Integrating 12 new players into the squad has been at the top of the list of priorities for Point Cook Soccer Club coach Craig Filer.
The Jets have played three pre-season friendlies already and the Football Federation Victoria season does not kick off until April.
With so many new faces to mesh with a high retention rate from last year’s squad, Filer was not going to leave it to the last minute to work out who could potentially make the Jets’ starting XI.
“We have a lot of new players this year and we just wanted to get them integrated as quickly as possible and make them part of what we’re trying to achieve,” Filer told Star Weekly.
“The only way you can do that is by playing games.”
Point Cook had an impressive 1-0 win over Collingwood City in their latest hit-out at Saltwater Reserve on Saturday.
Chris Sutera netted the winner for the Jets in the first half after superb build-up from the midfield.
It was not that the goal led to a victory that excited Filer, but the fact it was a move replicated from the training track.
“It’s not about the result, it’s about trying specific things we’ve worked on at training and taking them out on to the pitch and we achieved that in many areas,” he said.
“There was some nice intricate football in the middle of the park in the lead-up to the goal.
“A lad put the ball through and Chris lobbed it over the keeper for a quality finish to a move we’ve been working on in training.
“As a coach, it’s always nice to see an end result on the pitch after we’d worked on it at training.”
Filer has conceded there will be added pressure on him to get the team to challenge for the FFV state league 4 west title in his second season in charge.
Point Cook made a flying start last season, but depth issues brought about by injuries halted any promotion ambitions.
That should not be a problem this campaign.
“Last year we let ourselves down towards the end of the season starting like a bullet train,” but fell away because of injuries,” Filer said.
“This year, we’ve brought in some quality players and [our depth] is quite strong now. Everyone is vying for a position and that’s exactly what you want as a coach.”
The Jets will host Mitchell Rangers on Saturday before facing Hoppers Crossing.
