INSIDE THIS WEEK... www.goalweekly.com $3 FOXTEL CUP - ROUND 16 Lions Lozanovski Focus on White Eagle Ray Sekulovski Season 3: Issue 9 Monday 18th June 2007 FAB FOOTBALL THIS WEEKEND Supporting all colours and reporting in black and white RICHMOND SPRINGVALE EAGLES WHITE V EAGLES ZEBRAS EARN AUSTRALIAN V IINSTITUTE OF ALTONA SPORT MAGIC THEIR STRIPES! Henry Fa’arodo Kevin Bartlett Reserve White Eagles Stadium Ray Sekulovski (Richmond Eagles) Friday 22nd June Saturday 23rd June (White Eagles) KO 8:15PM KO 7:00PM HEIDELBERG KINGSTON UNITED CITY V V SOUTH OAKLEIGH MELBOURNE CANNONS Olympic Village The Grange Reserve Nick Marinos Sunday 24th June Sunday 24th June Nick Tolios (Heidelberg United) KO 3:00PM KO 3:00PM (Kingston City) WESTERN PRESTON SUBURBS LIONS V V GREEN GULLY MELBOURNE CAVALIERS KNIGHTS Ralph Reserve BT Connor Reserve Sunday 24th June Nikola Raoma Sunday 24th June Tony Sterjovski (Preston Lions) (Western Suburbs) KO 3:00PM KO 3:00PM Photo: Daniel Flis SUNSHINE WHITTLESEA GEORGIES ZEBRAS V V PLUS► KATSA’S KORNER, BOO’S WORLD, SUCCEROO, ESSENDON FAWKNER TSIGAN’S TSIGAR & MUCH, MUCH MORE! ROYALS BLUES Chaplin Reserve Epping Soccer Stadium Sunday 24th June Sunday 24th June Colin Azzopardi Josip Kozic KO 3:00PM KO 6:00PM (Sunshine Georgies) (Whittlesea Zebras) Goal! Weekly Q&A Goal! Weekly FOOTBALL FOCUS 27 Preston’s Goran Lozanovski LION KING LOZANOVSKI! RAY SEKULOVSKI Loza tames Den and makes his mark in the Foxtel Cup jungle SPRINGVALE WHITE EAGLES FC Fans who witnessed last weekend’s year to my players that we need to get maxi- the club, have managed to reiterate that pas- incredible comeback by Preston Li- mum points at home. We need to make our sion. Of course, even the players that aren’t GORAN LOZANOVSKI FACT FILE ons agree that it was one of the most home venue, Connor Reserve, a fortress, from a Macedonian background have been Date of Birth: 11th January 1974 magical episodes seen in the Victo- which I believe is very important in any fantastic. I think that has been the key for us Position: Midfi elder rian Premier League for many a year. competition you play in. So far, we’ve only so far this year. I wanted to make sure that SOCCEROO HONOURS One man that is detemined not to lost once at home, which is the only game the players I bring into the side this year are Total - 9 app. 0 gls. stop there, is Lions coach Goran Lo- we’ve lost so far all year, which was dis- good characters and are determined to be 1996 - Japan, Japan, Sweden, Sweden, Kenya zanovski. Now in charge of his boy- appointing. Oakleigh are a very strong and successful, and I think that’s very important 1998 - Chile, Japan, Fiji, New Zealand hood hero club after a glittering play- powerful side, but I suspect they are a little as well. At the end of the day, the club is pay- AUSTRALIAN UNDERAGE ing career and in his short term at the bit slow at the back, so we’re going to have ing the wages and they should be passion- REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS helm of the Lions, Goran has installed to be on our toes to try and exploit that aspect ate about the club and about the boys they’re U/23 - 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games a hunger and a drive that will benefi t of their game. playing with. U/20 - 1993 World Youth Cup Lead-up Matches not only the Connor Reserve faithful, REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS but the Foxtel Cup in general, and no In recent seasons, Preston has started On the park, who has been most infl uen- Australian Schoolboy International 1991 doubt many lovers of exciting football the season rather slowly before making a tial for you? everywhere. Goal! Weekly caught up surge up the table and pushing for the Top I think collectively the majority of the PLAYING RECORD Altona Gate (VSL) with Goran during the week. Six, what’s been the difference this year? team have been pretty infl uential, one way 1990/1 - Australian Institute of Sport In my opinion, it’s all about concentration or another. Our most outstanding player to A remarkable turnaround last week and determination. When I came to the club date has probably been Issy Erdogan, who 1991-93 Preston Makedonia (NSL) coming back from 2-0 down to win last year the team was struggling and it was ironically, didn’t actually have a great game 1994/5 - Adelaide City (NSL) Q 1995/6 - Adelaide City (NSL) 2-3 against Green Gully, did you expect a very tough task to get the squad motivated last weekend against Green Gully. But, he’s 1996/7 - Collingwood Warriors (NSL) such a result? week in, week out, but in the end we got been fantastic and consistent in defence. 