The senior squad will have a new manager in charge with Englishman Gary Ward pulling the strings as the likes of experienced campaigners Franco Parisi, Michael West and Stephen Kayes will all look towards a strong finish this season.
The Team: APIA-Leichhardt Tigers start its 2013 campaign eager to commence right from where 2012 finished. The Tigers have in fact started both of the past two seasons slowly, however the second part of both seasons have been exceptional, the side twice falling, only just, short of finals football.
2013 sees a new coach at the club with a new philosophy, one that the playing group appears to have captured with open arms.
Senior players Michael West and Franco Parisi will again play major roles in assisting the new boss with his role, the latter very happy with the pre-season to-date.
A good mix of youth in the group, with the experience across the park of Adel El Jamal, Stephen Kayes, Michael West and new signing Keith Shevlin, the club and its supporters can have every hope of giving the season a good shake.
One player that will be sure to catch the eye of many is the big frame of French striker Gerard Ouffoue who has already been amongst the goals during the Tigers’ Pre-season Cup campaign.
Also, a late signing but former Rockdale City Suns and Sydney FC National Youth League keeper Ryan Norval will also strengthen the Tigers’ outfit at the back.
Despite the inconsistent run of results in the Pre-Season Cup – most alarmingly was the loss against Sydney United 58 FC – the Tigers did display some very positive showings against South Coast Wolves and Sutherland Sharks, auguring well for the opening round of the season.
The Coach: Englishman Gary Ward has been signed as head coach for APIA-Leichhardt Tigers this season. Boasting an impressive ‘CV’ from his playing days in England and the North American Soccer League, Ward vested the jerseys of Preston Lions, Melbourne Knights, Brunswick Juventus, West Adelaide Sharks and APIA-Leichhardt Tigers in the mid-80s.
A striker in his playing days, Ward is looking to implement a positive, attacking style of football at Lambert Park this season. The Pre-Season Cup has seen the Tigers collect some indifferent results, though the emphasis is strictly on being ready for the opening round of the season.
Player to watch: Apart from playmaker Franco Parisi and captain Michael West to lead the Tigers this season, midfielder David D’Apuzzo will be another talent to keep a close eye on. Returning from an injury that all but ended his 2012 season, the talented midfielder is ready for a big return.
A massive engine in the Tigers midfield, D’Apuzzo has a hunger to win the ball and an equally impressive ability on it. Speed and finesse, in addition to an ability to score goals, make D’Apuzzo one of the big talents, not only in the Tigers squad, but in the entire competition.
Rising Star: Right-sided defender Brendan Reilly made an impressive debut last season, and the 21-year-old is primed for more success in 2013. A very fit and aggressive defender, Reilly boasts a great reading of the game, matched with some fine man-marking skills.
In what is arguably an important season for the club – in anticipation of the works to take place at Lambert Park – expect to see Reilly figure prominently for the Tigers this season.
Also look towards the rise of striker Nicola Taneski who caught the eye of many during his season with Sydney FC’s National Youth League side.
2013 squad: Ryan Norval, Mark Byrnes, Adel El Jamal, Brendan Reilly, Michael West, Stephen Kayes,Gerard Ouffoue, Franco Parisi, Keith Shevlin, David D’Apuzzo, George Khoury, Brad Bartels, Sean Symons, Clayton Musumeci, Nikola Taneski, Adam Raciti, Joshua Symons, Anthony Costa
APIA Leichhardt Tigers appoint Gary Ward as head coach for 2013
Ward comes to the Tigers with an enormous amount of playing experience as the Westoning born manager has played for the likes of English sides Crewe Alexandra and Leyton Orient before moving off to the former North America Soccer League where he played for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
After his stint in the U.S., Ward then ventured to Australia where he played in the old National Soccer League for the likes of the Preston Lions, Melbourne Knights, Brunswick Juventus, West Adelaide Sharks and the APIA Leichhardt Tigers in the mid-80s.
The Englishman stated to Football NSW that his aim is to keep at least nine players from the 2012 season adding a couple of fresh new faces in the APIA Leichhardt Tigers squad who will be gunning for some silverware in 2013.
?We?ve had a couple of training sessions and I can say that I am looking at signing up at least nine players from the 2012 squad but I have had a number of exciting players that have come through which we will unearth for the 2013 season as well as some promising youngsters.?
