Ins and outs … Dean Kerr (above left)is one of Green Gully’s new recruits, while Steve Burton (above right) has returned to the UK.
By Luke D’Anello
REIGNING Victorian Premier League (VPL) champions Green Gully have confirmed two new signings for the coming season.
Dean Kerr and Pasquale Vizzari will take to the field for the Cavaliers in 2011 as they search for back-to-back titles.
Kerr is a left full-back, who represented New South Wales in the Australian State Championships. He also has experience with Parramatta Power in the National Soccer League before the team folded in 2004.
The club is hoping Kerr’s signature will help fill the void left by Steven Burton, who is returning to the UK.
Meanwhile, Vizzari, a midfielder, trialled with Vicenza FC in Italy as a 16-year-old. He has returned to Australia to complete his schooling, but the 19-year-old still harbours ambitions to play overseas.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be selected by Green Gully Soccer Club – a club that every player would like to be part of from junior level right to senior level,” Vizzari said.
Green Gully coach Lubo Lapsansky is pleased to secure the pair.
“We’ve lost Steven Burton, so we were after a left full-back of similar quality. Obviously it will be hard to replace Steve, the quality player he’s been and the things he’s done for the club, but I’ve known Dean since the early 2000s and when I played at Parramatta, as he was an under-21s player there,” Lapsansky said.
“He basically contacted the club, came down for a few trials and I went and saw a few games of his, and I think he’s the right guy to replace Steve and give us a hand on the left hand side.
“We just had to move on and replace Steve the best we could.”
Kerr is currently injured, but will resume training in about five weeks.
Vizzari caught the eye of Lapsanksy during the trials with his speed and sure foot skills.
“He shows really good potential and is a really lively midfielder. He can play anywhere in the midfield, is good with the ball and has good distribution,” Lapsansky said.
“We’ve got to teach him a few things to improve his game, but he’s a very, very exciting young player.”
Green Gully is still on the search for a goalkeeper after Kyrakos Gerohristodoulou departed. Lapsansky said a quality striker was also of priority.
The Cavaliers have played two practice matches, against Northcote and Springvale White Eagles, and emerged with two draws.
“We’re going OK. We’ve had a tough five weeks before Christmas and gone through a lot of hard work and heavy running. It’s now down to the ball work.
“We’ve got to work on a couple of things, but there is nothing huge and major. It’s just basically getting the communication right because we lost a few players and a couple of new players came in.
“We’ve just go to make sure everyone is on the same wavelength and the communication is there.”
