Tara Murray
Mill Park has added extra depth as it focuses on improvement in FV state league 2 north-west.
The side was one of the form teams of the competition last season when it ended due to COVID-19 and were full of confidence.
The club has kept the majority of the same squad, with coach Kevin Theuma hoping they can build on that.
“We are going all right, we are a good team,” he said.
“We definitely want to rise up the table and get promoted.
Last season started slow losing the first couple of games before losing one of our last 11 games. It was a really good end of the season.
“We were confident if we continued the season, we would have continued to play well
“Hopefully pick up where we left off, but it’s a new season, new team and new challenge.”
Theuma said it had been an up and down pre-season with COVID-19.
He said that the group was starting to put it together at the right time.
“The last couple of weeks we played Yarraville and beat them. We played Goulburn Valley Suns and lost 4-3, they are a good side.
“We are picking up at the right time of the season.”
The majority of the playing group from last season had returned and they’ve look to strengthen the side.
Theuma said they had added four or five players, but would love to add a couple more.
Dean Jancevski has joined the club from Banyule City, while Chris Ailakis will take over the goalkeeping role.
Joe Coveney and Matty Makinson have come out from the United Kingdom to join the side.
With COVID in the back of their minds, Mill Park will run with a bigger squad than they normally would.
“We would normally run with 20 players in the squad,” Theuma said. “We’ve added a couple of extra players.
“With COVID you might lose two or three players in one go. And they haven’t played a lot of football in the last couple of years, so you could have injuries.”
Mill Park will kick off its season on March 19 against Western Suburbs.
