Cringila Lions determined to impress again in 2023 Premier League

Striker Peter Simonoski on Monday joined fellow forward Stefan Dimoski in re-committing to the club for the 2023 season, while gloveman Nikola Ristevski has also inked a new deal.

The trio played key roles in the Lions' impressive campaign this year, where the side booked its first Premier League finals appearance in more than a decade. The fifth-place finish came after they finished second-last in a shortened 2021 season.

The recruitment of Simonoski and Dimoski significantly improved Cringila's attack in 2022, while Ristevski proved a rock at the other end of the field, with the team conceding just 21 goals during the regular season.

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Another key figure in the Lions' rise was head coach Icko Atanasoski, who returned to the den to 2022 and promised to get his beloved club back on the right track. Atanasoski will remain at Cringila next season, but will step back into the role of assistant coach, allowing previous assistant Jorge De Matos to take the reins.

De Matos told the Mercury he was ready to step into the top mentoring role.

"I'm very grateful to the club committee and everyone at Cringila for having the belief in me, and myself and 'Ice' [Atanasoski] as a coaching team," he said.

"Ice and I have worked together quite a few times over the years and we have a great working relationship, so for both of us it is a seamless transition. I think it's something that he had in the back of his mind since the beginning of this year. This year was a grooming year and about learning the ropes I guess from Ice, and inevitably then taking over next year.

"We're not done building, that's pretty much the message that we're continue on next year. We finished off on a high this year, and our plans are to keep on improving and keep that up now. It's all good to be a one-season wonder, but true success is when you can repeat it. So we're going in with that mindset, and all of the boys and everyone else around the club are focused on the year ahead."

De Matos added that it was great to re-sign Simonoski, Dimoski and Ristevski, however, there would be more re-signings to follow.

"It's a true testament that we're doing all of the right things on and off the field. Pretty much all of our playing group has re-signed and it's proving a very easy off season for us, especially compared to the season before where we finished second last," he said.

"I can't speak highly enough about the club, Ice and everyone right across the board. It's been a seamless transition getting everyone to re-sign."

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