By ADEM SARICAOGLU
FORMER Dandenong Thunder manager Toby Paterson will take charge of the St Albans Saints in State League football this season.
Paterson, alongside newly appointed assistant Steve Laurie, will coach the former Victorian Premier League club that struggled under Micky Colina, who was sacked as coach last August.
“It’s a big club, St Albans, and it’s a new, fresh and exciting challenge,” Paterson said.
“(I’m) looking forward to the new challenge at Dinamo.
“The people of the club have done a fantastic job in getting the facilities to where they are, which is a major factor in attracting players to the club.”
The Saints will likely not be entering the new National Premier League currently being rolled out in Victoria, opting instead to remain a State League club for the time being.
But while Dinamo may not be taking part in the state’s newly formed top flight competition, Paterson and his Saints will be keen for on-field success in 2014.
“I‘ll be hoping for a top four or five finish, that’s the minimum we’ll be going for,” Paterson told Star.
“Obviously I need to look at the current squad we have along with the additions into it, which I’ll find out more about into the pre-season, but for now it’s to finish as high as we can up on the ladder.
“The club has certainly not put any pressure on me directly, saying that we have to win the championship. What they’ve said is that the aim is to get us as high up the league as possible and that will be my aim.”
With official pre-season training starting last week, Paterson and his staff will now be using much of the summer period piecing together their squad.
Though Paterson hopes to maintain some experience, he expects the majority of the final squad to be filled with a promising crop of young talent.
“I’m hoping that we’re going to retain most of last season’s squad along with new additions,” he said.
“We’ve already spoken to players from a number of clubs who are interested in coming along to St Albans, so there will be a little bit of re-shuffling.”
Meanwhile former Melbourne Victory midfielder Tom Pondeljak hopes to make an on-field comeback for Dinamo this year after injury forced him to the sideline in 2013.
