Footscray JUST
Full name | Footscray Jugoslav United Soccer Team |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | JUST, Plavi |
Founded | 1950 |
Dissolved | 1990 |
Ground | Schintler Reserve, Footscray |
Footscray JUST (Jugoslav United Soccer Team[1]) is a defunct association football club from Melbourne, Australia.
History
Established in 1950 by migrants from Yugoslavia, 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. 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. 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. Poor seasons returned though, and the team was relegated at the end of the 1989 season to the Victorian leagues, in which after one more poor season, finishing 15th, saw the club disband.[3] The disbanding of the club coincided with the disintegration of Yugoslavia which saw all Yugoslav based organisations lose their supporter base.
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
International Players
- Jim Milisavljevic
- Branko Buljevic
- Doug Utjesenovic
- Peter Ollerton
- Jamie Paton
- Vlada Stosic
- Oscar Crino
- Gary van Egmond
- Warren Spink
- Ernie Tapai
- Frank Micic