17 app + 0 sub. 0 gls. To be perfectly honest, I knew it was some great results and I think we were a little He’s been quite versatile - playing stopper, 1997/8 - South Melbourne (NSL) going to be a tough game. When you’re unfortunate to miss out on the Top Six. Obvi- right back, he’s even played left back for us. 21 app + 1 sub. 4 gls. A 1998/9 - South Melbourne (NSL) playing any side in the top six it’s never going ously, I’ve been telling the players this time There’s a number of players who are in there 17 app + 1 sub. 1 gls. to be easy. For us there was always a lot in it around that we need to get off to a strong – Pece Siveski, our captain, has been very 1999/00 - South Melbourne (NSL) 28 app. 3 gls. and quite a bit at stake - top spot has always start, and we need to make sure that we don’t consistent, Marinos Gasparis has been great 2000/1 - South Melbourne (NSL) 22 app. 3 gls. been one of our targets for this year. We had fall behind. I feel that they’ve understood the last month, Steven Pace, Les Anastasiou 2001/2 - Alemania Aachen (Germany) 0 app. 2002/3 - Adelaide City (NSL) 29 app. 4 gls. a very ordinary fi rst half, but we managed to the situation so that we can set up our season has been fantastic, even young Stephen Ma- 2003/4 - Adelaide United (NSL) turn it around for the second half, which was from the fi rst-half of the season. We can sit salkovski, who’s having his fi rst year on the 12 app + 2 sub. 0 gls. an amazing effort by all the players. and talk about it all day but in the end, ac- park, has been quite good too. Also played at Heidelberg United tions speak louder than words, and I’m glad and Altona Magic in the VPL before retiring. In your opinion, what was the catalyst in to say that they’ve gone out and done that on They say there’s plenty of room at the top COACHING RECORD that game that turned things around so the park. but never any room to sit down. Consid- Williamstown FC (State Two NW) dramatically? ering the competition is at the half-way Preston Lions (VPL) First of all, we had a slow start to the game With the club reportedly fi nancially stage, how do you envisage remaining up and regardless what we tried to do, was prov- strained, players obliging by playing for there? Info from www.ozfootball.net ing diffi cult. The Green Gully outfi t were on free, do you think the current predica- From our perspective, no matter where Pres- their toes the fi rst forty-fi ve minutes and sig- ment inadvertently has made the players ton sits on the ladder, we’re always in for a nifi cantly everything they touched was just play for the shirt more so than ever be- tough game because everyone wants to knock gold. If you were watching it from the out- fore? off the Lions. I’ve got to drill that into the side it would have looked fantastic, and you It’s hard to say, I mean, a lot of the players players, that regardless where we’re sitting would have thought, “Gee, what a side”. My in my squad that have a Macedonian back- on the table, we need to prepare and expect theory was that I couldn’t see them sustain ground also have a history with the club. a solid hit-out. We’ve done well to be where that pace for the entire second half. After They’ve either been brought up through the we’re at this stage of the season, but obvi- the second half resumed we changed a few ranks or have supported the club over the ously our next challenge is to remain there. things around, took a defender off for an ex- past couple of decades. There’s always been As far as I’m concerned, top two is very im- tra attacker, with the attitude that we’ve got a lot of passion there and a lot of the Mace- portant. It would be great to fi nish fi rst, but absolutely nothing to lose. I thought that if donian players that have watched Preston in in the end we do have Play-Offs, and I think Personally, how are you developing as a we could snatch a goal, then we might be the past or have always wanted to play for a double a chance is a priority.