By Tara Murray
New Whittlesea Ranges coach George Karkaletsis knows he has a tough task ahead of him at the National Premier League 2 west club.
The Ranges are without a win after nine rounds and sit at the bottom of the table with just three points.
Karkaletsis, who took charge recently, comes to the club having previously coached at Brunswick City and Geelong.
He started this season at Geelong, a fellow NPL 2 west side, before the two headed in different directions.
“I’ve seen them a few times this year,” he said of the Ranges. “When I was at Geelong we played against them.
“There’s some really good signs and I’m surprised they haven’t got a win on the board.
“It’s a tough gig … the confidence is down at the moment.”
Karkaletsis, who took two training sessions before the side faced North Geelong Warriors in round nine, said he was thrilled with the way they played in that match despite having to settle for a 0-0 draw.
He said they could quite easily have come away with the win.
“The first task was to keep a clean sheet and we didn’t concede a goal, which was pleasing.
“We worked really hard defensively, which is something we have to work on.
“We had periods of play where we had plenty of the ball as well.
“I think the performance has given us a little bit of confidence, not just as a side but the club as a whole.”
The Easter break couldn’t come at a better time for the Ranges, allowing Karkaletsis to spend some time with the group and work on his game plan.
“We trained Tuesday and Thursday and it was working out tactics … now we will concentrate on instilling in my game plan. We’ve got a couple of weeks to work on that.”
Karkaletsis said they would make some changes during the upcoming transfer period and they were looking to boost the squad with some new signings.
The Whittlesea Ranges played their FFA Cup fixture against Strathmore on Saturday. The Ranges won 2-1.
Karkaletsis said they weren’t taking a full strength side into that match, with the focus on the NPL season.
Hume City is also through to the next round of the FFA Cup beating Mill Park, 1-0.
