Suns duo offers helpful tips

July 19 2014

Shepparton News

Goulburn Valley Suns duo Bryan Vanega and Ardian Vuniqi will have that little extra incentive to perform when they face Green Gully tonight.

The pair signed during the National Premier Leagues Victoria mid-season transfer window and Suns coach David Davkovski has not been afraid to get the pair’s opinion on Gully’s strengths and weaknesses.

Left-back Vuniqi arrived at Gully at the start of the season after moving from Melbourne Knights, but his Suns teammate Vanega enjoyed a longer stint with the former NSL outfit, having joined the club in 2012 when he moved to Melbourne from Sydney.

‘‘It’s a fixture that’s been pencilled in for a few weeks obviously . . . and I think I’ve only really faced one of my old clubs once before,’’ Vanega said.

‘‘We’re looking for every advantage we can get and I told him where I though their strengths were.

‘‘I have a lot of respect for the boys there and I’m still good mates with them, so I think we need to be respectful, but at the same time still believe in our players’ ability to get the job done.’’

Vuniqi was happy to provide some tactical advice in a bid to get Goulburn Valley back to winning ways.

‘‘They’re not too fast at the back, but there’s a lot of experience, especially with Rodrigo Vargas. His record with Melbourne Victory speaks for itself,’’ Vuniqi said.

‘‘They’ve got really quick wingers though and as a club, they’re very experienced and they’re always a hard club to play against.’’

Both players were positive about their thus-far turbulent period at the Suns.

Peter Zois bought both players to the club from Gully, but has since resigned, being replaced by Davkovski, and good results have been hard to come by in recent weeks.

Vuniqi was delighted with the learning experience being offered at the club, however, and said he was fortunate to be working alongside A-League veterans Naum Sekulovski and former Socceroo Simon Colosimo.

‘‘You listen to what they say and you watch them on the pitch and you take on what you can,’’ he said.

‘‘Naum and Simon are top guys. They’re always on time and they always dedicate their time and offer you their constructive criticism so as far as my learning goes I’m really enjoying it here.’’

Vanega was similarly optimistic about his stint so far and said he saw some real potential for the club in the Goulburn Valley.

‘‘There’s real potential for a great club. It’s a shame it hasn’t all come together straight away, but in saying that building a club is always a long-term project,’’ Vanega said.

‘‘But the ingredients are here. There’s passion, good local players and I’m happy to be here and contribute what I can for the rest of season and depending on what happens maybe even beyond.’’