Suns impress on paper

July 12 2014

Shepparton News

Goulburn Valley Suns have learnt the hard way that there is no such thing as an easy win in National Premier Leagues Victoria.

However, with a new coach at the helm in David Davkovski, the Suns will hope renewed optimism and a greater sense of togetherness will hold the team in good stead when it travels to JL Murphy Reserve to take on Port Melbourne Sharks today.

The Sharks hover dangerously above the relegation zone where the Suns are entrenched, after managing just one win in their past eight games.

The Suns have an equally paltry record — which includes a 5-0 drubbing against Heidelberg United last week — but Davkovski can’t see any reason why a team with as much talent as his should not be optimistic about its chances.

‘‘I’m licking my lips with the team on paper,’’ Davkovski said.

‘‘We’ve got a lot of flexibility and we’re strong across the board.

‘‘We’ve got strong defenders in (Simon) Colosimo and (Naum) Sekulovski; strong midfielders in (Daniel) Chaabani, (Bryan) Vanega, pace out wide in (Ben) Clarke and quality up top in (Craig) Carley.’’

With the elements of a good side already in place, Davkovski believes team unity is the key to success.

‘‘There’s no point in lying about, the team just has not been galvanised,’’ Davkovski said.

‘‘That’s why, when something bad happens, it breaks down so quickly. Heads drop and we lose focus.

‘‘As a team, it’s important if something goes wrong, we have to keep the team together and not drop the bundle.’’

With survival in the state top flight looking increasingly unlikely, Davkovski said he was not putting too much pressure on the scoreline.

‘‘We need a result, but not necessarily on the scoreboard,’’ Davkovski said.

‘‘As long as we are doing the right things, a loss is acceptable, because we’ve got 10 games now to build going forward.’’

Davkovski said he would not be afraid to use the experience of the likes of Colosimo and Sekulovski to his advantage.

‘‘I’m inexperienced, but I don’t think I’m out of my depth,’’ Davkovski said.

‘‘I’ll use those guys though because they’ve played for Australia and over 100 A-League games, so why wouldn’t I use them?

‘‘I’m not going to pretend I know it all and I know it’s going to be tough.

‘‘The boys know we’re in for a tough slog.’’