Wollongong United coach Billy Tsovolos believes great character and depth played a key role in driving his side towards the club's first ever Illawarra Premier League premiership in 2022.
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United wrapped up this year's IPL title with one round to spare on Friday night following a 3-1 win over Coniston at Macedonia Park.
It was victory that was three years in the making, and started from heartbreak.
Heading into the last round in 2020, United had appeared a shoe-in to claim their inaugural Premier League premiership. However, the side fell 3-2 to Coniston at home, opening the door for Woonona to secure their inaugural title.
There was no repeat two years later as Mitsuo Yamada, Kyah Jovanovski and Josh Correia scored for United in Friday night's victory, which gives them an unassailable lead from Wollongong Olympic and Bulli at the top of the table with one round left in a season decimated by wet weather.
Tsovolos - who was part of that 2020 squad as a player before taking the reins from Oli Vrtkovski as coach last October - told the Mercury that it "was a bit of relief" to win the premiership.
"We've played really well for three years now and it's obviously been a heavily disrupted last three years," Tsovolos said. "2020, we fell just short and 2021, we were in the race for the league title, but that season got cut short. So I think we deserve to pick one up based on how we've played over the last three years. It's great for the club.
"There's really good character amongst this squad, it's a very selfless group. It's been tough this year, we've had so many players in good form. We've had 14 or 15 players who have deserved to start each week, and you can obviously only put 11 out there, but no-one has been too upset when we've had to make some tough decisions.
"Everyone has copped it on the chin and when they've had opportunities, they've taken them with both hands. And I think that's just driven us to another level. Everyone has fought hard to win those spots and it's helped us win the league title for sure."
After a short stint in the Premier League in 1978, United joined the NSW State League, before going on to compete in the old National Soccer League during the early 1990s.
The club returned to the Illawarra in 2005, gaining promotion to the Premier League that year. And while United has enjoyed plenty of grand final and Cup success, they had never won the IPL premiership until this year.
Tsovolos hopes they can now complete the title and grand final double for 2022.
"That would be a great achievement, but there's going to be four other really good teams in that finals series," the United coach said.
"I think Olympic, Bulli and maybe Cono are locked into the finals, and it's just that last spot still up for grabs. It's going to be difficult, but if we put ourselves in a situation where we win two and we're in the grand final, that will give us a little leg up on everyone. And we're more than capable of doing that, so that's our next aim."
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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.
