By Luke D’Anello
SUNSHINE George Cross has given Chris Ketsakidis his marching orders, just three weeks out from the start of the State League One season.
Ketsakidis, a former player for the club in the now defunct National Soccer League, was appointed coach of the Georgies in October after they were relegated from the Victorian Premier League last season.
Ketsakidis was told of his fate after a mid-week meeting with the club’s committee.
Former senior assistant and under-21 coach Fabrizio Soncin has been promoted to the top job.
“The committee felt things weren’t moving in the right direction, so far as how pre-season has eventuated. We just felt there was a need for a change,” a club spokesman said.
“We felt the pre-season had not been going as planned.”
The Georgies were adamant a change of coach just three weeks out from the new season would not unsettle the playing group.
Soncin is originally from North Queensland and has been impressive during his stint with the under-21 side.
The meticulous Soncin has coached several clubs in his home state and is now charged with the responsibility of lifting the Georgies back into the state’s pre-eminent competition.
Meanwhile, Sunshine George Cross will return to its spiritual home this year after Football Federation Victoria competition manager Michael Pocklington gave the ground the tick of approval recently.
The Georgies played their home games at Knights Stadium last season, but the countless hours of hard work put in by the club’s committee has paid off.
Sunshine’s 28-year union with the Anderson Rd venue ended in mid-2009 after the ground was deemed not suitable to host VPL matches.
Some of the hard labour undertaken by the Georgies’ committee and supporters over the off-season has included cutting overgrown grass from every embankment, cleaning debris which had built up in the four changing rooms at the ground and ensuring every toilet was fit for use.
