www.goalweekly.com $3 INSIDE THIS WEEK... DON’T GET ANGRY. JOHHNY A BOMBSHELL FOOTBALL FEATURE ON DON’T GET EVEN. COLIN QUIRK Season 4: Issue 9 Monday 14th April 2008 FOOTBALL FOCUS ON AIS STAR KOFI DANNING Supporting all colours and reporting in black and white BRIGHT KNIGHTS JUST GET GOAL! WEEKLY AHEAD! SOUTH LEFT FEELING BLUE Photo: Daniel Flis EVERY MONDAY. PLUS► ALL THE LATEST FOXTEL CUP & WPL, STATE LEAGUE & AVAILABLE FROM GOOD PROVI LEAGUE ACTION & HEAPS MORE! NEWSAGENTS ACROSS VICTORIA. PO Box 142 Port Melbourne 3207 p (03) 9645 1440 e [email protected] www.goalweekly.com Goal! Weekly FOOTBALL FEATURE 27 Colin Quirk NOTHING QUIRKY ABOUT COLIN Evertonian’s star already shining at Southern A couple of months ago Colin Quirk. Quirk was dreaming of captain- The other connection between Quirk ing Welsh club Gap Queen’s Park and the Morreys is also football- in the UEFA Cup next season but related. They are mad Evertonians now he dreams of signing a con- (most Liverpool fans would call tract with a Hyundai A-League that a tautology – if they knew what club. a tautology was!), which makes it That’s the dramatic twist that has strange that as a youngster Quirk taken place in the 22-year-old’s joined Liverpool. career but many good judges rate the “I had the choice of (joining) both. Liverpool-born midfi elder as a class I don’t know what made me go to act. None more so than his coach Liverpool but I was only seven at at Southern Stars, Dean Hennessy, the time. Maybe I just enjoyed it who has a history of bringing quality more there.” players to Victorian football. He was released by the Anfi eld giant “I’ve brought out James Robinson, just before youth scholarships were Andy Ross (ex-Chelsea youth, now due to be given out and later went to at Southern Stars), Graham Hockless Liverpool Community College and (Heidelberg), Steve Burton (Green trialled with his beloved Everton as Gully) and Stuart McCluskey (Rich- a 17-year-old. He played against the mond) among others and I think that Bolton and Blackpool youth teams Colin is a tremendous talent,” said but wasn’t offered terms. Hennessy. While at Liverpool Community “We played Oakleigh in a friendly College, Quirk’s path crossed that of the other night and I thought his Brian McGorry’s, a former Cardiff, performance was right up there with Bournemouth, Peterborough and the best of them. Look, I don’t want Chester midfi elder who was then to single him out at the expense of both coaching and teaching. McGor- other players in our squad who were ry was one of two coaches that made terrifi c, albeit in a friendly, but I a big impact on Quirk. thought Colin was outstanding the “He really helped me to develop as whole night.” a player,” said Quirk. “Roger Preece Thierry Boi for the fi rst game (a himself to Southern Stars this season It’s been a no-frills start to Quirk’s (Gap Queen’s Park) is another coach 1–1 draw away to Langwarrin) and it would be no surprise to see Pre- antipodean experience. He arrived that stands out. The big thing back they’re quality. mier League clubs show interest on a Thursday in March and two home was playing the percent- “When we played Oakleigh in a in him well before Round 22. He’s days later played, or tried to play, for ages and it was the way that Roger friendly all the lads had been tell- quietly confi dent in his own ability. Southern Stars in Eastern Lions’ an- drummed it into you that was great.” ing me about Thierry. They were He’s ambitious too. nual tournament at Gardiner’s Creek Quirk sees major differences be- saying just wait until he’s right and “I know that it’s a long way off right Reserve. tween our football style and what he you’ll see what he’s like and I saw it now but I’m hoping to step up to It was 40 degrees Celsius in the is used to and he has respect for the against Oakleigh. He just glided past the Premier League here and maybe shade so coach Hennessy took standard out here. players and made it look so easy.” even the A-League.” pity on him and started him on the “I didn’t really know what to ex- Quirk is learning all the time about But fi rst things fi rst. There’s promo- bench. That’s where Quirk wished pect when I arrived in Melbourne. his team. He learned against Lang- tion to be won, maybe even a cham- he’d stayed that day. I was used to defenders playing the warrin that Southern Stars