Provisional League Cup Finals

Like the Federation/Metropolitan/State League Cup, the Provisional League Cup also ceased to exist after the 2003 edition. Dominated late on by Brunswick City, other illustrious names to have won the Cup include Westvale, Pascoe Vale, North Geelong, Frankston Pines and Werribee City.

There was a Provisional League Cup in 1954, but there was not always a Provisional League until the early 1970's. In the 1950's if there was an influx of new teams there would be a Provisional League until they were absorbed into the Metropolitan League system. A boom in the 1960's saw the District Leagues established in the latter part of the decade. There was no promotion or relegation between the Metropolitan and District Leagues. In the early 1970's the Provisional League was re-introduced. It ranked above the District League and had promotion available to the Metropolitan League.

It is possible there were some years the Cup was played for between 1955 and 1976. Since then there are three years I have yet to find the score of the Final (1988. 1990 and 1992).

2003 Chelsea 1 (Filipovic) Moreland United 0

2002 Sydenham Park 9 (B.Trcpcevski4, Jovevski2, Pzeski2, Trajkovski)
Collingwood City 0

2001 Brunswick City 0 Clayton 0
        Brunswick City won 4-1 on penalties

2000 Brunswick City 4 (Kyriopoulos2, Minichello, Vouloumanos) Endeavour Hills 3 (Moothoo2, Filies)

1999 Endeavour United 4 Sydenham Park 1

1998 Brunswick City 3 Lyndale United 1

1997 Croxton Park 3 (Basic, Becirervic, Fermic) Templestowe Eagles 0

1996 Springvale Condors 3 (L.Trejo, Leficura, Aranda) South Yarra 2 (McCann, Weston)
        After extra-time

1995 Keysborough 4 (Dantas3, Duarte) North Glenroy 2 (Tokoglu, Tavolaro)

1994 Old Scotch 2 (Robb2) Brunswick City 2 (Arestis2)
        Old Scotch won 4-1 on penalties

1993 South Wantirna 2 Westvale 1

1992 East Richmond

1991 Westvale 3 South Springvale 0
        After extra-time

1990 Brandon Park

1989 Prahran 1 Forest Hill 0

1988 Ascot St.Marks

1987 Ardeer 3 South Yarra 0

1986 Seaford United 4 Cranbourne 0

1985 Pascoe Vale 3 Williamstown 1

1984 Seaford United 3 (Bryden, Gardiner2) Boronia 1 (Fisher)

1983 Mordialloc-Clarinda 3 Springvale United 2 (Kaim2)

1982 Rosanna 2 Holland Park 1

1981 North Geelong 2 Yarraville 1

1980 Sunbury United 2 (Little, Campbell) Melton 1 (Davies)

1979 Nunawading City 3 (Torelli2, O.G.) Geelong 2 (Pagett, Robertson)

1978 Frankston Pines 3 Nunawading City 2

1977 Werribee City 3 (Mantello, Collins, McNeil) Frankston Pines 2 (Kerr, Malcolm)

1954 B.W.R. 3 South Yarra 1
        After extra-time

The Cup of Changing Names

Among the changing landscape of the Victorian Soccer Federation assuming control of the game from the Victorian Amateur Soccer Football Association was the inauguration of the Federation Cup in 1962. It was introduced to provide a Cup competition for clubs left out of the Dockerty Cup, which was scaled back to the twelve State League teams and the top two teams from Division One North and Division One South in an increasingly crowded schedule.

The first edition was won by Coburg United, who took the trophy in a replay following an initial draw with Sunshine City. Coburg retained the Cup the next year, this time defeating Makedonia.

The results between 1964 and 1968 are still to be uncovered. Whilst the top of the pyramid was well covered in the media, the lower reaches did not always get their results published. I have searched at the end of seasons and come up with nothing, but have yet to check if any Cups were contested in the pre-season. It is important to note the Dockerty Cup was expanded back to it's traditional format in 1964, so it is possible the Federation Cup was discontinued.

It is known that it was back in action by 1969, when Altona City triumphed over Springvale City after extra time. By 1972 Altona City had claimed the Cup for the third time. They would be joined as multiple winners in the 1970's by Albion Rovers.

In 1979 the Cup seems to have been replaced by the Winfield Cup, a name which would only last a year before being altered to the Metropolitan League Cup. Another name change would follow when the Metropolitan League became the Victorian League in 1985. The most confusing change would come in 1991 when the State League was re-branded as the Victorian Premier League. The Victorian League was in turn renamed the State League, meaning the new State League Cup carried the same name as the competition usually contested as an end of season finals series between the top four teams in the old State League.

Preston Makedonia were thumping 9-0 winners over Sunshine City in the 1973 Final, going on to win again in 1975 and then again in 1995 as Preston Lions. Box Hill dominated in the early 1980's with Lalor United multiple winners in the 1990's before the Cup was discontinued in 1996. It was revived for four editions from 2000 before the drought of 2004 finally killed it off.

Famous Cup heroics include a sixteen year old goalkeeper Jeff Olver taking Albion Rovers to success in 1976 on his way to becoming a Socceroo. Melbourne (Hungaria) had a last great hurrah as a club winning in 1985. Many winners from the 1980's were clubs on their way to stints in the VSL/VPL.

