Second-tier Adelaide Victory faces top-flight Adelaide Olympic for a place in FFA Cup SA last four
Lou Ricciuto dragged temporary fencing around a pitch and cooked match-day barbecues before coaching his team in State League games. Now the club, renamed Adelaide Victory, is just two wins away from the FFA Cup SA final.
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Lou Ricciuto spent every weekend for seven seasons dragging temporary fencing around Pennington Reserve just to allow Western Toros to host State League games.
Now the former coach, who also used to man the barbecue before matches, was eyeing a last-four FFA Cup SA berth with the club renamed Adelaide Victory.
“State League grounds had to be fenced,” said Ricciuto, president of the outfit he helped form in 1999.
“So every Friday night we had to put it up and every Saturday night we pulled it down.
“I also used to cook the sausages before games sometimes, then go in (to the changerooms) with my team.
“It was hard work, but it was all about the passion for the game and we had a really strong group of community-based people that helped us.
“From those days dragging fences around to now, the progress of the club is there for everyone to see.
“We’re ecstatic that we’ve gone this far in the cup – it’s a dream for us so early in our history.”
Second-tier Victory would face top-flight Adelaide Olympic in its maiden knockout quarter-final at Oakden on Tuesday (7pm kick-off).
It was a far cry from the club’s entry into Football Federation SA’s senior men’s ranks in 2006, after previously fielding amateur, junior and women’s teams.
Left back Michael Birbas, who scored the winner to dump out five-time cup-winner White City in the round-of-16, said his teammates were primed to make history.
“Being in a different league makes us underdogs, but we still want to win the game and we’re pushing to win,” said Birbas, who played for Olympic from 2014-15.
“We’re definitely going to be competitive, but on the day you’ve just got to play your best football.
“We’ve had a bit of a rollercoaster over the last couple of years, but now we’ve established ourselves we’re looking to play the right way.
“We’re not that far away from the final, so it’s exciting for us to try to get there.”
The club, which boasted 170 players spread across 11 teams, secured promotion to State League One last campaign by winning the third division grand final.
It was renamed Victory three years ago and adopted its Melbourne-based namesake’s navy playing colours when it moved to Rushworth Reserve after Enfield City’s demise.
But there was no affiliation with the A-League side.
Attacker Hermann Fombason said the cup run was an important step towards the long-term target of National Premier Leagues SA status.
“A club is not about its history, it’s about the people around it,” said 26-year-old Fombason, the oldest player in the youthful Victory squad.
“Here it’s more of a family than just a football club.
“When you come out here on Saturdays or for training it’s all love and it’s beautiful.
“It (the semi-final) is a big occasion for everyone at the club and all the boys are dreaming about making the final.”
FFA CUP SA - QUARTER-FINALS
Tuesday
Adelaide Victory v Adelaide Olympic, Adelaide City Park, 7pm
Croydon Kings v Adelaide City, The Parks, 7pm
Elizabeth Downs v MetroStars, Argana Park, 7.30pm
Wednesday
Adelaide Comets v Raiders, Jack Smith Park, 7.30pm
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