Persistence pays off for Yianni Nicolaou
After trialing in Scotland at the end of 2018, 19-year-old defender Yianni Nicolaou then returned to Marconi Stallions FC.
He played 15 games in the Stallions FC NPL 1 team in 2019 before leaving mid-season to trial with English League 2 team, Salford City.
His persistence was rewarded, he was signed to a one-year contract with an option to extend.
He joined the newly promoted club following a successful trial.
Salford City have been promoted in four of their last five seasons and are currently 15th after 5 matches in the English 4th Division.
The club is “part owned” by former Manchester United team mates Phil and Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and David Beckham.
Nicolaou, was a member of the Waratah Cup winning team in 2019 after making his first-grade debut this season. He became a “regular” in the team
He has come up “through the system” in Australia, starting out at the Football NSW Institute of Sport and Westfield Sports High before joining Marconi Stallions FC.
The defender represented Australia at the AFC Under 16 Championships in 2016.
Australian born, Nicolaou is expected to be spending his time with the Salford City youth team set up. This boasts a University, begun by club owners to offer degrees for players to build life skills outside of football.
