Ringwood City SC
VFF, Provision League, Division 3, South-East Region
| club news |
| team results |
| club history |
| photos |
| contact us |
| our sponsors |
| site links |
A New Millenium
The new millennium entered with the arrival of the newly restructured Division Two
South/East. This change was well recieved, as it signalled the end of long away trips. Unfortunately
though, the club’s pre-season planning was dealt a big blow with the departure of several key
players. Apart from a small number of new inclusions the squad looked thin right across the
park. With Rolleman having relinquished his coaching role Bill Podlewski was given the task of
steering the side to safety, but an eleven match losing streak – the longest in the club’s
history – proved an insurmountable barrier. Even the replacement of Podlewski with Brian Quigley
could not prevent the club from suffering it’s most humiliating season performance ever. Relegated
to Division Three South/East for the 2001 season, the club’s campaign began badly, and Quigley
became an early casualty with striker Billy Zogogiannis handed a dual player/coach role by
the club. The final standing of sixth was seen as a superb achievement, but unfortunately
Ringwood’s run of good form did not carry on into the 2002 season. The departure of Zogogiannis
early in 2002 did not help matters, but eventually the team began to pick up good results under
the guidance of Rick van Duppen, and finished the season in a credible fourth spot on the ladder.
2003 marked the year of the club’s jubilee but, although this was indeed cause for celebration, the
club’s relegation at season’s end certainly was not. Many key players had moved on
since the last season, and the squad lacked the depth to compete at this level. So it was
that, 50 years after its founding, Ringwood City (Wilhelmina) sank into the depths of the
Provisional League for the first time. The bad news did not stop there. In 2004 Ringwood City
(led now by coach Andy McCabe) again finished eleventh of the twelve teams, registering a mere two
wins, five draws and sixteen losses – a performance only nominal better than the calamity of 2000.
2005 saw Dennis Georgakopoulos taking up the reins as head coach following his time at Ringwood as
a player, and the mid-season recruitment of goalkeeper Lee Pongho straight out of the Queensland
Premier League looked to be a good one. Pongho’s heroics in goal did indeed prove a defining
factor, helping Ringwood City to it’s first win of the season 3-2 away to Noble Park in Round 12,
but with such a poor run of early season form the club could not avoid finishing second last and
being relegated for the third consecutive season. On the positive side, the season saw the
continued emergence and development of youngsters Corey Munro, Luke van Gulik and Ben Brown, who
all made major contributions in Ringwood’s ill-fated attempts to avoid relegation.
With Ringwood City starting the 2006 season in the Provisional League Division Three, it was almost
a relief for the club to know that it could not be relegated for the fourth season in a row.
With most of the 2005 squad remaining, Ringwood were regarded by insiders as being a red hot
contender for the championship. But the quality of the players was not matched by their
performance as a team and, despite good signs early in the campaign, a string of poor results
led to Georgakopoulos being replaced as head coach by former Ringwood City striker Kenny Stewart.
The arrival of striker Steven Campbell from Northern Ireland bolstered the squad but, although
results began steadily to improve, the last three seasons had taken their toll on the club and
the players’ confidence, and Ringwood finished a respectable – but unexciting - seventh.
The 2007 season proved a very mixed bag for Ringwood City. The departure of several important
players - the van Gulik brothers (James and Luke), Jason Morks and Kon Kyranakis among them - meant
that coach Kenny Stewart had his work cut out to meld the current group into a cohesive team.
Despite some excellent performances, and a few good results, the team struggled with inconsistency
throughout the season and had to be content with a meagre final placing of tenth out of eleven teams.
First Team - 2007. Back Row (left to right): Kenny Stewart, Peter Manolakos, Micah Demmert,
Dave Stephens, Costa Saristavros, John Tomic, Chris Drews, Ben Brown (captain). Middle row:
Zen Quigley, Kyle Stewart, Shaun McMahon, Sean Harrison, Corey Munro, Rowan McDermott. Front:
Matt Winzenried.
2008 saw Ringwood City enter the developmental Metropolitan League after a failed application to remain
in the Provisional League Division 3. The year started well with a solid pre-season and good early signs,
but despite a hardworking leadership group the squad lacked the quality necessary to perform consistently.
Ultimately team disciplinary problems and a poor end to the season saw City finish in 6th position and the
club board opted to replace coach Kenny Stewart with a coaching team led by well-respected reserve coach
Doug Hughes, and also including Mark Brown and Chris Chronis.
There are a lot of changes happening at the club in 2009. The pre-season has begun well with the aquisition of a
number of quality players, and the squad, coaches and committee are very excited about the Maroondah council's
plans to replace the bumpy pitch with a fully synthetic surface in time for the beginning of the 2010
season. It's early days, but the whole club is looking forward to a successful 2009 both on and off the pitch.