Southern Strikers F.C.
 | |
| Full name | Port Moresby Strikers Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Strikers |
| Founded | 2017 |
| League | Papua New Guinea National Soccer League |
| 2021 | TBA |
Port Moresby Strikers, also known as Southern Strikers, are a professional football club founded in 2017 and based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Their best domestic result to date came in the 2018 edition of the Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, when they finished 5th.[1]
History[edit]
The club was founded in 2017, shortly before the start of the 2017 National Soccer League season. The side were due to take part in the 2017 edition of the league alongside six other teams,[2] but failed to show for their first match.[3] In May 2017, it was reported that the side had deferred their application fee for the following season, and in doing so were the first side to confirm their interest ahead of the 2018 season.[4]
By January 2018, their participation in the 2018 season was confirmed,[5] alongside six other teams. However, their season didn't get off to the best of starts, losing their first three games, firstly to fellow debutants FC Momase, and then to more experienced sides Madang FC and Besta PNG United.[1] Their first victory came in the fourth week of fixtures against Morobe Wawens, who they defeated 4–3 after having been two goals down.[6] The side failed to win any more matches throughout the season, and were almost suspended from the league in May 2018 after they had failed to fully settle their affiliation fees, but the club eventually did so by 10 May[7] and were subsequently awarded two default victories against Buang FC and FC Momase, who did fail to settle their fees.[1] This meant the side finished 5th overall, and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
In December 2018, it was reported that the side would be returning for the 2019 season, and had been drawn into the Southern Conference.[8] They picked up their first victory in the second round of fixtures, beating newcomers Star Mountain FC 2–1 thanks to a late goal by Renagi Taviri.[9] This would be their only victory of the season, drawing three times and losing ten times to finish bottom of the Southern Conference.[10]
Domestic record[edit]
National competitions[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Papua New Guinea 2018". RSSSF. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "Marten to head NSL". The National. 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "Dwellers Draw". Post Courier. 2017-05-08. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "Southern Strikers confirmed for 2017-18 season". Post Courier. 2017-05-19. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "National Soccer League on target". Post Courier. 2018-01-03. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "Great comeback for Southern Strikers". Post Courier. 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "NSL finals put back by a week". Post Courier. 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "Clubs have until today to submit EOIs for NSL 2019". Post Courier. 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "Strikers edge Star Mountain". The National. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- ^ "Papua New Guinea 2019". RSSSF. Retrieved 2019-06-23.