Melbourne Knights FC is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine North. It was founded in 1953, and has had extensive success in its history, with the club's peak coming in the mid-1990s when it was crowned Australian champions, winning back-to-back National Soccer League titles. .
Club foundation The initial foundations of the club were set down in 1952 by a small group of Croatian immigrants who met at the home of Hinko Durakovic at 7 Leeds Street in the western suburb of Footscray to discuss the formation of a Croatian soccer club. The founders of the club were Perica Filipovic (the first President of the club), Ivica Matosevic, Tonika Durakovic, Drago Jukic and Hinko Durakovic. The club was given the name SC Croatia and from the very beginning it was decided the club's colours would be the tri-colours of the Croatian flag (which continues to this day); red jerseys, white shorts and blue socks. An initial difficulty in fielding teams led SC Croatia to recruit players from various suburbs across Melbourne, as well as from outside the city in Geelong and even the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre in north-eastern Victoria. The club went as far as to meet arriving boats of immigrants at ports in Melbourne and Geelong to recruit players. Despite these initial difficulties the club quickly became successful, making its playing debut on 10 April 1953. In 1954 the club became an affiliate of the state's governing body Victorian Amateur Soccer Football Association, which saw SC Croatia join and compete in a league competition for the first time that same year in the newly created Victorian Provisional League (a league for amateur clubs). The club's opening match took place on 1 May 1954 against BWR, which finished 3-3. The club's first win coming the week after on 8 May, with a 4–1 victory over Box Hill. It was a successful debut year for the club as they finished second, four points behind the league champions South Yarra. Also in 1954 SC Croatia participated in its first Dockerty Cup, the young club was knocked out in the opening round losing to Yallourn 12–1.
The early years In 1957 after the conclusion of the season SC Croatia led by Joe Radojevic shifted its base to Geelong, where it would remain until 1962, which had become a hub for the Croatian community. SC Croatia amalgamated with the Croatia club of Geelong which had been founded in 1954. For those years in Geelong the club's home ground was initially at Separation Street in North Geelong before making the move to Corio Oval. SC Croatia quickly moved up the state divisions, and by 1959 they were in Division 1 just outside the premier competition of the State League. The club's first title came in 1959, winning the Division 1 championship over Preston on goal difference. That season included SC Croatia's club record 29–1 victory over Brunswick, one of the highest scores ever recorded in a senior Australian football match. With three rounds to go in the season Preston led the league by a point from the second place Lions and two points ahead of SC Croatia in third. SC Croatia had to win all of the three remaining games to take the title, which included two matches against the Lions. SC Croatia was successful as it won the 3 matches, defeating the Lions 3-0 and 3–1 to clinch the title by a point over Preston. That year SC Croatia also made the 5th round of the Dockerty Cup, the furthest the club had been in the competition up until that point. Controversy embroiled the league in its post-season, which saw SC Croatia stripped of its Division 1 title after a successful appeal by the second placed Preston to overturn a result earlier in the season in their match against the Lions. The title was handed to Preston, whom gained promotion to the Victorian State League.
It was a bitter blow to the club, made worse by the fact the club was only informed they would not be competing in the Victorian Soccer League a month before the start of the 1960 season. The Preston club having not expected to be participating in the top league and was not prepared for the move, having lost the bulk of its squad. In an act of desperation the president of the Preston club contacted the president of SC Croatia, Joe Radojevic, to merge the two clubs. This was a move not supported by many at SC Croatia, so a vote was taken by the committee. The vote was very close, going just in favour of not merging. But unknown to members of the committee Joe Radojevic had already arranged the merger with the Federation and had 8 SC Croatia players transferred to the Preston club. Radojevic had also hoped to sell the club's Division 1 spot to Makedonia. This decision was met with much anger and caused a split within the club, seeing SC Croatia remain in Geelong playing in Division 1, while Radojevic's breakaway faction played in Melbourne under the name of Preston Croat (a name officially adopted in 1961) in the Victorian State League. So for the next three seasons (1960–1962) the two clubs remained separate entities. SC Croatia, following the split, having lost the bulk of its squad merged with the Zagreb club from Geelong (founded in 1958) allowing it to be able to field a side for the season.
Despite the controversy of the split, the club's initial years of the 1950s had proven to be overwhelmingly successful, with the club finishing in the top 2 on five occasions in its first 6 seasons. The 1950s saw the club have its highest points per game ratio of any decade in its history (2.16 points per game), and an impressive 68% win ratio.
Preston Croat's inaugural State League season in 1960 ended with the club finishing 2nd to last and relegated to Division 1. In the 1961 season they were undefeated in pursuit of the Division 1 South title and promoted to the top flight for next season. SC Croatia would finish 3rd and only 3 points behind Preston Croat and fail to promote.
