F.C. Hound Dogs
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| Founded | 2012 | ||
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| Ground | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar | ||
| Capacity | 5000 | ||
| Chairman | Sean Harrison | ||
| Manager | Chris Gomez & Matt Haynes (Football) Louis Gonzalez (Futsal) | ||
| Coach | Sean Harrison (Football & Futsal) | ||
| League | Gibraltar Second Division | ||
| 2015–16 | 10th | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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FC Hound Dogs is a football & futsal club from Gibraltar. They play their football in the Gibraltar Second Division and the Rock Cup; their Futsal team compete in the Gibraltar Third Division.
FC Hound Dogs offers young footballers in Gibraltar the platform and opportunity to play football and futsal. The club operates a strict rotation policy where the focus is on giving everyone game time.
The club was founded in the summer of 2012 by Chris Gomez, Carl Bradford, David Bradford and Ercan Mehmet. The four of them set up the club from scratch, and later added Tyrone Smith to the backroom staff for the 2013–14 season. Chris and Tyrone had both been involved in coaching youth football for many years in Gibraltar, and as a result, had a group of young players interested in signing for them.
The vast majority of this group of players had been involved with Chris and Tyrone at Lions Gibraltar F.C., and later SJ Corinthians where they played alongside Ercan during the 2011–12 season and gained invaluable experience playing in the Gibraltar Premier Division. When SJ Corinthians folded at the end of the 2011–12 season, these young players had no club to play for, and as a result FC Hound Dogs was born.
After raising money via the players and founder members they were able to register and enter a football team into Gibraltar Second Division for the 2012–13 season; sponsorship was later secured via the Calpe Hounds Public House.
Season 2012–13
In their inaugural season (2012–13), FC Hound Dogs finished in a respectable 4th position in Gibraltar Second Division with 30 points from 18 matches. They took 4 points from 2 games against eventual league champions Europa FC and also recorded a 4–0 win over eventual league runners-up Gibraltar Phoenix F.C.. They also had the joint best defensive record in the league (with Gibraltar Phoenix F.C.), conceding just 22 goals in their 18 league game.
- Player of the Year: Jarvis Bautista
- Player's Player of the Year: Kristian Sanchez
- Most Improved Player: Jesse Moonilall
- Clubman of the Year: Sean Harrison
- Golden Boot Winner: Nick Castle
Season 2013–14
Prior to the 2013–14 season commencing, FC Hound Dogs elected a committee consisting of President (Sean Harrison), Vice President /Treasurer (Kristian Sanchez) and Club Secretary (Ercan Mehmet) to assist with all club matters so that Chris could focus purely on match day responsibilities. FC Hound Dogs struggled to get going at the start of the 2013–14 season, winning only 2 of their first 8 league games, but after beating F.C. Olympique 13 4–2 at the start of December, FC Hound Dogs turned a corner and went on to lose only two of their remaining 13 league games. Like the previous season, FC Hound Dogs finished with the best defensive record in the league, conceding 23 goals in their 22 league games.
- Player of the Year: Jesse Moonilall
- Player's Player of the Year: Sean Harrison
- Most Improved Player: James Castle
- Clubman of the Year: John Luke Olivera
- Golden Boot Winner: Nick Naughton Rumbo
Season 2014–15
The 2014–15 season saw a new look FC Hound Dogs side following the departure of a number of key players to University. Another slow start and a run of disappointing results saw FC Hound Dogs at the foot of the table for the first time in their existence. December proved to be the turning point yet again; a victory against Boca Juniors F.C. (Gibraltar) boosted confidence going into 2015 and FC Hound Dogs won 6 of their remaining 16 league matches to finish 11th.
- Player of the Year: Matt Draper
- Player's Player of the Year: James Castle
- Most Improved Player: Leeroy Ruiz
- Clubman of the Year: Jason Costa
- Fair Play Award: John Luke Olivera
- Golden Boot Winner: John Luke Olivera
This season saw FC Hound Dogs launch a Futsal team for the first time.
Season 2015–16
The 2015–16 season saw the youngest ever FC Hound Dogs squad as the club continued its policy of blooding young Gibraltarian players in Senior Football; there were a number of 16-year-old debutants including Sean De Soto, Etien Victory, James Simpson, Ivan Borg and Jake Cameron. After making a good start to the season taking 4 points from the opening 2 matches, they had to wait until November to register another victory; a string of defeats followed despite some encouraging performances and FC Hound Dogs were unlucky not to take a point off of unbeaten Champions Europa Point F.C. who eventually went on to win 4–3 in a tense battle before Christmas. That performance was followed up by a victory against Cannons F.C. to kick off 2016, however a number of disappointing results followed where only 1 point was taken from the next 5 league games. Goals were hard to come by but they battled until the end and managed to get 2 wins and a draw in their remaining 6 matches to finish the season in 10th.
