South Coast United

For a team with such a large support base in the Illawarra, it is surprising that South Coast United are not a dead cert for the play off positions each season. In 2015, their inconsistency let them down, though they also had a lot of injuries to deal with, severely weakening their squad. United had fine wins against three of the teams that finished in the top five spots, but they also suffered heavy defeats, conceding twelve goals in the two matches against ladder leaders Fury.

It is up to new head coach Steve Honey to try and pull together a new-look squad so that United can push for a play-off place.

Players to watch

Two of the pre-season Football South Coast All Stars line up came from South Coast United. Denis Stojic will always be a mainstay of United’s defensive line, and Tommy Skara can intimidate defences with his forward moves from the back of midfield. Giovanni Leuzzi is an excellent signing from Grand Final winners Wollongong United and may well shore up the United attacking midfield. And keep an eye on teenager Oliver Carrasco who has been making his way through the junior ranks at the Wollongong Wolves for the last few seasons and could bring new vitality to United’s line up. They have also brought in Franc Pierro from Corrimal. His experience in the midfield with will crucial as he tries to link up with Dinko Terzic who looks to be their target man.

Season expectation

It’s hard to see where the drive for a Finals slot will come from at South Coast United at the moment. They will surely not have the same level of injuries as they suffered in 2015, but they were well below fifth placed Port Kembla by the end of last season. And it’s at both ends of the pitch that things need to tighten up if they are to once again challenge for the Finals. 31 goals in 22 matches in 2015 was simply not enough, especially when the defence is letting in two goals a game at the other end. My prediction for 2016: fewer heavy defeats, so an improved goal difference, but missing out once again on the Finals, ending with a mid-table berth.

By Simon Duffin