1989 Sydney Croatia FC season

Sydney Croatia
1989 season
Chairman	Rade Čikeš
Manager	Vedran Rožić
Stadium	Sydney Croatian Sports Centre
National Soccer League	7th
1989 NSL Cup	First Round
Top goalscorer	Graham Arnold (5)
Highest home attendance	8,009 vs. Marconi Fairfield; (12 February 1989); National Soccer League
Lowest home attendance	1,508 vs. Heidelberg United; (5 July 1989); National Soccer League
Average home league attendance	3,674
Biggest win	2-0; vs. Adelaide City; (29 January 1989); National Soccer League; 2-0 vs. Blacktown City; (28 June 1989); National Soccer League; 3-1 vs. Melbourne City JUST; (27 May 1989); National Soccer League; 3-1 vs. APIA Leichhardt; (June 11 1989); National Soccer League
Biggest defeat	0–3 ; vs. Marconi Fairfield; (10 May 1989); National Soccer League; 0-3 vs. St George-Budapest; (25 June 1989); National Soccer League

The 1989 season saw Sydney Croatia embark on its sixth campaign in the NSL. They finished 7th on the ladder.

Following a successful 1988 campaign in which Sydney Croatia finished runners-up in the NSL Grand Final to Marconi Fairfield, player-coach Vedran Rožić retained the majority of the squad for the 1989 season. Despite high expectations, the club experienced inconsistent form and ultimately failed to qualify for the finals series.

Rožić departed Sydney Croatia at the end of the season, concluding a notable tenure that included winning the 1986 Northern Conference NSL Premiership, the 1987 NSL Cup, and guiding the team to the 1988 Grand Final. His leadership left a lasting legacy at the club.

The club's top goalscorer for the season was Graham Arnold, who scored five goals.

Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	FW	AUS	Graham Arnold
—	DF	AUS	Shane Clinch
—	MF	AUS	Craig Foster
—	GK	AUS	Tony Franken
—	DF	AUS	Alan Hunter
—	FW	AUS	Sean Ingham
—	DF	AUS	Graham Jennings
—	DF	AUS	Mark Jones
—	GK	AUS	John Krajnović
—	FW	AUS	Tony Krslovic
—	FW	PNG	Manis Lamond
—	DF	AUS	Blago Milićević


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	DF	AUS	Nick Orlić
—	MF	CRO	Ivan Petković
—	MF	AUS	David Rezo
—	MF	CRO	Vedran Rožić (Captain)
—	DF	CRO	Ante Rumora
—	MF	AUS	Wally Savor
—	FW	AUS	David Seal
—	MF	AUS	Robbie Slater
—	MF	AUS	Tony Telisman
—	MF	ALB	Burim Zajmi
—	MF	AUS	Ned Zelic

Transfers in

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Moving from	Type	Transfer window	Ends	Transfer fee	Source
	GK		John Krajnović	23	Wollongong Macedonia	Transfer	Pre-season		Free	^[1]^[2]^[3]
	MF		Ned Zelic	17	AIS	Transfer	Pre-season		Free	^[4]^[5]

Transfers out

Pos.	Name	Age	Moving to	Type	Transfer window	Transfer fee	Source
GK	Greg Woodhouse	28	Avala	End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	^[6]^[7]
DF	Andy Brockbank	27	Avala	End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	^[8]
MF	David Fitzharris	24	Avala	End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	^[9]^[10]
MF	Gustavo Cerro	19	Melita Eagles	End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	^[11]
MF	Adrian Cisato	19	Free agent	End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	^[12]
FW	John Kero	24	Free agent	End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	^[13]
MF	Dragan Božić		Free agent	End of Contract	Pre-season	Free	^[14]

Mid-Season Gains

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Moving from	Type	Transfer window	Ends	Transfer fee	Source
	MF		Ante Rumora	28	Dinamo Zagreb	Transfer	Mid-season		Free	^[15]^[16]
	MF		Burim Zajmi	28	APIA Leichhardt	Transfer	Mid-season		Free	^[17]^[18]^[19]

Mid-Season Losses

Pos.	Name	Age	Moving to	Type	Transfer window	Transfer fee	Source
FW	Tony Krslovic	19	St George-Budapest	Loan	Mid-season	Free	^[20]
FW	Sean Ingham	23	Wollongong City	Transfer	Mid-season	Free	^[21]^[22]
GK	Mark Bosnich	17	Manchester United	Transfer	Mid-season	Free	^[23]^[24]

Overview

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
National Soccer League	22 January 1989	16 July 1989	Matchday 1	7th	26	10	8	8	25	25	+0	038.46
NSL Cup	23 March 1989	23 March 1989	First Round	First Round	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	000.00
Total					27	10	8	9	26	27	−1	037.04