One such player that could earn himself a big name in the NSW Premier League goes by the name of ?Jay? – a tall French Nigerian striker who will be one to look out for in 2013.
?Jay is a 6 foot 6 striker that can play the game and has been very exciting at training.?
Ward, who counts Miron Bleiberg and Ernie Merrick as close friends, wants to instil a good playing style mentality at Lambert Park with focus on entertaining football for the APIA Leichhardt Tigers faithful.
The Tigers just missed out by a point in the finals series this year finishing sixth while they were runners-up in the 2012 Waratah Cup Final to eventual winners Sutherland Sharks.
-By Mark Stavroulakis
APIA Leichhardt end season with a bang
The game itself between APIA-Leichhardt and Blacktown Spartans may not have meant much in terms of the finals series but for both teams pride was at stake.
The Tigers too were out to continue their winning run given that under coach Billy McColl they had won four games from four attempts. And they didn?t disappoint, sending McColl out with the perfect record of five wins from all five games that he was in charge.
After the game an elated McColl spoke about the difficult game against the Spartans and with pride and passion about APIA Leichhardt in general.
?It was a battle out there today,? he said. ?We wanted to win because it was the last game at home at Lambert Park and we wanted to send Danial Cummins off [retirement] on a high note.
?I am always happy to come back to the club but I feel a bit like an Italian boomerang.
?This club will go from strength to strength next year and once we get our new surface and we appoint our new coach, you will see the kids develop. They will finish in the top half of the competition and be one of the best teams over the next ten years.?
The first real opportunity of a rather dull first-half fell to Jacob Ott who in the 20? minute blasted a dangerous shot just over the crossbar from outside the box.
APIA-Leichhardt did indeed finish the first-half with a late flurry of opportunities. Michael West in the 41? minute found that he couldn?t penetrate the wall-like orange and black defence with his shot from fairly close range.
In the 44? minute the best opportunity of the half fell to the Tigers; Brad Bartels sent in a delightful cross from the right into the middle for Ethan Galbraith, but the tall marksman couldn?t find the target thanks to the handy work of Carlos Saliadarre between the posts.
In the second-half, on 62? minutes Bartels was brought down in the penalty-area by Djordje Degenek, who actually injured himself in the process, and referee Michael Weiner had no hesitation in awarding the spot kick. Up stepped the retiring Danial Cummins but his rather weak attempt was saved, but not held, by Saliadarre and Mun Soo Gil, charging into the box, managed to force the ball home for the Tigers.
In the 72? minute APIA-Leichhardt almost doubled their lead when Bartels, with a powerful shot, sent the ball just wide of Saliadarre?s net.
Chris Bedzo replied for the visitors shortly afterwards with a powerful drive from outside the box but his attempt ended up just wide. It was the best the Spartans could offer in the second-half.
APIA-Leichhardt?s second goal came in the 82? minute when a cross from the right was met by Mark Byrnes and the former captain of the Australian under-17 team had no hesitation in heading home.
From this point onwards the Spartans were shut out of the game and APIA had secured another courageous victory.
After the game Spartans player Luke Boyd expressed his frustration about the ground but with the new surface due over the summer, then that is well and truly a moot point. However, he also expressed satisfaction about the season as whole given that the Blacktown Spartans had just finished their first season in the NSW Premier League after securing promotion from the NSW Super League.
?You can?t do much on a ground a like this,? he said. ?We did run out there and tried to win but coming here you almost need a completely different team to compete on a field like this.
?A lot of young guys in our squad hadn?t played in this league before so we did alright this year, but maybe we could have done a little better in those close games where we only lost by a goal.
?It?s a good first season anyway and Ben (DeHaan) will build this team up for next year because he?s a good coach and we should do well.?
Match Stats
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 2 (Mun Soo Gil 63?, Mark Byrnes 82?)
Blacktown Spartans 0
Sunday 2nd September, 2012
Lambert Park, Leichhardt
Referee: Michael Weiner
Assistant Referees: Sebastian Brennan and Wayne Crabb
Fourth Official: Sam Grasso
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers: 21.Anthony Costa; 2.Mark Byrnes, 4.Mun Soo Gil, 5.Michael West, 6.Danial Cummins (13.Paul Galimi 89?), 7.Stephen Kayes, 9.Ethan Galbraith (14.Nick Taneski 89?), 12.Brian Griffin-Colls, 15.Bradley Bartels (11.Adam Raciti 87?), 18.Brendan Reilly, 20.Gyu Re Lee.
