A new coach and the injection of new players has given Hume United a much-needed boost in FFV State League 2 north-west.
The coach was sacked after six consecutive losses and Tolga Cetin was appointed to the job last month.
A new committee was put in place, the club added a couple of extra players and now it’s a new-look team.
Cetin said the past month had been strange, complicated and exciting.
“I got a whole new team … everyone is brand new,” he said.
“There’s unbelievable talent in the side and they just have to get used to all playing together.
“They’re doing really well for a team that didn’t have a pre-season.”
Cetin said the change of line-up started with the promotion of some players from the reserves.
“I looked at our under-21s and spotted three or four players who should have been with our senior squad,” he said.
“We gave them a chance to perform and that helped attract other players to the club.
“Their friends wanted to come and play. They’re an unbelievably talented, skilful young bunch.”
Cetin said results hadn’t shown the full story in the past month.
United beat Heidelberg Stars 2-0 on Saturday but has been unlucky in a few other matches.
“We’re not entirely out of the relegation zone,” Cetin said.
“Once we get confidence we can move completely out of the zone and sit in the middle of the table.”
Cetin said the club had set plans for the next few years.
“We have a large supporter base but it started to fall off,” he said. “Now they’re slowly coming back and we want to build on that.
“Our plan is to avoid relegation and to playing for the championship next season. Gaining promotion will make things easier for the club.”
In the same division, Sporting Whittlesea had a 3-0 win against Melbourne University to retain second spot on the ladder.
In state league 3 north-west, Upfield lost Hoppers Crossing 2-1, while Lalor United lost 1-0 to Altona City.
Whittlesea United drew 2-2 with Darebin United.
In state league 4 north, Plenty Valley Lions’ game was called off because of a heavy pitch, while Epping City had an 8-0 win over Meadow Park.