Last updated: complete
Source: Competitions

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
5	Preston Makedonia	26	11	8	7	31	24	+7	30	Qualification for the Finals series
6	Adelaide City	26	10	8	8	29	24	+5	28
7	Sydney Croatia	26	10	8	8	25	25	0	28
8	South Melbourne	26	9	8	9	44	37	+7	26
9	Wollongong City	26	8	7	11	22	29	−7	23

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Results summary


Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
26	10	8	8	25	25	0	38	6	4	3	14	12	+2	4	4	5	11	13	−2

Source: [1]

Matches

22 January 1989 1	Sydney Croatia	1–0	Sunshine George Cross	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Ingham 80'	Report		Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Richard Lorenc

26 January 1989 2	South Melbourne Hellas	0–1	Sydney Croatia	Middle Park, Victoria
		Report	Slater 49'	Stadium: Middle Park Stadium Attendance: 3,200 Referee: Chris Bambridge

29 January 1989 3	Sydney Croatia	2–0	Adelaide City	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Slater 12' Arnold 90'	Report		Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 5,374 Referee: Bill Monteverde

5 February 1989 4	Wollongong City	1–0	Sydney Croatia	Fairy Meadow, New South Wales
	Easthorpe 13'	Report		Stadium: Brandon Park Attendance: 4,756 Referee: Peter Spiers

12 February 1989 5	Sydney Croatia	0–0	Sydney Olympic	Edensor Park, New South Wales
		Report		Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 8,009 Referee: Chris Bambridge

19 February 1989 6	Melbourne Croatia	0–0	Sydney Croatia	Sunshine North, Victoria
		Report		Stadium: Somers St Stadium Attendance: 8,000 Referee: John Santa Isabel

26 February 1989 7	Sydney Croatia	2–1	Melbourne City JUST	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Arnold 9' Hunter 65 (pen)'	Report	Crino 27'	Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 5,923 Referee: Jim Reeves

5 March 1989 8	Heidelberg United	2–0	Sydney Croatia	Heidelberg West, Victoria
	Stubbins 44' Oulsalkas 81'	Report		Stadium: Olympic Village Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Dennis Voutsinas

3 May 1989 9	Sydney Croatia	1–2	APIA Leichhardt	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Savor 54'	Report	Brown 19' Ricoy 67'	Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 2,200 Referee: Alan Townsend

28 June 1989 10	Blacktown City	0–2	Sydney Croatia	Seven Hills, New South Wales
		Report	Jones 40', 84'	Stadium: Gabbie Stadium Attendance: 875 Referee: Peter Spiers

26 March 1990 11	Sydney Croatia	1–1	St George-Budapest	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Arnold 19'	Report	Ollerenshaw 17 (pen)'	Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 3,451 Referee: John McConnell

10 May 1990 12	Sydney Croatia	0–3	Marconi Fairfield	Edensor Park, New South Wales
		Report	Lowe 29' Gray 34', 50'	Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 3,259 Referee: Jim Reeves

9 April 1989 13	Preston Makedonia	0–0	Sydney Croatia	Melbourne, Victoria
		Report		Stadium: Olympic Park Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Jim Fearn

22 April 1989 14	Sydney Croatia	2–1	South Melbourne	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Hunter 18 (pen)' Lamond 77'	Report	Rožić (og) 57'	Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 1,753 Referee: Bill Monteverde

30 April 1989 15	Sydney Olympic	1–0	Sydney Croatia	Moore Park, New South Wales
	Ironside 83'	Report		Stadium: Sydney Football Stadium Attendance: 3,460 Referee: Rob Davies

7 May 1989 16	Sydney Croatia	1–0	Wollongong City	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Slater 52 (pen)'	Report		Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 3,431 Referee: Jim Feirn

14 May 1989 17	Adelaide City	0–0	Sydney Croatia	Kensington, South Australia
		Report		Stadium: Olympic Sports Field Attendance: 5,100 Referee: Jim Rossis

20 May 1989 18	Sydney Croatia	1–1	Melbourne Croatia	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Petkovic 74'	Report	Milosevic 57'	Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 2,743 Referee: Richard Lorenc

27 May 1989 19	Melbourne City JUST	1–3	Sydney Croatia	Footscray, Victoria
	van Egmond 61'	Report	Arnold 43' Seal 79' Lamond 81'	Stadium: Schintler Reserve Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Don Campbell

5 July 1989 20	Sydney Croatia	1–2	Heidelberg United	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Lamond 13'		Kanesoulis 37' Gojevic 55'	Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 1,508 Referee: Bill Monteverde

