressed, and have myself always aimed to progress into one of the two, but haven’t been given such an opportunity as of yet,” he said.
“All I can do is continue playing well and scoring as I look to improve and you never know what could happen, so I’ll just have to wait and see.”
Following on from his time with the Greens in 2014, Stoilovic joined his former Monash City coach Davide Picone in 2015 as part of the Dandenong Thunder under 20s squad. Goals aplenty and a number of flashy performances throughout the campaign saw the Rowville Academy of Sport Graduate handed his senior debut in a crucial away fixture against Northcote City in late July of last year.
He remains thankful to his former Rowville mentor Stuart Munro for the opportunity he was offered at Thunder, where he played three league games as the club was relegated into the state’s second tier.
“It was a great experience for me to be given a chance in the NPL during one of the more difficult times the club faced,” he said.
“It showed that Stuart had a lot of faith in me and I thank him for giving me such an opportunity because it has made a big impact on my football.
“It wasn’t an easy time for any of the boys at the club as we lost many players but continued to work hard in our attempt not to get relegated, although that didn’t exactly go to plan as we would have liked.”
Following on from the Thunder’s relegation from the top flight, Stoilovic joined fellow Thunder fringe first-team players Joseph Isiah and Alpay Suat in moving to Springvale, where they were reunited with Mitkov, who stepped in to take charge of the Thunder 20s mid-way through the 2015 season.
“After the season ended, we were all approached by Boyan to play for the White Eagles, which has all led up to this, and I thank him for providing me a further chance to showcase my abilities at the senior level,” he said.
In addition to spending his pre-season attempting to make a good impression at his new employers, Stoilovic was a part of Serbia’s winning All Nations Cup squad, where he featured in the same starting XI as star NPL duo Milos Lujic and Goran Zoric.
He played in all six of their games in the lead-up to the final, netting crucial strikes in the semi-final victory over Albania and in the decider against Chile.
He reflected on this experience and what he was able to learn from the pair as he formed an exciting attacking third with them at the annual tournament held at Egan Lee Reserve.
“These two boys have a lot experience and are very known players in the NPL, so being able to play with these two was a great learning curve for me,” he said.
“They gave me a lot of advice on how to improve as a player and looking back on the experience I feel that it has improved as I was able to see first-hand the standards expected of one at a senior level in the NPL.”
The creative forward will be looking to take his form into Springvale’s next fixture as they visit fellow strugglers Nunawading City in a must-win game for the besieged Eagles. Stoilovic will be looking to get himself on the scoresheet once more, stressing the importance of such a game on the future fortunes of the club as they head into the middle stretch of the season.
“I think all the boys know that next week’s game is a very important match and how crucial it is for us to get all three points,” he said.
“A win will lift our standing on the ladder and give us added confidence for the upcoming matches.”
Despite failing to record a victory in their opening seven games of the season, the emergence and form of Stoilovic has been one silver lining for the league strugglers at White Eagles Stadium.