The 1961 season ended would bring turmoil to the Victorian soccer landscape. VASFA was faced with opposition to how the league was run, and the 12 State League clubs (now with Preston Croat among them) decided to breakaway and join the rebel Victorian Soccer Federation although many clubs playing below the State League, including SC Croatia, initially sided with the VASFA. Preston Croat poach players from SC Croatia; the VSF proved to be a more attractive set-up for players. By February 1962 the VSF gain control of the sport in Victoria when VASFA collapsed and disbanded. All VASFA clubs in Victoria then joined the VSF.
The 1962 State League season proved to be difficult for Preston Croat, the club avoided relegation by 2 points. The pre-season 1962 Ampol Cup results gave Preston Croat promise when it made the semi-finals. That year saw Preston Croat goalkeeper Ilija Djukic become the club's first representative player, as he was selected in the Victorian state team squad to take on South Australia. SC Croatia on the other hand in 1962 took out the Division 1 title comfortably, winning 19 of its 22 matches. That amazing season saw the debut of club legend Billy Vojtek at the young age of 18. Vojtek had an incredible debut season for SC Croatia as he took out both the club's top goal-scorer and player of year honours. The 1962 season also saw SC Croatia move back to Melbourne, playing out of Tracey's Speedway in Maribyrnong.
With both clubs set to compete in the State League in 1963 factions at both clubs saw it as an opportunity for the two clubs to finally re-unite. Many at SC Croatia were still angry over the 1960 incident, but eventually terms were agreed to and the two clubs re-united under the banner of SC Croatia. Despite the high expectations within the Croatian community the club finished a disappointing 11th in its inaugural season as a re-united side in the State League, being relegated back to Division 1. The highlight of the disappointing year was SC Croatia making the semi-finals of the Dockerty Cup. At the conclusion of the 1963 season SC Croatia president Enver Begovic and the President of Richmond Allemania took legal action against the VSF, arguing that the decision to relegate their respective clubs was unconstitutional. The courts decision went against the two clubs, seeing both relegated. SC Croatia would quickly return to the State League for the 1965 season after once more winning the Division 1 title in 1964, they lost only one match that season. SC Croatia clinched the 1964 title on the final day against Preston Makedonia. In the lead-up to the pivotal game the team manager Frank Burin travelled to Sydney and arranged for six players from Sydney Croatia to play in the one-off match. Unfortunately the clearance for the players failed to come through on time, though in the end it would not matter in the outcome. SC Croatia and Makedonia went into the match on equal points, in the thrilling match SC Croatia came out on top defeating Makedonia 3–1 in front of 4,000 people at a ground in Port Melbourne. Goals came from Billy Vojtek with a double, and Horst Rau. Notably Northern Irishman Ollie Norris joined the club for the 1964 season. During the 1950s Norris had played in the English Division 1 (now Premier League) with Middlesbrough, and was part of the giant killing AFC Bournemouth team of 1957 which made the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Norris was the most high-profile player SC Croatia had up until this point in the club's history.
Many of the early club legends of SC Croatia played and began their careers during this initial era of the club, the most prominent of these individuals being Bozo Bašić, Frank Bot, Billy Vojtek, Jim Vojtek, Mirko Kovaček and Horst Rau.
A Victorian powerhouse 1965-1972 With SC Croatia's return to the State League in 1965 the club would cement itself as one of the states most powerful sides under the guidance, for the most part, of long-time coach Mijo Kis. Between 1965 and 1972, SC Croatia finished in the top 4 five times and won 9 titles. In its three previous seasons in the State League the club had struggled and the 1965 season looked like this would continue with SC Croatia losing 6 of its first 9 matches of the season as relegation was being faced once more. The club president at the time Enver Begović reacted by spending over 5000 pounds to bring in players such as Scottish international Duncan MacKay, Brian Adlam, Hammy McMeechan (who was bought for a then Victorian record transfer fee of 1200 pounds from Slavia), Bill McLyntyre, Joe Keenan, Bobby McLachlan and Ian Currie. The club went to great lengths to bring in these players, sending Frank Burin to Scotland to sign the majority of the newcomers. These incredible signings saw the club dubbed the 'Glamour Team' of the State League. In the final 13 matches of the season the club won 10 of the matches and had the best record, picking up the most points, of any team in the State League over that period. They even defeated the top 3 sides, South Melbourne SC, Sunshine George Cross and Brunswick Juventus. Despite all this the club finished 6th as the damage at the start of the season was too much to overcome. Croatia also made the final of the Dockerty Cup for the first time, losing 1–0 to Slavia. They defeated their arch rivals Footscray JUST 2–1 in the semi-final.
In the 1966 season, SC Croatia strengthened its already powerful side, bringing in Jimmy Mackay and Bill MacArthur. The club continued its great form from the second half of the previous season. With 3 games remaining SC Croatia was sitting in 3rd spot, only 2 points behind the first placed South Melbourne SC. Unfortunately SC Croatia crumbled under the pressure, losing all 3 matches to finish fifth and just miss out on the top 4 qualification for the Australia Cup. That year also saw the club when its first cup title as the Reserves side won the Armstrong Cup, defeating rivals Footscray JUST in the final.