June 11 1989 21	APIA Leichhardt	1–3	Sydney Croatia	Leichhardt, New South Wales
	Kosmina 42'	Report	Seal 10', 40' Lamond 82'	Stadium: Lambert Park Attendance: 1,494 Referee: Richard Lorenc

18 June 1989 22	Sydney Croatia	0–0	Blacktown City	Edensor Park, New South Wales
		Report		Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 3,709 Referee: Chris Bambridge

25 June 1989 23	St George-Budapest FC	3–0	Sydney Croatia	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Ollerenshaw 54' Krslovic 62' Ratcliffe 76'	Report		Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 4,644 Referee: Jim Reeves

2 July 1989 24	Marconi Fairfield	1–1	Sydney Croatia	Bossley Park, New South Wales
	Colagiuri 73'	Report	Foster 12'	Stadium: Marconi Stadium Attendance: 8,350 Referee: Jim Reeves

9 July 1989 25	Sydney Croatia	2–1	Preston Makedonia	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Hunter 18 (pen)' Arnold 59'	Report	Jolevski 45'	Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 3,408 Referee: Gary Power

16 July 1989 26	Sunshine George Cross	3–1	Sydney Croatia	Sunshine, Victoria
	Lewis 57' Morley 68' Latif 76'	Report	Hunter 69'	Stadium: Chaplin Reserve Attendance: 1,743 Referee: Dennis Voutsinas

NSL Cup

23 March 1989 First round	Sydney Croatia	1–2	APIA Leichhardt	Edensor Park, New South Wales
	Rezo ?'	Report	Hagan 63' Brown ?'	Stadium: Sydney Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 1,705 Referee: Alan Townsend

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Players with no appearances not included in the list.^[25]^[26]

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	National Soccer League		NSL Cup		Total
No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
—	FW		Graham Arnold	26	5	1	0	27	5
—	DF		Shane Clinch	25	0	1	0	26	0
—	MF		Craig Foster	19	1	1	0	20	1
—	GK		Tony Franken	9	0	1	0	10	0
—	DF		Alan Hunter	24	4	1	0	25	4
—	FW		Sean Ingham	12	1	0	0	12	1
—	DF		Graham Jennings	13	0	1	0	14	0
—	DF		Mark Jones	23	2	0	0	23	2
—	GK		John Krajnović	17	0	0	0	17	0
—	FW		Tony Krslovic	2	0	0	0	2	0
—	FW		Manis Lamond	21	4	0	0	21	4
—	DF		Blago Milićević	2	0	0	0	2	0
—	MF		Ivan Petković	15	1	1	0	16	1
—	MF		David Rezo	18	0	1	1	19	1
—	MF		Vedran Rožić	20	0	0	0	20	0
—	DF		Ante Rumora	14	0	1	0	15	0
—	MF		Wally Savor	26	1	0	0	26	1
—	FW		David Seal	5	3	0	0	5	3
—	MF		Robbie Slater	23	3	1	0	24	3
—	MF		Tony Telisman	0	0	1	0	1	0
—	MF		Burim Zajmi	2	0	1	0	3	0
—	MF		Ned Zelic	9	0	1	0	10	0

