Sunshine George Cross striker Thomas Cahill tries to get past Werribee City defender Slobadon Buoolj. 81620 Picture: DAMIAN VISENTINI
By ADEM SARICAOGLU
SUNSHINE George Cross may be sitting nicely in second place of the State League division one table, but those within the club certainly aren’t thinking too far ahead.
Six games into the season the Georgies have lost just one match after remaining undefeated until last weekend.
However coach Tony Ciantar is keen to make sure the Georgies don’t become complacent with their form.
“Things are looking good but we look to take things one week at a time, that’s how I look at things,” Ciantar said.
“We are on the right track, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself and I want the players to keep level headed.”
The team’s impressive start to the season has included wins over Western Suburbs, Springvale, Whittlesea and St Albans, before Werribee City ended the streak with a 1-0 win on Saturday.
Ciantar said having a squad full of keen players that are willing to play different roles has played a part in the team’s success so far this season.
“There is a lot of depth in our squad and a lot of versatility at the moment,” he said.
“I can make changes during games and we have a lot of players willing to play in numerous positions.
“We’re a good ball playing side and the boys are hungry for a position every week because they know they could lose their spot for up to three or four weeks if they don’t do what we ask of them.”
Striker Tom Cahill has netted four goals so far this season while goal-keeper Martin John has kept three clean sheets and allowed just three goals into his net.
Ciantar said the consistency of those two along with Ben Crogger, Zeljko Popovic and youngsters Habib Fleifel and Nicholas Scerri has held the team in good stead so far this season.
But Ciantar’s week-by-week philosophy means ensuring the team doesn’t drop off over the next month.
While the club does have long-term ambitions to stay near the top half of the ladder and qualify for finals, Ciantar says collecting points in as many games as possible is all the club is looking to achieve each week.
“We want to consolidate our position over the next few weeks because we have matches against teams in the lower half of the table, so these are important games to get as many points as we can.”