Substitutes Not Used: 1.Stefan Giglio, 17.Sam Salameh,
Yellow Cards: Galbraith 86?
Red Cards: Nil
Blacktown Spartans: 1.Carlos Saliadarre; 2.Michael Khoury, 5.Luke Boyd, 8.Djordje Degenek (15.Louis Bozanic 71?), 9.Chris Bedzo, 10.Chris Gomez, 14.Jonathan Castano-Acero, 22.Andre Carle (11.Steven Veleski 79?), 23.Chris Bush, 27.Jacob Ott (7.Chris Gaitatzis 59?), 36.Tomislav Herceg.
Substitutes Not Used: 17.Peter Hubbard, 40.Daniel Sadaka
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
-By Joe Russo
Sydney FC regretfully cancels midweek friendly with APIA Leichhardt Tigers
The Sky Blues required the assistance of the Australian Institute of Sport to field a team against Adelaide United on Saturday evening, as seven uncontracted teenagers took to the field in the 4-2 loss.
?Unfortunately don?t have enough players to be able to put together a team to play matches twice a week at present,? Sydney FC Coach Ian Crook said. ?We still have players in the final stages of rehabilitation from off season surgery and we also have a few niggly injuries.
?We?ve also got three boys away with the Australian U20s and it?s not right to be pushing the fit players in the squad to play twice a week at this stage of the pre season. That?s fine if you have 22 players to rotate but we?re not in a position to do that.
?It is unfortunate that we won?t be able to play APIA Leichhardt but we need to ensure we are ready to go when the competition starts on 6 October, which is only five weeks away. That is our primary focus and we?re on target for that.?
Sydney FC Chief Executive Officer Tony Pignata also apologised to APIA Leichhardt for the cancellation: ?We?re sorry to have to cancel the game but we?re not in a position to be able to play and unfortunately we can?t jeopardise the fitness of the players at this delicate stage of pre season.
?APIA Leichhardt has been very good about it and we will work with them to make sure their fans and junior players receive something special from Sydney FC.?
Sydney FC fans in the inner west will be able to watch the Sky Blues take on Newcastle Jets at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday (9 September). Kick off for the game is 2.00pm.
-Sydney FC press release
APIA Leichhardt continue impressive late season form
However, in the last four weeks everything has changed. The Wolves have lost four on the trot while the Tigers, under the guidance of Billy McColl, have won four. It is indeed a strange reversal of fortunes.
McColl, who may not literally be a magician, is certainly working wonders with the APIA team he inherited last month. Furthermore, in the history of APIA Leichhardt [a club that dates back to 1954] he is the first coach to be invited back for his third stint as first grade coach. Some record but McColl is not getting carried away.
?The boys just needed a little bit of belief and a little bit of direction and I provided that,? he said. ?APIA always has talented players and we have proved that over the last four weeks.
?I said when I came here that they should have been in the finals and they have proved that even though we?ll miss out.?
So did McColl expect to win four games from four with only one round remaining?
?I expect five from five because next week is a special occasion against Blacktown Spartans as it?s the last time that we?ll play on the dirt before they lay the artificial turf. I hope to see a lot of people here at Lambert Park and enjoying the occasion.
?Today was very tough game and the Wolves were coming here to maintain a finals spot. It was a battle; losing a player in the second-half and our opponents didn?t make it easy but it just shows the true grit and determination of our team.
?We had the whole second half with ten players but we still scored and it was a great victory.?
So, would McColl back up as a fulltime coach of the Tigers in 2013? ?No, this is it as I told you before and I certainly hope that the coach who has the team next year keeps them in the top half of the table so that I don?t have to come back,? he said.
The game itself was most entertaining for the sparse crowd. In the 9? minute a corner kick which wasn?t cleared properly by the APIA defence made its way to Ricky Zucco who, with a powerful volley, almost hit the target but unfortunately for the Wolves it finished just over.
APIA?s first real chance of the game came in the 18? minute and it was a two-pronged opportunity that went begging. Brad Bartels entered the penalty-area and tried to put away a dangerous shot but it took a deflection and ended up away for a corner.