References

^ "Aussie Footballers - Kowalski to Kyriazopoulos". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
^ Nimac, Ivan; Dusevic, Sime; Lozina, Leonard; Nimac, Tony (2008). More Than The Game: 50 Years of Sydney United (First Edition 2008 ed.). Sydney, NSW, Australia: Sydney United. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-646-50046-1.
^ "John Krajnovic (Part 1) - Football United vs Soccer City". football-united-vs-socc.captivate.fm. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
^ "Ned Zelić". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
^ Soccer, Aussie (June 1989). Who Moved Where, When...And The Cost! (2 ed.). Sunshine, Victoria: Aussie Soccer Magazine. p. 8.
^ "Greg Woodhouse". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
^ Gilmour, Keith (February 1989). "Henderson, De Bruin make big signings". Australian Soccer Weekly. Vol. 10, no. 364. Foreign Language Publications Pty Ltd.
^ Gilmour, Keith (February 1989). "Henderson, De Bruin make big signings". Australian Soccer Weekly. Vol. 10, no. 364. Foreign Language Publications Pty Ltd.
^ "Aussie Footballers - Field to Foschini". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
^ Gilmour, Keith (February 1989). "Henderson, De Bruin make big signings". Australian Soccer Weekly. Vol. 10, no. 364. Foreign Language Publications Pty Ltd.
^ Vesic, Alex (March 1989). "Two sent off!". Australian Soccer Weekly. Vol. 10, no. 368. Foreign Language Publicatons Pty Ltd.
^ "Aussie Footballers - Chilvers to Coady". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
^ "Aussie Footballers - Kennedy to Kim". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
^ "Aussie Footballers - Botham to Brandan". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
^ Soccer, Aussie (June 1989). Who Moved Where, When...And The Cost! (2 ed.). Sunshine, Victoria: Aussie Soccer Magazine. p. 8.
^ Gautier, Paul. "Croatia back in strength". Australian Soccer Weekly. Vol. 10, no. January 18th 1989. Foreign Language Publications.
^ "Aussie Footballers - Zacharopoulos to Zwangobani". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
^ Soccer, Aussie (May 1989). "Solid as A-ROK". Aussie Soccer. No. 1. Anthony Cerantonio.
^ Soccer, Aussie (June 1989). Who Moved Where, When...And The Cost! (2 ed.). Sunshine, Victoria: Aussie Soccer Magazine. p. 8.
^ Desira, Peter (May 1989). "Solid as A-ROK". Aussie Soccer. No. 1. Anthony Cerantonio.
^ "Aussie Footballers - Iandorio to Istuk". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
^ "Sean Ingham". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
^ "Mark Bosnich". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
^ Desira, Peter (September–October 1989). "Unknown Export". Aussie Soccer Magazine. Vol. September-October 1989, no. 04. Anthony Cerantino.
^ "The 1989 Season". ozfootball.net.
^ "1989 National League Cup Results". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 2 August 2025.

[1] "Aussie Footballers - Kowalski to Kyriazopoulos". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 2 August 2025.

[2] Nimac, Ivan; Dusevic, Sime; Lozina, Leonard; Nimac, Tony (2008). More Than The Game: 50 Years of Sydney United (First Edition 2008 ed.). Sydney, NSW, Australia: Sydney United. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-646-50046-1.

[3] "John Krajnovic (Part 1) - Football United vs Soccer City". football-united-vs-socc.captivate.fm. Retrieved 2 August 2025.

[4] "Ned Zelić". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2 August 2025.

[5] Soccer, Aussie (June 1989). Who Moved Where, When...And The Cost! (2 ed.). Sunshine, Victoria: Aussie Soccer Magazine. p. 8.

[6] "Greg Woodhouse". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.

[7] Gilmour, Keith (February 1989). "Henderson, De Bruin make big signings". Australian Soccer Weekly. Vol. 10, no. 364. Foreign Language Publications Pty Ltd.

[8] Gilmour, Keith (February 1989). "Henderson, De Bruin make big signings". Australian Soccer Weekly. Vol. 10, no. 364. Foreign Language Publications Pty Ltd.

[9] "Aussie Footballers - Field to Foschini". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.

[10] Gilmour, Keith (February 1989). "Henderson, De Bruin make big signings". Australian Soccer Weekly. Vol. 10, no. 364. Foreign Language Publications Pty Ltd.

[11] Vesic, Alex (March 1989). "Two sent off!". Australian Soccer Weekly. Vol. 10, no. 368. Foreign Language Publicatons Pty Ltd.

[12] "Aussie Footballers - Chilvers to Coady". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.

[13] "Aussie Footballers - Kennedy to Kim". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.

[14] "Aussie Footballers - Botham to Brandan". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.

[15] Soccer, Aussie (June 1989). Who Moved Where, When...And The Cost! (2 ed.). Sunshine, Victoria: Aussie Soccer Magazine. p. 8.

[16] Gautier, Paul. "Croatia back in strength". Australian Soccer Weekly. Vol. 10, no. January 18th 1989. Foreign Language Publications.

[17] "Aussie Footballers - Zacharopoulos to Zwangobani". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.

[18] Soccer, Aussie (May 1989). "Solid as A-ROK". Aussie Soccer. No. 1. Anthony Cerantonio.

[19] Soccer, Aussie (June 1989). Who Moved Where, When...And The Cost! (2 ed.). Sunshine, Victoria: Aussie Soccer Magazine. p. 8.

[20] Desira, Peter (May 1989). "Solid as A-ROK". Aussie Soccer. No. 1. Anthony Cerantonio.

[21] "Aussie Footballers - Iandorio to Istuk". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 12 June 2025.

[22] "Sean Ingham". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2 August 2025.

[23] "Mark Bosnich". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 14 August 2025.

[24] Desira, Peter (September–October 1989). "Unknown Export". Aussie Soccer Magazine. Vol. September-October 1989, no. 04. Anthony Cerantino.

[25] "The 1989 Season". ozfootball.net.

[26] "1989 National League Cup Results". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 2 August 2025.

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