Why the time was right for Jordan Nikolovski to move to Wollongong United

Nikolovski was brought in by new United coach Rob Jonovski, along with the likes of Sam Matthews, Klime Sekutkoski, Jason Zufic and the Darjani brothers in order to restore the club back to where it belongs... in the finals series come season's end.

Nikolovski knew he was going to get some backlash for the move, but in reality it was the right swap for him at the perfect time.

"Port Kembla still holds a special place in my heart, I did call it home for the last three years" he said.

"But sometimes, you have to venture away from home to get what you want. There's no burnt bridges.

"I think what 'Roger' (Rob Jonovski) has done and what the club's done [is great]. We've put together a good squad to not only just challenge for finals but for proper silverware.

"It's definitely a big step that I took. And of course, with everything else, it's always a risk because you do cop a little bit of backlash sometimes. But at the end of the day, I've got to look after myself. I do the best for myself, the best for my team and for my family."

On pre-season form, United do appear to be the real deal.

The club had a disappointing 2023 IPL campaign. They missed out on finals football after the highs of winning the league championship and an Australia Cup round of 32 appearance the year prior.

Jonovski has led his newest team to pre-season wins against the likes of O'Connor Knights SC, Maitland and Mt Druitt Rangers. United also proved impressive against state league opposition when they made the final of the recent Maso Cup.

Jonovski comes with an impressive resume, highlighted by his 2019 grand final win with Corrimal.

Nikolovski said he was excited about what's to come under his leadership.

"With those high expectations, it can make or break you. So far it's making us stronger," he said.

"'Roger' has got his own system to implement and so far it's working and everyone's on board. There's a good mixture of players.

"There's experience, there's a little bit of youth who have played at a decent level. Obviously the goal is silverware and to be as competitive as we possible can. But also at the same time, the boys that we have around will be ones we can build on in the future as well."

The IPL season commences this weekend (March 1-3), with United beginning with a home fixture on Saturday, March 2 against South Coast United. Kickoff is 2:30pm at Macedonia Park.