After an eighth place finish in 2014 and a move away from Hosken Reserve, there is plenty to be expectant about at Pascoe Vale for Edition 2 of the Playstation Four Victorian National Premier League.
Mfootball’s Chief of Staff, Shaun Moran recently trekked out to Melbourne’s north and spoke exclusively with “Paco” coach, Vitale Ferrante ahead of the upcoming season.

SM: Thanks for joining me today, Vitale. There’s just over a month to go until it all gets underway. What’s the feeling in the camp?

VF: The boys are motivated and their attitudes are fantastic. They have taken to the hard work that we’ve been doing. It certainly makes it easier for a coach when a playing group has that personality.

SM: Everyone out there is interested in what you’ve done over the off-season in the transfer market. What has been happening on that front and can you tell me a little about each of the players you’ve brought in?

VF: We looked at how we went last year and we were satisfied with how we went, but we’re always looking at improving. So we’ve identified who and what we needed as far as specifics were concerned and we’ve been really happy with who we’ve been able to recruit. We’ve gone and targeted specific individuals and positions and now there’s a really good balance with the squad. We’ve been able to sign a boy called Jake Halliday, who played at Campbelltown in the Adelaide NPL last season. He’s a left-back. We’ve got Davey van’t Schip, who’s back earlier than his original plan, which is fantastic. We’ve signed another boy called Tom Black. Tom’s an English lad – a midfielder and he’s going to be a really good asset to the squad. We’ve also signed a young boy called Connor Kass. Connor played for South Hobart – the champions of the Tasmanian NPL last season. And the other one is Adam Nakic, who is Jake Nakic’s brother. He comes in and adds some real versatility, not only in that central midfield role but also across the back.

SM: Can you reveal who’s left the club and provide a word on the service they’ve provided?

VF: The one in particular is Marco Santilli. Marco’s taken a break for personal commitments. He’s going to be a big loss. He finished runner up in our votes last year and he’s a real experienced campaigner, whose been a great servant to the club. The other one is Evan Karavitis, whose been around and played for South [Melbourne] and been an integral part of our progression through the ranks. He’s another one who’s concentrating on some new work opportunities. It’s going to be sad to see them go. We’re a club who build a personality and they’re part of that so they’re going to be big shoes to fill.

SM: You’ll be playing your home games this season at CB Smith Reserve, which from all reports is a $6.4 million facility. Your home record last year was phenomenal and you picked up many points here. How exciting is it to be moving to a new and modern venue and what impact will it have on your team in terms of maintaining that home ground advantage?

VF: Good question. I’ve thought about that a lot. The facility is incredible. I’ve seen it as it’s been built. I was there when they laid the grass. It’s going to be in the top couple of facilities in Victoria. We’re excited because we’ve got some real quality in this squad, so they’re going to enjoy playing week in week out on a good surface. I have gone through and looked at our record and on good surfaces and we really match it with all of the top teams in the league. It’ll allow us to implement a real quality of football that probably Hosken Reserve probably can’t do. But Hosken Reserve is part of our make up and I know how difficult it is for teams to come here and we are able to play this ground pretty well. So the test is on the boys to see how they adapt. We’re proud of Hosken Reserve and we’re not going away from here. Hosken Reserve is still Pascoe Vale. There will be games still here. This league’s getting better each year. So are we and we’re trying to improve and the facility is part of that journey.
SM: You’re not the wealthiest of clubs in comparison to many others in the NPL and it’s probably fair to say that you regularly punch above your weight. What are your targets for this season? Is it trying to qualify for the FFA Cup? A top four finish?
VF: Our target this year is to win every game we play. I want to improve on how we finished last year. There were some very good things about how we finished last year – some really good signs of our evolution. But there were some things that I have identified that we need to get better at. And we’re going in that direction. So it’s basically to win every single game that we play. Now, where we finish because of that – time will tell.

SM: You’ve had a year to reflect on how the NPL has begun. What are your thoughts on its progress thus far?

VF: I think it’s progressing fantastically. I like some of the constraints that there are in place – as far as visas are concerned and also points. It helps teams nurture what they’ve got and bringing the best out of them. And that’s what a club like ours is good at. I think the standard’s great. Have a look at what Bentleigh went and did in the FFA Cup. We saw what South [Melbourne] achieved on a national scale, so it’s great to be part of it. All teams are improving on their squads. I love the national focus. For example, as part of our pre-season, we’re going to be involved with two of the Hobart NPL teams. It’s great to do that. You wouldn’t have been able to do that in the past. We’re now all talking the same language.

SM: What type of football should fans and the league expect from Pascoe Vale this year?

VF: Pascoe Vale are going to play an exciting brand of football. We want to be effective and we want to be very hard to beat. Everyone knows that play with a high intensity and that’s our approach. But you have to have quality too. And we need to balance all of those facets and be our own team. Everyone wants to play like Barcelona, but we’re not Barcelona and so we need to balance being able to play good football, being effective and being really competitive on all fronts. Our approach isn’t going to change from last year and the year before.

SM: You had two 17-year-old’s – Yaren Sozer and another youngster in Ali Eyigun step up into the first team last year. Do you envisage any other youth players getting a similar chance this year?

VF: I don’t know how much longer he’s [Eyigun] going to be at Pascoe Vale because that might not last too long, which is something we’re proud of. But I’m heavily focused on our under 20s and our under 18s. We’ve made a conscious effort to establish those teams from our very strong under 18s and under 16 teams. There are a handful of 16-year-olds who are now in our under 20s and I’m keeping an eye on them. I believe already two or three of them will end up having game time in our first eleven, because we’ve got some older players who can nurture these young boys. You don’t play young boys just for the sake of it. I think they need to be developed properly and when you have senior players with the right character who can instil the right professionalism, I think it develops them quicker. It will be good to see how the young boys progress throughout the year. We’re going to need them – it’s a long season and we saw last year that you need these boys being able to step up, so they’re going to get their chance.

SM: Your first two games are on the road against Heidelberg and Port Melbourne respectively. How important will it be to get off to a good start?

VF: Very important. The first eight games set where you’re going to be for the rest of the season, so we’re really concentrating on getting off to a good start. It’s going to be great going to Heidelberg. They’re both great grounds at Heidelberg and Port Melbourne and we’ve played well at both of those. I think every team and coach will be saying the same thing because it is important. It instils confidence and players then believe, which is the hardest part playing a game like this. You need to believe what you’re doing and results are what dictate that.