From the subsequent set piece Adel El Jamal almost put the ball in the back of the net with an almighty shot that somehow Daniel Collison deviated away.
South Coast Wolves tried to open to scoring and came close in the 32? minute when Mark Picciolini forced Anthony Costa to turn his shot away for a corner.
However, it was the home side who opened the goal scoring shortly afterwards. A move downfield ended up with Bartels having his shot partially blocked but only as far as Gyu Re Lee who drove the ball home from close-range. The Korean definitely had his best game of the season.
Just prior to the break Stephen Kayes scored a stunningly brilliant goal and didn?t the little midfield maestro enjoy the celebration.
An innocuous ball rolled across to him and, from at least 20-metres out, he blasted home a shot that was never destined to miss the target. Simply brilliant and worth the look at the replay on the highlights reel this week.
The visitors then came out all fired up and determined after the break. Trevor Morgan?s half-time talk must have had the desired effect as Zucco ? who almost signed with the Wellington Phoenix a few months ago ? sent a wonderful free-kick from an acute angle straight into the back of the net.
The Wolves must have thought that all their Christmases had come at once when Adel El Jamal was sent off in the 51? minute.
El Jamal, who was booked earlier for a hand ball, received his marching orders for a second yellow card for exactly the same offence.
However, it would have been difficult for the hardworking defender to pull his hand away as the ball appeared to be shot straight into him. Furthermore, his first booking came after the assistant referee had already signalled for an offside.
Nevertheless, APIA regathered and in the crucial last 40? minutes or so played like their life depended on it. South Coast were poor much to the frustration of their astute coach Trevor Morgan who is now on secondment for two weeks with the Young Socceroos.
?We went quiet,? he said. ?APIA went to a 4-4-1 and they were sitting off us and pressing deep. We ran into the mistake of letting them play things long but after they scored their third goal we switched back but it was too late.
?They were looking to contain us and catch us on the break and that?s exactly what they got, so good for them.?
In the 71? minute APIA scored their third in a classic counterattacking move. A nice route-one ball from Re Lee made its way to Ethan Galbraith who then danced around the goalkeeper and scored with a good finish.
?We haven?t been out of the top three for 18 rounds and we were definitely trying to win this game,? Morgan said. ?We could still come second and its fairly new territory for a lot of players in our squad.
?There are some good signs but also there are some struggles that we are not dealing with too well.
?Sometimes when you have nothing to play for [like APIA] the opposition makes the mistake and relaxes. We have a lot of players away injured but I am definitely not going to make excuses.
?We have lost our rhythm a bit but hopefully we?ll find that again starting from next week.?
Match Stats
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 3 (Gyu Re Lee 35?, Kayes 42?, Galbraith 71?)
South Coast Wolves 1 (Zucco 48?)
Sunday 26th August, 2012
Lambert Park, Leichhardt
Referee: Andrew Best
Assistant Referees: Craig Fisher and Thomas Lee
Fourth Official: Gareth Williams
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers: 21.Anthony Costa (1.Stefan Giglio 90?); 2.Mark Byrnes, 3.Adel El Jamal, 4.Mun Soo Gil, 5.Michael West, 7.Stephen Kayes, 9.Ethan Galbraith (13.Nick Taneski 72?), 15.Bradley Bartels, 16.Michael Hawrysiuk (6.Danial Cummins 85?), 18.Brendan Reilly, 20.Gyu Re Lee
Substitutes Not Used: 12.Paul Galimi, 19.Brian Griffin-Colls
Yellow Cards: El Jamal 25?, Kayes 29?, West 50?
Red Cards: El Jamal 51?
South Coast Wolves: 1.Daniel Collison; 2.Jack Keating, 3.Mitchell Del Turco, 5.Samuel Jacob, 6.Nick Littler, 26.Jacob Timpano (7.Cameron Littler 72?), 8.Chris Nathaniel, 9.Mark Picciolini, 10.Sasho Petrovski (11.John Martinoski 78?), 13.Peter Simonoski (14.Fabian Iacovelli 72?), 17.Ricky Zucco
Substitutes Not Used: 16.Hayden Lloyd, 20.Haydyn Durose
Yellow Cards: Zucco 63?
Red Cards: Nil
-By Joe Russo