Andrew Marth
Andrew Marth (born 10 February 1969)[1] is a retired Australian soccer player and former Socceroo, representing his national 16 times. He is the current manager of Victorian State League Division 1 club Brimbank Stallions FC, with whom he achieved back-to-back promotions in 2017 and 2018.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Andrew Marth | ||
Date of birth | [1] | 10 February 1969||
Playing position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1986–1989 | Sunshine Georgies | 59 | (2) |
1989–1998 | Melbourne Knights | 194 | (35) |
1997 | → St Albans (loan) | 33 | (14) |
1998–2001 | Carlton SC | 66 | (18) |
2001–2004 | Melbourne Knights | 75 | (13) |
2004 | Fawkner Blues | 9 | (1) |
2005–2006 | Green Gully | 21 | (1) |
National team | |||
1991–2000 | Australia | 16 | (1) |
Teams managed | |||
1997 | St Albans | ||
1998 | Green Gully | ||
2000–2003 | Melbourne Knights | ||
2006 | Green Gully | ||
2012–2017 | Melbourne Knights | ||
2017– | Brimbank Stallions FC | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only |
Playing career
Club career
Marth broke into the senior setup at National Soccer League club Sunshine George Cross FC. He spent four seasons with the Western-suburbs based club before moving to nearby fellow NSL club Melbourne Knights FC in 1989.[2] In the 1990-91 season, he won the Minor Premiership with the Knights but lost the Grand Final to bitter rivals South Melbourne FC. With Melbourne Croatia, Marth would then collect two more Minor Premierships but lose two more Grand Finals, both to Adelaide City.
In the 1994-95 season, Knights once more met Adelaide City in the Grand Final but this time would emerge victorious, with the by-then captain of the Knights Andrew Marth grabbing a goal in a 2-0 victory. Marth then repeated his feat from the 94-95 season in the 95-96 season when he would once again captain Knighs to an NSL title, this time beating Marconi Fairfield 2-1, Marth once more on the scoresheet. Marth was the Joe Marston medallist in the 1996 national league grand final.[3]
Marth left the Knights at the end of the 1997-98 season, taking up a lucrative offer from Carlton SC, expressing vexation with the Club's recruitment policy. After spending three season with Carlton, Marth then returned to the Knights. Carlton folded that year.
After Vlado Vaniš was sacked as the coach in 2001, Marth took over as player-coach to see out the season.
Marth played his final game for Melbourne Knights at the end of the 2003-04 NSL season, taking on sister-club Sydney United at Knights Stadium. At the end of the match, Marth and Ruden, the two captains of their sides, were carried off the pitch side by side.
The hard-man midfielder then went and spent a season with Fawkner Blues in the VPL and then closed out his career with two seasons in the VPL with Green Gully.
International career
Marth played 16 matches for Australia between 1991 and 2000.
Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 July 1992 | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia | 1-0 | 1-0 | Friendly |
Coaching career
When Paul Magdić was sacked as coach of Melbourne Knights FC in mid-2012, the club decided to hire Andrew Marth, with fellow club legend Frank Jurić appointed as his assistant.[4] Melbourne Knights, now playing in the VPL, went through a mini-revival after the appointment, escaping relegation by some distance but missing out on making the finals' series. In his first full season, Marth managed to take the Knights to the final series following a second place league finish. Unfortunately, Melbourne Knights lost to both Bentleigh Greens and South Melbourne and exited the finals series.
After the 2013 season, Marth was inducted into the Melbourne Knights Hall of Fame.[5]
In 2014, Marth won the Dockerty Cup with the Knights, beating South Springvale in the final.[6] Reaching the semi-final of the Dockerty Cup also took Knights to the inaugural FFA Cup, where they lost to Olympic FC in Queensland.
In 2016 Marth became Melbourne Knights' longest-serving head coach.[7] In May 2017 Marth was relieved of his duties as coach of the NPL Victoria club.[8]
After departing the Knights, Marth dropped four division to join Victorian State League Division 3 club Brimbank Stallions FC, with whom he managed back-to-back promotions in 2017 and 2018.[9]
References
- "Marth, Andrew". Australian Players Database. OzFootball.
- "Australian Player Database - MA". OzFootball. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- Cockerill, Mike (26 May 1996). "It's two in a row for Knights". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
In the end it was Marth who had the most to celebrate - not only captaining his club to victory, but also picking up a goal and the Marston Medal for man of the match in the process.
- "Nakic strike seals Marth's first win". Melbourne Knights FC. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "Marth and Juric, back for 2014 season". Melbourne Knights FC. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "Knights triumph in Dockerty Cup Final". Melbourne Knights FC. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- "Marth, Juric commit for 5th season". Melbourne Knights FC. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "Knights part ways with Marth, Juric". Melbourne Knights FC. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "Stallions' promotion all part of an ambitious plan". Star Weekly. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2019.