Stability. It's the key word on Icko Atanasoski's mind as Cringila's favourite son heads back to the club.
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The Lions unveiled Atanasoski as their new Illawarra Premier League head coach on Tuesday evening.
He is the fourth mentor at Cringila's helm in the past 18 months, as the side struggled to get off the foot of the ladder. Stuart Beedie was in charge for the majority of 2020 before he announced his sudden departure, with Paul Michlmayr stepping in as interim coach.
Michlmayr remained in the role for the opening five rounds this season before parting ways with the club, with Michael Gbrevski stepping into the position for the remainder of 2021.
After so many changes, Atanasoski is keen to stick around and make his mark. He had a long playing career with Cringila and coached the side in 2008, leading them to third place in the IPL and winning the Bampton Cup and Corrimal Leagues. However, the club elected not to bring him back the following year.
"I spent too much time away watching them go through the doldrums," Atanasoski told the Mercury.
"The club is going gang busters in terms of sponsorship, membership and social media. Off the field, everything is fantastic. They're a young, progressive committee that care about the club. What they're doing is fantastic and I'm eager to work with them.
"I see massive potential. I look at that squad and think 'geez, how are you guys second last'? They've obviously had a lot of turmoil with the changes of coaches, and that effects players. They want to work in a stable environment. Year in, year out, when there is a change of coach, there's also a change of players and systems which all takes a lot of getting used to. So one of the first things I want to bring back is stability, in the coaching ranks and the playing ranks."
Atanasoski will be joined by assistant coach Jorge De Matos, with the pair previously working together at Wollongong United. They are keen to keep developing Cringila's young talent, but are also eager to taste success. Starting in 2022.
"I want to build a core group of players. The players I'm after are younger guys between the ages of 18 and 23, preferably some of who have played of first grade and are hungry to establish themselves," he said.
"My expectation is to play semi finals, pure and simple. As a coach, you've got to aim high and push the players. You've got to challenge them. If they're looking at third last, we could finish last. But if we're looking at first and have a bad season and finish third, that's a good season.
"We need to go into every game believing that we can, and there's no reason that we can't."
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
