Footscray JUST

Footscray J.U.S.T.
Full name Footscray Jugoslav United Soccer Team
Nickname(s) JUST, Plavi, Eagles
Founded 1950
Dissolved 1990 (carried on under new ownership)
Ground Schintler Reserve, Footscray

Footscray JUST (Jugoslav United Soccer Team) was an association football club from Melbourne, Australia, and a former member of the National Soccer League

History

Established in 1950 by migrants from Yugoslavia,[1] Footscray JUST played in the Victorian leagues with a fair amount of success, winning five Victorian State League titles,[2] and three Dockerty Cup titles.

National Soccer League

In 1977 they became a foundation member of the National Soccer League, where they largely struggled, with the exception of 1986, where they lost to Adelaide City in the Southern Conference grand final.[3] In that year Footscray recruited legendary Red Star Belgrade player and trainer Dragoslav Šekularac who also brought with him Vlada Stošić which immediately lifted the club from the bottom to the top of the league.

However poor performances returned and in their final season as members of the NSL in 1989, after the club changed their name to Melbourne City JUST to broaden their appeal and with Schintler Reserve having undergone significant renovations, the club were demoted to the Victoria State League along with fellow Melbourne club Heidelberg United FC after finishing second bottom, recording only five league wins.

Their last NSL match took place on 10 July 1989, when 1,830 turned up to Schintler Reserve to witness a 1-1 draw with Sydney Olympic.[4]

Statistics by Season

SeasonPldWDLGFGAPtsTable Position
1977 2696113639248th of 14
1978 26781129372212th of 14
1979 26831529432011th of 14
1980 2679103241239th of 14
1981 30971432482513th of 16
1982 305141134462414th of 16
1983 30991225423612th of 16
1984 28105132933258th of 12 (Sth)
1985 22521525411212th of 12 (Sth)
1986 2210842927282nd of 12 (Sth)
1987 2478917272211th of 13
1988 26791034322310th of 14
1989 26581324371813th of 14

(Pld)=Games Played, (W)=Wins, (D)=Draws, (L)=Losses, (GF)=Goals For, (GA)=Goals Against, (Pts)=Points, (Sth)=Southern Conference


They struggled badly the following season in the State League and suffered another relegation to VSL Division One.[5] The club were subsequently taken over by the Argentinian community which signalled the end of their historic Yugoslav connections and effectively the end of the original Footscray JUST.

The club carried on as Melbourne City playing at Schintler Reserve, however it was vacated in 1994 and is now a container storage facility, with the clubrooms converted into offices. Today the club compete in the Victorian State League 3 North-West still as Melbourne City [6] (no connection to the A League franchise of that name [7]) playing at Edwards Reserve in Spotswood.

Honours

  • Victorian State League (VPL) Champions 1957, 1963, 1969, 1971, 1973
  • Victorian League 3 Division South Champions 1950
  • National Soccer League South Finalists 1986
  • Dockerty Cup Winners 1951, 1963, 1976,
  • Victorian Ampol Night Soccer Cup Winners 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1965, 1975

Individual Honours

Bill Fleming Medal

  • 1956 – Pepe Cubero
  • 1964 – Frank Micic
  • 1967 – Frank Micic
  • 1973 – Frank Micic

Victorian Premier League Top Goalscorer Award

  • 1971 – Dan Zoraja

NSL U21 Player of the Year

NSL Coach of the Year

International Players

Coaches

References

  1. ↑ http://sesasport.com/?p=363
  2. ↑ http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Clubs/F/FootscrayJUSTDH.html
  3. ↑ http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/NSL/1986/Playoff.html
  4. ↑ http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/NSL/1989/round26.htm
  5. ↑ http://www.socceraust.co.uk/VIC/Past%20Seasons/VIC90Tables.htm
  6. ↑ http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Clubs/M/MelbourneCity.html
  7. ↑ http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/legal-fight-over-8216melbourne-city8217-name-will-be-lost-expert-20140615-zs8ff.html
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