Winning Edge Presentations NPL1 Player of the Month (Rounds 13-16) – Andrew Le Page (Avondale Heights)

He's a name you might not have heard of until this year, but Andrew Le Page has burst onto the NPL scene with Avondale Heights, scoring eight goals in 16 games and playing an integral role in his side's incredible start to the season.

Not only has he bagged a goal every other game, Le Page has also played an big part in a large chunk of his side's goals.

Last year, he came back from a serious knee injury that kept him out for three months to help his side win promotion.

This year, he just keeps getting better, and better. His performances in the last four games were good enough for him to be voted the NPL 1 Player of the Month by our match reporters.

FFV multimedia coordinator Alen Delic caught up with the 22-year-old to talk NPL, his performances, life at Avondale and where he wants to be one day.

How does it feel to have won the NPL 1 Player of the Month award?
It's a bit of a shock to be honest. Considering our form as a team hasn't been that great over the last four or five weeks, but I suppose I'll take it. But yeah it's definitely unexpected.

How do you describe the role you play for Avondale?
I've been playing predominantly out wide as a winger. Last year was a bit different so I was played all over the shop, but this year it's been predominantly as a winger. But even that changes during the game depending on the situation.

You've got a goal every two games so far this season. Did you expect that kind of a scoring rate as a winger?
Not really to be honest. Some have been easier than others, but to be honest I didn't expect that at all. At the end of the day, it's a bonus when we're winning.

You've gone 14 games undefeated. How does it feel to be a part of a team which has achieved something like that?
I've never been a part of anything like that before. But I suppose it starts with the coach Anthony Barbieri, and passes on down through our captain Anthony Strano. We're keeping a lid on it at the moment. We're taking it one week at a time because there's still a long way to go. At the end of the day, it does feel good. Everyone around the club is happy and that filters on down to the players.

What's it like having Anthony Barbieri as a coach?
To be honest, I never heard of him until I played for him. HE's extremely organised. We have extensive feedback about the team we're playing on the Tuesday. We go through each team and how we think they're going to shape up. But in terms of a coach, he's extremely intense on the pitch, but he's also a guy you can approach off the pitch. He's always giving you positive feedback which is good. In that regard, he's been really good.

What was it like coming into the NPL with Avondale having no expectations?
Look to be honest, I don't think we read too much into it. I mean, I know a lot of people were saying at the start of the year that we didn't really deserve to be involved and our facilities weren't up to scratch, but seeing what the club has already done in that short amount of time, it really reflects how good of a club we actually are. For us to be doing so well, it's not just good for the players, it's good for the whole club. No one expected it, but as a group, we definitely didn't think we were just going to be relegation battlers.

Does it help having guys like Aleksiy Khrapko , Jason Principato and Arturo Ymeri now up front?
It definitely helps having quality around you. IT's always easier to play. But it all starts from down back. Our defence has only conceded I think 15 goals for the year, and that filters right through from the defence, to the midfield and into the attack. It definitely helps having those guys up front, very talented guys.

Are there any guys that you have a particularly good chemistry with on the pitch?
We're quite a young group. That's the other surprising thing this year. Our chemistry, on and off the pitch is quite good and that's shown this year. When we've lost players going overseas, whoever has come in has stepped up and done the job. We didn't go out in the transfer window and buy a whole bunch of players, we've relied on what we've got and the young guys coming through to fill the gaps.

So you're 22, where do you want to go eventually with football?
It's hard to say at the moment. Obviously to get an opportunity at an A-League club would be ideal, but I'm just concentrating on Avondale at the moment. If something comes up, so be it. But I'm not looking that far at all.

Could you see yourself playing anywhere else in the NPL?
We've got a strong chance of playing in the NPL ourselves next year. The club's been good to me since I got here last year. We've still got a long way to go in getting ourselves  our facilities right but we're on track. With things the way they are, I don't see why things should change.

The NPL1 Player of the Month is voted by FFV’s match reporters in a 3-2-1 voting system for each match.