THERE were mixed feelings at Melbourne Knights Stadium when Australia and Croatia were drawn in the same group for the soccer World Cup in Germany next year.
With a strong following within Melbourne’s Croatian community, the Knights, who were a powerhouse in Australian soccer at national and now state level, will have a foot in both camps when the two nations clash on one of sport’s greatest stages.
Having spent the past 30 years at the Melbourne Knights, club president Stan Bilic has seen his fair share of players develop into state, national and international standard – many of whom will be called into action at the World Cup.
Several current Australian squad players graced the famous Sunshine pitch before making their mark for the Socceroos, including World Cup qualifying heroes Mark Viduka, Jason Culina and Ljubo Milicevic.
The Knights also played a part in the careers of two Croatian internationals – Joe Simunic and Joe Didulica – who are likely to come up against their former team-mates next year.
“We’ll be very excited for Australia as well as Croatia at the World Cup,” Bilic said.
“A number of the supporters knew these guys came from the Melbourne Knights.
“We’re very proud to say that we’re a club that has produced a lot of talent, and I believe we can continue to do it again.
“We’ve sent them all messages saying good luck.”
No matter the result, the Knights hope the stars of their past come back to the club in some capacity before their careers are over.
“We’ll ask them to come back when they’re ready to come back,” Bilic said.
Meanwhile, the Knights are preparing for the upcoming Victorian Premier League season, which begins on 3 February.
The team played a friendly match against Essendon Royals on Sunday, before another practice hit-out against Bulleen this Thursday, with the seniors kicking off at 7.30pm.
After a short break the Knights will play Heidelberg before stepping up their campaign by participating in the preseason summer cup.
