Shell Cove FC

Ex- Socceroo Paul Carter returns to the Illawarra Premier League in 2016 as he takes up the reins at Shell Cove FC. He’ll be looking to build on the club’s inaugural year at this level, though this is one of the hardest teams to predict for this season because there has been a major squad overhaul since the end of 2015.

Shell Cove were an entertaining team to watch in 2015. They went down in some heavy defeats early on in the year but steadied the ship and became the League’s draw specialists for much of the season.

Eleven players have gone from a squad that held their own in the IPL last year, with almost as many new faces brought in. The big test is how long it will take for the new squad to gel under Carter’s leadership, but the new coach knows what it takes to do well as this level, having had a successful term at Wollongong United a few years ago.

Players to watch

Nenos Bobo and Kurdvan Abduljabbar, both with NPL State League experience behind then, could be key to how Shell Cove fare in 2016. Japanese imports Shohei Arakawa (signed from HBO Tokyo) and Kazuhiro Obata (signed for this season from Fernhill) will also be ones to watch. Some familiar faces remain in their line-up, including captain Adam Rodriguez between the sticks and Filip Angeleski.

Season expectation

So much depends on how quickly Coach Carter can get his new squad to gel once the IPL season proper kicks off. With such a changed line up from 2015, poor results in the Fraternity Cup won’t necessarily be a sign of things to come. Once the likes of Bobo and Abduljabbar find their feet at this level, Shell Cove may battle their way to a mid-table position come mid-September. The season may start shakily, though, and Carter may need all his guile and experience to keep morale high if results don’t go their way early on. My prediction for 2016: Shell Cove to be in the bottom three, but using the season as a platform for better things in years to come.

By Simon Duffin