Lokomotiv Cove FC

Football club infobox
clubname = Lokomotiv Cove FC


nickname = Loko
fullname = Lokomotiv Cove Football Club
founded = 2007
ground = Tempe Reserve, Sydney
capacity = 150,000 (Seated: 6 Terraced: 149,994)
chairman = flagicon|Australia Ben Willing
league = Eastern Suburbs Football Association
pattern_la1 =_blue_hoops | pattern_b1 = | pattern_ra1 =_blue_hoops
leftarm1 = 00BFFF | body1 = 00BFFF | rightarm1 = 00BFFF | shorts1 = 000060 | socks1 = 00BFFF
pattern_la2 = _blue_hoops | pattern_b2 = | pattern_ra2 = _blue_hoops
leftarm2 = FF6347 | body2=FF6347 | rightarm2 = FF6347 | shorts2 = 000060 | socks2 = 00BFFF

Lokomotiv Cove Football Club is an Australian amateur football (soccer) club based in Tempe, a suburb of Sydney. They currently play in the Eastern Suburbs Football Association.

History

The club was formed in early 2007 by members of the Cove, a supporter group of A-League club Sydney FC. However the Club's beginnings trace back to 2005, when a charity match was played between members of the Cove and the Marinators (Central Coast Mariners supporters).

While it's believed that the name of the club was penned because of the use of trains to get to games on the Central Coast, it was actually suggested by Darren Bozinovski, a member of the Cove, at the Campsie Hotel while watching an A-League fixture. The name came about after a conversation with Darren, Victor Azevedo and Christian Thompson about the naming of the Sydney FC supporters' team. Each person started suggesting names by using the name of Eastern European football clubs and putting Cove at the end of the name, but when Darren suggested Lokomotiv, a name usually associated with Railway company football teams from the former Eastern Bloc, everyone agreed that that the name sounded great and decided that should be the name of the new team.

The name 'Lokomotiv' was formally used at the supporters Charity match a week later; When Christian Thompson was asked by the ground announcer at the Cove vs. Marinators charity match what the Sydney FC supporters team would be called. Christian, remembering the conversation the week before, said "We're called Lokomotiv Cove", and since that moment the name has remained.

Later in that season a Lokomotiv Cove team played a match against Den United, a Queensland Roar supporter team in a curtain-raiser to a Queensland Roar-Sydney FC match at Suncorp Stadium. [cite news|url=http://www.theworldgame.com.au/a-league/index.php?pid=st&cid=81579|title=Den All Stars go Loko|date=2006-12-18|publisher=The World Game|accessdate=2007-04-12] [cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20947797-5006068,00.html|title=Marinators earn shoot-out win|date=2006-12-19|publisher=The Daily Telegraph (Australia)|accessdate=2007-04-12] [ [http://www.qldroar.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=6727&pageid=375 Den v. Cove curtain raiser] Queensland Roar website January 18, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007] [cite news|url=http://www.theworldgame.com.au/a-league/index.php?pid=st&cid=79793|title=The Don Parkes Trophy|date=2006-12-15|publisher=The World Game|accessdate=2007-04-14]

Inaugural Season - 2007

After being incorporated in November 2006, Lokomotiv played its first match as an official club in the Don Parkes Trophy at Mingara Recreation Centre on the Central Coast. Following an enthralling encounter played over 80 minutes due to the extreme summer temperatures the game was locked at 2-2. A penalty shootout followed with Lokomotiv missing the final penalty and losing 5-4. [cite news|url=http://blogs.smh.com.au/sport/archives/2006/12/don_parkes_trophy.html|title=Don Parkes Charity Cup|date=2006-12-18|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=2007-04-12] On January 20, 2007, the club played its second charity match this time in the 52,000 seat Suncorp Stadium as a curtain raiser to the Queensland Roar vs Sydney FC A-League encounter. Played over 30 minutes Lokomotiv conceded a goal with less than 5 minutes remaining giving it little chance of defending the trophy won in the previous year. The result ended 1-0. Following 2 successive defeats, club president Ben Willing terminated the services of inaugural coach Darren Bozninovski.

Pre-season trials and training began upon return of the squad to Sydney with the club developing a nomadic existence at Sydney's Centennial Park and Wentworth Park while home ground Tempe Reserve was required for completion of the cricket season. In February, Adam Coates was appointed the club's new head coach and made responsible for grading the teams. The task was made more difficult by the fact that it was the first time many players had played in the Eastern Suburbs Football Association where the competition structure and standard differed considerably to other associations in the Sydney Metropolitan Area.