can stand pionship in the offi ng and while it’s “I don’t remember much about com- ball long and my job was to battle up to a tough and disciplined physi- early days yet, Southern Stars have ing off the bench but I remember for seconds but here they pay much cal challenge. He also learned that shown enough to suggest that Quirk making a couple of runs and not more attention to the ball. there’s a strength of character in and his teammates will be vying for being able to catch my breath. I was “The standard’s not bad really. the side having played the last 35 honours at the business end of this knackered.” Everyone seems comfortable on the minutes of that match with 10 men season. But it was an invaluable experience. ball and the fi tness levels are good.” and coming back from 1–0 down to An ironic one too as at that tourna- And although he admits to bouts snatch a thoroughly-deserved point. FOOTNOTE: We acknowledge ment Quirk met the Morrey broth- of homesickness (“You think about “Dean put a test to us before the www.gapqueensparkfc.com for ers, Bill and Robert, and was able to what you’re missing out on back Langwarrin game to see whether we some of the above content. Gap recall his time playing against their home”) Southern Stars has done its could stand the physical challenge Queens Park FC is owned by gap famous nephew, Wayne Rooney. best to look after its visa import. and we proved that we were up to it. personnel, a Welsh-founded re- “I was playing in midfi eld in the “The club’s really treated me well “I didn’t know much about Lang- cruitment agency. Last month Gap Liverpool Sunday League for a side and Dean’s looked after me. It was warrin and what the expectations Queen’s Park’s Welsh FA Cup run called Stanstone FC, and after be- through a friend of Dean’s that I were for our season so I asked Dean (which could have earned the Cym- ing spotted, I went to the Liverpool got a job as a driver in a Hyundai at the start whether we were ex- ru Alliance League club a UEFA FC academy (at age seven). I spent garage. pected to win. He said it would be a Cup spot) ended at the quarter-fi nal six years at Liverpool and really “As for the lads down at the club, real test for us going down there and stage of the tournament when it was enjoyed my time there. I remember they’re a very nice group, a very I think we passed the test. I thought beaten 3–2 by Welsh Premier side once we were playing an academy tight-knit bunch but it didn’t take we actually deserved to win and we Rhyl. game against Everton and we were long to fi t it. And judging by what opened up Langwarrin more with 10 winning 3–0. Then Wayne Rooney the lads are saying we’ve improved men than when it was 11 v 11.” Photos: Daniel Flis & came on, scored four, and we lost the squad this year. By Craig MacKenzie While Quirk has committed Therese Duffy 4–3! He was a goal machine,” said “We didn’t have Andy Ross or Photos by John Punshon Issue # 9 Monday 14 April 2008 Goal! Weekly SOCCERSOCCER HOTLINESHOTLINES 3 [email protected] JOHNNY A LEAVES SOUTH This week’s line-up Coach drops bombshell on Foxtel Cup Soccer Hotlines 3 John Anastasiadis is no longer the head one of its most successful periods in the Foxtel Cup Scoreboard 4 coach of South Melbourne FC. club’s history in the late 90’s, will no doubt Knights v South 5 The 2006 VPL championship go down in history as the coach that showed winning coach parted ways with his beloved enormous loyalty to help pick up the pieces Lions v AIS 6 Blues shortly after South suffered a heavy when the club was on the verge of extinction. Suburbs v Zebras 7 0-3 defeat to Green Gully at Bob Jane At the time the club had been inactive for Stadium last Sunday. almost 18 months due to the disbanding of Magic v Bergers 8 The defeat left South with 6pts out the NSL in 2003 and faced fi nancial ruin. Blues v Coburg 11 of a possible 21 and languishing just above The club managed to return to the relegation zone in 10th place. competitive football in the VPL in 2005 WPL Wrap 12 Rumours in Victorian football circles had and with a completely new squad went Football Focus 13 been running rife in recent weeks that close to writing a fairy tale chapter by Johnny A’s position was under pressure due coming within a kick of reaching the Grand Eagles v Pines 14 to the club’s indifferent start to the year, and Final.