The full list of known Cup Final results is:

2003 Sunshine George Cross 0 Cranbourne Comets 0
Sunshine George Cross won 5-4 on penalties

2002 Westvale 4 (Goutzioulis2, Squillacioti, Gacovski) Springvale White Eagles 2 (Diaco, Styczen)

2001 Westgate 1 (Delic) Cranbourne Comets 0

2000 Stonnington City 2 (Tyrikos, Georgoulis) Sunshine Georgies 1 (Hynds) aet

1996 Preston Lions 4 (Chiodo, Burlak, Tasevski, Emsovski) North Coburg United 1 (Saglam)

1995 Lalor United 5 (Ujgunovski2, Drogriski, Filipovski, Taseski) Essendon Brunswick Royals 1 (Kolar)

1994 South Springvale 1 (Asimakidis) South Dandenong 0

1993 Lalor United (Tasevski2) Box Hill 0

1992 Werribee City 2 (Cidoni, Grillo) Doncaster Rovers 0

1991 Frankston Pines 1 (Johnstone) North Geelong 1 (A.Cervinski)
Frankston Pines won 5-3 on penalties    

1990 Springvale City 2 (Carroll, Kenny) Port Melbourne 1 (T.Rizopoulos)

1989 Western Suburbs 2 (Beattie 2) Eltham/Diamond Valley United 1 (Coyle)

1988 Westgate 1 (Andriotis) Mooroolbark 0

1987 Albion Rovers 1 Bell Park 0

1986 Clifton Hill 1 (Gillan) Hawthorn 1 (Katsogiannis)
Clifton Hill won 4-3 on penalties

1985 Melbourne 2 (Heery, P.Bannon) Keilor Austria 2 (Beller, Santos) aet
Melbourne won 4-2 on penalties

1984 North Dandenong 2 (O'Halloran, McCombe) Sunbury United 2 (Magnano, O.G.) aet
North Dandenong won 4-2 on penalties

1983 Knox City 2 (Lesbirel, Gerrish) Nunawading City 1 (Mullet)

1982 Box Hill 5 (S.Patterson2, Taylor2, Priestly) Dandenong City 1 (Donnelly)

1981 Box Hill 3 (Taylor2, S.Patterson) Polonia 1 (Marshall) aet

1980 Doveton 5 (McDonald2, Quin2, Irvine) Moreland 2 (Lenders, Constantinou)

1979 Collingwood City 3 (G.Batticiotto, G.Bozikas, J.Nicolaides) Keilor Austria 1 (R.Bellar)

1978 Croydon 4 (Lowrey2, M.Brown, Murphy) Moreland 0

1977 Waverley City 2 (Stocca, P.Whitehurst) Melbourne 1 (P.Mihalj)

1976 Albion Rovers 4 (S.Tribuzio2, B.Rae, G.Bentley) Springvale City 1 (J.Gollan)

1975 Preston Makedonia 2 Dandenong City 1

1974 Albion Rovers 2 (Clarke, Pryde) Frankston City 1 (Adams)

1973 Preston Makedonia 9 (Reid4, Temelkovski, Hayward, Jancev2, O.G.)
Sunshine City 0

1972 Altona City 3 Prahran Slava 0

1971 Altona City

1970 Yallourn 1 Frankston 0

1969 Altona City 3 Springvale City 1 aet

1968

1967

1966

1965

1964

1963 Coburg United 4 (Healey2, Loughran, Malcolm) Makedonia 2 (Kuhn, Zemunik)

1962 Coburg United 1 (Young) Sunshine City 1 (Oliver)
        Coburg United 3 (Earley3) Sunshine City 2 (McNeil2)

Resolving Resolution Of The Statistical History

I'm not one for making New Year's Resolutions, but after three trips to the State Library Victoria over the holidays to chip away at compiling the statistical history of competitive Victorian football I am making it a mission to have it as completed as possible by the end of the year.

Since regular, organised, league football began in 1909 I have 44 years in which all the relevant data I consider important is complete. What do I consider important? Final league tables for all the senior divisions. The names of the champions in the Reserves, District and Amateur Leagues below them. Line-ups and goalscorer details for State Grand Finals and Dockerty Cup Finals. The results of all other senior and reserves Cup finals. The results of any play-off matches for promotion/relegation between leagues. The names of all League Best and Fairest Award winners. Top goalscorers for the senior leagues. On that last one, with most goalscorers not listed in many early years and no tallies published, I allow seasons prior to the 1960's that have all other information but leading scorers to be classed as complete.

This leaves 57 years where information is still incomplete.

Some of these could be wiped out as impossible to find and moved into the complete column. For instance all 1955 is lacking is the name of one of the goalscorers in The Sun Cup Final. I still hold out hope of finding a match report that list it, but can assure you it wasn't in The Sun.

1910, 1913, 1919, 1921, 1924, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1958, 1959, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1970, 1973 and 1990 are all years where Dockerty Cup Final and Final Replays need more details regarding team line-ups.

Early Grand Finals/Play-Offs used on odd occasions in 1920 and 1923 also lack line-up details.

The modern age, which should really be online somewhere, but sadly isn't, sees years like 2000, 2002 and 2003 missing the names of the reserves league champions across all divisions. 2002 is also the one year without the winners of the State and Provisional League Best and Fairest Awards.

Funds have been allocated in this financial year for Trove to digitise The Sporting Globe up until 1954. If that is up and running in the latter half of the year it will help in finding results to make some incomplete league tables in the period at least more respectable.

In most cases I have now gone through the major papers (The Age, The Sun, The Herald, The Argus) in looking for information. I've tried Il Globo for Dockerty Cup Final details in years involving Juventus. I looked through some Jewish newspapers to see if there was any information about Hakaoh in the Second World War years when the major papers cut down coverage to a paragraph but they had more important things on their minds. I will now need to try more local suburban papers.

So if anyone out there knows of anyone with a collection of old soccer papers or records that I could have a look at, please get in touch.