Andrew Marth
Personal information
Full name Andrew Marth
Date of birth (1969-02-10) 10 February 1969 (age 54)[1]
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)
International career
1991–2000 Australia 16 (1)
Managerial career
1997 St Albans
1998 Green Gully
2000–2003 Melbourne Knights
2006 Green Gully
2012–2017 Melbourne Knights
2017– Brimbank Stallions FC
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Andrew Marth (born 10 February 1969)[1] is a retired Australian soccer player who played 380 times in the National Soccer League (NSL) over 15 years for Sunshine George Cross, Melbourne Knights and Carlton SC. He also represented Australia 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.

Early life

Marth was born in 1969. His father, Franz, was a soccer player who had represented Allemannia, George Cross, Wilhelmina and USC Lions in Melbourne, and Hollandia in Brisbane.[2][3][4]

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 Croatia in 1989.[1] In the 1990–91 season, he won the Minor Premiership with Croatia but lost the Grand Final by penalty shootout to bitter rivals South Melbourne FC. Marth scored the only goal for Knights, at the 26th minute, but the final score was 1-1.[5] 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 Knights 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.[6]

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.[7] 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. He was sacked as coach in January 2003 but continued as a player.[8][9]

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 Mark Rudan, the two captains of their sides, were carried off the pitch side by side.[10]

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. Marth made his debut for the national team against New Zealand in Christchurch in May 1991.[11]

International goals
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 5 July 1992 Olympic Park Stadium (Melbourne), Melbourne, Australia  Croatia 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 Marth, with fellow club legend Frank Juric appointed as his assistant.[12][13] 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.[14] 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.[15]

In 2014, Marth won the Dockerty Cup with the Knights, beating South Springvale in the final.[16] 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.[17] In May 2017 Marth was relieved of his duties as coach of the NPL Victoria club.[18]

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.[19]

Honours

Player

Melbourne Knights

Personal

Coach

Melbourne Knight

Brimbank Stallions

References

  1. ^ a b c "Australian Players Database - Marth, Andrew". OzFootball.
  2. ^ Schwab, Laurie (3 May 1991). "Star sons aim to make NSL final fathers' day". The Age. p. 22. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  3. ^ Hay, Roy (15 August 2011). "'Stabber Marth' Leaves His Mark" (PDF). Goal! Weekly. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  4. ^ Schwab, Laurie (30 April 1988). "Marths hatch plan to stifle Socceroo". The Age. p. 41. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  5. ^ Schwab, Laurie (6 May 1991). "Hellas' last-gasp title". The Age. p. 30. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  6. ^ Cockerill, Mike (26 May 1996). "It's two in a row for Knights". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. 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.
  7. ^ Mangan, Patrick (27 December 1998). "Knight in new armor". The Age. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  8. ^ Lynch, Michael (28 March 2001). "Knights, coach part". The Age.
  9. ^ Desira, Peter (24 January 2003). "Marth sacked and dropped, but still keen". Herald Sun. p. 116.
  10. ^ Desira, Peter (1 March 2004). "Flares light up party Knight; Finale turns into Croatian carnival". Herald Sun. p. 43.
  11. ^ Cockerill, Michael (13 May 1991). "Dull Socceroos down NZ, but fail to impress". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 41. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Melbourne Knights sack coach, Marth takes over". Brimbank Star Weekly. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Nakic strike seals Marth's first win". Melbourne Knights FC. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Marth leading Knights back to former glory". MyFootball. Football Federation Australia. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Marth and Juric, back for 2014 season". Melbourne Knights FC. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Knights triumph in Dockerty Cup Final". Melbourne Knights FC. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Marth, Juric commit for 5th season". Melbourne Knights FC. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  18. ^ "Knights part ways with Marth, Juric". Melbourne Knights FC. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  19. ^ Jenkinson, Lance (3 September 2018). "Stallions' promotion all part of an ambitious plan". Star Weekly. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  20. ^ Schwab, Laurie (28 March 1991). "NSL switch on finals venues". The Age. p. 22. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  21. ^ Schwab, Laurie (12 April 1992). "Numbers are falling in Olympic's favor". The Age. p. 70. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  22. ^ Schwab, Laurie (28 March 1994). "Falcons' berth in finals snatched away by cruel fate". The Age. p. 34. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  23. ^ a b Schwab, Lauri (8 May 1995). "Marth's strike sets up Knights' grand final triumph". The Age. p. 41. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  24. ^ a b Schwab, Laurie (27 May 1996). "Fines threat after Knights' triumph". The Age. p. 38. Retrieved 23 January 2022.

External links

Joe Marston Medal
Australia squad – 1996 OFC Nations Cup winners (2nd title)
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