It’s been a long wait but it’s finally time for our NPL senior squads to return to action!
The next generation of City stars will take to the pitch for Round 1 away to Northcote City on Friday night. Our U21s will kick-off the action at 6:30pm, before our NPL2 season begins at 8:30pm.
It’ll mark our first-ever fixture in NPL2 after a strong 2022 campaign saw the then John Maisano-led outfit achieve promotion.
The squad will this season be coached by Crisdion Krstevski, who led City to the NPL3 U21 Championship in 2022.
A large amount of the squad remains heading into the new season as we take a step up in competition, plus you can also expect to see plenty of familiar faces from City’s A-League Men’s squad in the mix.
The likes of Emin Durakovic, James Nieuwenhuizen and Arion Sulemani are all expected to feature heavily, giving you a glimpse at plenty of young guns who will likely feature at senior level in the years to come.
One of the key names to watch out for in the NPL2 this season will also be midfielder Emile Peios.
A City Academy product, the 19-year-old has recently returned from a stint in Belgium and has impressed throughout the pre-season while also spending plenty of time training with the A-League Men’s squad.
Looking over to the U21s who are now coached by Stuart McDonald, there are also plenty of players set to feature heavily who now have years in the City system under their belt.
A pair that standout immediately are defensive duo Peter Anotoniou and Ryan Kalms who are fresh off some strong performances with the Joeys at the U17 Antalya Youth Cup in Türkiye.
Another name to keep an eye out for is attacking prospect John Kellis who took home the Golden Boot at U18 level last season.
A back injury halted the young forward towards the end of last season and also limited his involvement with the Joeys, but now fit and firing, he’s on track to continue his development at U21 level in 2023.
2023 Senior Squads
Round 1 Match Details
Northcote City v Melbourne City
Friday 17 February
John Cain Memorial Park
U21s KO: 6:30pm
NPL2 KO: 8:30pm