- Player of the Year: Shaun De Ath
- Player's Player of the Year: John Luke Olivera
- Most Improved Player: Sean De Soto
- Clubman of the Year: Juan Carcano Blanco
- Golden Boot Winner: John Luke Olivera
After completely overhauling their Futsal squad in favour of signing younger local players in line with the club's philosophy, FC Hound Dogs struggled to get going in the early stages of the season; despite a better second half to the season they were disappointingly relegated from Division 3 and will start the 2016/17 season in Division 4. Due to a number of teams dropping out of the league, FC Hound Dogs were given a reprieve and reinstated to the third division.
Season 2016–17
The 2016–17 season saw another young FC Hound Dogs squad assembled and more young Gibraltarian players were introduced into Senior Football. After a fantastic effort in their opening match vs Gibraltar Phoenix F.C. which saw them lead at half time following a trademark John Luke Oliver free-kick, they eventually lost out to what turned out to be the eventual champions. This result was however overturned due to a the opposition inadvertently breaching the HGP (Home Grown Player) rule and FC Hound Dogs were given a 3-0 walkover. A real Jekyll and Hyde performance in their next match vs F.C. Olympique 13 resulted in a 3-0 loss despite being 0-0 after 70 mins and neither team in danger of conceding. FC Hound Dogs bounced back in their next game against a rejuvenated Cannons F.C. team; after going 1-0 down and looking like they were staring down the barrel of another defeat, Jamie Fortuna popped up with an injury time equaliser to nick a point. Numerous defeats followed, some of which were heavy and others hard to take; the squad was heavily rotated to try and initiate a change in fortune but nothing came until the new year. 2017 started with a bang and after collapsing against F.C. Olympique 13 in the first round the team were desperate to take something from the game; Jensen Perera popped up with a contender for goal of the season in the first 10 mins and despite F.C. Olympique 13 attempts to get back in the game the team defended excellently to clinch the 3 points. January saw Jamie Fortuna transferred to F.C. Magpies as they pursued the title; FC Hound Dogs welcomed back former player Johan Cruz and also signed Striker Ekrem Yavuz, Winger Sean "Criki" Calderon and Playmakers Ismael "Peli" El Mansouri Ballesteros and Alejandro Herera Lopez. Whilst the performances did improve the results did not materialise; they were however given a by into the 2nd round of the Rock Cup where they were drawn against the dominant Premier Division champions Lincoln Red Imps F.C. - a heavy 12-0 defeat but a spirited performance and steep learning curve for the youngsters. The newly created Chestertons Cup saw them drawn against F.C. Olympique 13 and eventual finalists College 1975 F.C.; after drawing 1-1 in the first group game, the pack was shuffled and a completely different XI faced F.C. Olympique 13 and unfortunately went down 4-1. With the level in Division 2 rising each season goals were hard to come by yet again and their historically solid defensive reputation seemed a thing of the past; what the team lacked in experience they made up for in desire and determination - ultimately it was a disappointing season as the team finished rooted to the bottom of the table for the first time.
- Player of the Year: Alan George Wszeberowski
- Player's Player of the Year: Ivan Borg
- Most Improved Player: Jake Cameron
- Clubman of the Year: Etien Victory
- Golden Boot Winner: Shaun De Ath
After a reprieve and starting the futsal season in Divison 3 again, the team were determined not to finish in the relegation spots; some tough games resulted in heavy defeats and others that were lost with seconds left on the clock. The latter was character building for this young team and by late November they secured their first win beating Lincoln Red Imps F.C. 6-4; more heavy defeats followed but their status in division 3 was maintained by 2 back-to-back victories in April (6-3 & 6-0).
- Player of the Year: Ivan Borg
- Player's Player of the Year: Jordan Duo
- Most Improved Player: Sean "Criki" Calderon
- Clubman of the Year: Kieron Gonzalez
- Golden Boot Winner: Ivan Borg
To celebrate 5 years since the club was formed and to also say farewell to co-founder and player coach Ercan "Urge" Mehmet, an exhibition match was held at the Victoria Stadium on Saturday 24th June. The current FC Hound Dogs squad faced off against Urge's Allstar XI which featured ex FC Hound Dogs players, friends and opponents from his time in Gibraltar. A fiery and competitive match was played out in which Shaun De Ath and Ekrem Yavuz sent FC Hound Dogs into a 2-0 half time lead. Urge's Allstar XI fought back in the second half and pulled a goal back through Jansen Dalli of Mons Calpe S.C.. The match finished 2-1 to FC Hound Dogs and was a perfect way to celebrate 5 years of the clubs existence and also say farewell to a key club figure in Ercan "Urge" Mehmet.
Season 2017–18
This season will see FC Hound Dogs switch to an all Green Home Strip and their traditional all Black Strip will become their Away Kit.
Current Football Staff for Season 2017–18
| Position | Name |
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| Joint Manager |  Chris Gomez
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| Joint Manager |  Matt Haynes
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Current Football Squad for Season 2017–18
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Current Futsal Staff for Season 2017–18
| Position | Name |
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| Joint Manager | Louis Gonzalez
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| Assistant Manager | Sean Harrison
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Current Futsal Squad for Season 2017–18
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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References
External links
| National teams | |
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| League system | |
| Domestic cups | |
| Defunct competitions | |
| Futsal | |
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