Martin John is returning to Sunshine George Cross Soccer Club.
By Liam Twomey
SUNSHINE George Cross has the ideal strategy to ensure its year in the State League One competition is a successful one. It is going to put a wall in front of its goal net in the form of returning goalkeeper Martin John.
After leaving Sunshine at the end of the
2010 season when the club was relegated, John is returning from a one-year stint at the Melbourne Knights.
Sunshine secretary Victor Brincat said it was excellent to get the highly touted goalkeeper back to the club.
“He has always remained a friend of the club. Even though he left last year to go and play in the Premier League, that was the only reason he left. We got relegated and he wanted to continue to play Premier League,” Brincat said.
“He really only wants to play for two clubs which are Sunshine George Cross and Melbourne Knights, he came back to us this year which is good to have. We are really rapt to have him back.”
Brincat said that John returning to the club provided an exceptional leader as well as great player.
“The more games you play the more experienced you will become and even though he started to get a bit older you rely on your experience more than anything else. A goalkeeper doesn’t have to run very much in the game,” he said.
“He is a very good shot stopper and a very good talker. He keeps everybody on their toes and is very demanding. He is one of the true leaders at the club.”
John won’t be the only new face at Sunshine after Tony Ciantar signed on as head coach for the new season.
There are no plans to stop the recruiting there either, with more players expected to sign when pre-season training gets under way.
“We don’t start training until 23 January. The club has already spoken to a few players and they have agreed to turn up to training but nothing is official until they sign their name on the dotted line,” Brincat said.
Sunshine is hopeful that the combination of a new coach and some new faces at the club will lead to a successful season on the pitch.
“It’s a bit early to say at the moment but naturally we want to win our place back into the Premier League and that will be the main aim. The second aim will be to stay behind the club. That’s what this committee has been working for and we have been working very hard to achieve this.”