The club's first competitive match was played by the senior team who were entered into the ESFA Men's division 2 competition. The match was the 1st rd of the ESFA Cup and was a successful 4-1 victory over Queens Park AA4 team. This began a cup run that was to end at the hands of Maroubra AA1 in the quarter finals on June 11. Loko matched it with the current division 1 leaders and had an open goal attempt miraculously saved in the dying seconds to prevent the game going to extra time.

From early in the season it was clear that the clubs best chance of success lay with the Senior Women's team who were playing in division 3. Coach Cesar Bolivar had a tight knit bunch of girls lead by Swedish star Gry Bakke who scored 48 goals from midfield and Noni Payling who provided many of Gry's assists on route to the team winning Loko's first league premiership. Both girls had joined the club after playing first division for the University of Newcastle in the Northern NSW Women's League. The experience rubbed off on their teammates many of whom were playing their first season of competitive football. Unfortunately a torn meniscus for Noni and international travel plans for Gry prevented the duo from playing in the finals series and the team was unable to win the premiership/championship double.

The Senior Men's Squad overcome a slow start in the league to record 6 wins in their final 8 games and wrap up third spot in the Division 2 premiership. Unfortunately for the team, Scottish Central defenders Kevin Collins and Damien Hagerty were unaware of the Australian notion of finals football and had organised holidays home to Glasgow coinciding with Loko's first men's finals appearance. The result was a 7-0 drubbing from Maccabi Hakoah.

In the lower men's division the club was less successful due to the new combinations and lack of competitive knowledge of the new competition for many players and the club grading committee. The division 4,5,6 & 8 teams all won the wooden spoon in their respective competitions while the division 7 team finished third and division 3 team mid-table. The division 7 team earned Loko's first championship however with a 1-0 over the Lions at Hensley Athletic Field in front of a crowd of around 200 people. The goal scored in the last 5 minutes lead to a large celebration amongst the Terminus.

Gry Bakke was awarded the Golden Boot for the district.

Season 2008

Season 2008 will see Lokomotiv Cove entering teams in the ESFA division 1 for the first time.

Colours and badge

The Club uses the same colours (sky blue, navy blue and orange) as A-League team, Sydney FC.

The Lokomotiv Cove badge is based around an anchor, which is also used on most of the traditional flags and crests of the harbour city of Sydney, Australia. The anchor has "wings", which represents the grille seen on the front of many trains.

Current squad

All Age Division 1 is the highest level at which a Lokomotiv Cove FC team competes

Teams

The club currently has eleven teams entered into ESFA league competitions. There are nine men's and two women's teams. The men play in All Age Divisions 1 to 8 and Over 35's, while the women play in Senior Women's Divisions 3 and 4.

upporters

Lokomotiv Cove has a supporters group which is called the Terminus.

Honours

* League Premiership: 1
** 2007 Senior Women's Division 3

* League Championship: 1
** 2007 All Age Division 7 (1-0 vs Lions FC)

* ESFA Cup: 0
** 2007 Quarter Finals

* Don Parkes Trophy: 1
** 2005 4-0 vs. Dinamo Marinators

* Annual vs Roar Fans: 1
** 2006 3-0 vs. Den United

* Soccerwhos Trophy: 1
** 2007 5-4 vs. Aussies On Tour (June 2, 2007)

Records

Club

Lokomotiv Cove F.C. played its first competitive match in the ESFA Cup competition, Round 1, March 25, 2007 vs. Queens Park. Lokomotiv Cove won the match 3-1.

* First Goal:
** ESFA Cup: Phillip Wood (v Queens Park AA4 March 25, 2007)
** League: Domino Postiglione (v Sydney University AA8 April 1, 2007)
* Record Victory: 13-2 (v Queens Park SW3 April 29, 2007)
* Record Defeat: 18-1 (v Queens Park AA8 [2008] )
* Record Draw: 7-7 (v Pagewood AA6 May 13, 2007)

Player

* Most goals:
** All time: Gry Bakke (48), Phillip Wood (12)
** Single match: Gry Bakke (8 goals vs Queens Park SW3, April 29, 2007)

External links

* [http://www.lokomotivcove.com/ Official Lokomotiv Cove FC website]
* [http://www.esfa.com.au Official Eastern Suburbs Football Association website]
* [http://www.sfcu.com.au/smf/index.php?board=14.0 Official Lokomotiv Cove Forums]

References