Essendon Royals secure ex-Victory star Archie Thompson and Irish striker for 2020 season
Melbourne Victory and Socceroos great Archie Thompson will return to the pitch this year in a coup for the State League 1 North-West competition, and he’ll have an international strike partner.
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Melbourne Victory and Socceroos great Archie Thompson has put pen to paper with State League 1 North-West club Essendon Royals.
The signing coup is a massive boost to the Royals’ push for promotion to the NPL this year after a strong off-season recruiting spree.
Thompson, 41, last played for Spanish team Racing Murcia and made 38 appearances for NPL club Murray United after retiring from the A-League.
A legend at Victory, Thompson scored 90 goals in 224 appearances and found the back of the net 28 times in 54 Socceroos caps.
Royals coach Vitale Ferrante said Thompson’s arrival would have a profound impact on the entire club.
“Archie was looking to have another year somewhere with a good culture, with a group of guys he knows well but also has ambition,” Ferrante said.
“Archie’s playing to put something back into the game.
“He’s that kind of character, he’s all energy, every time he’s on the pitch he plays for the fun and love of the game.
“At training, we had all our junior teams there, and all the kids’ jaws were dropping and they saw he was having fun all the time.”
Thompson took to Instagram to announce the move, saying “time to have fun like a big kid playing the game I’ve loved since I was 4”.
Thompson will reunite with former Victory teammate Michael Ferrante at Essendon.
The goal-scorer joins fellow new faces in Irish striker Darren McCauley and dual NPL championship winner Leigh Minopoulos at Cross Keys Reserve to form what will be one of the competition’s most formidable attacking trios.
McCauley played for Scotland’s Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ireland’s Derry City last season, while Minopoulos crosses from NPL heavyweight South Melbourne.
Ferrante is looking forward to seeing his club’s off-season rebuild come to fruition.
“Archie will complement what we’re doing … he’s quite versatile along the front third and that’s why we brought him in, from a football sense,” he said.
“There was some interest in Darren from NPL clubs, but I met up with him and he loves what we’re trying to do.
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“Leigh is an unbelievable addition, he could have gone anywhere in the NPL, but he’s made the decision to be a part of our journey.
“We’ve rebuilt significantly, I’m very happy with what we’ve been able to bring in and been able to attract, and our intention is to move up the table.”
Essendon Royals start their 2020 campaign on the road against Brimbank Stallions at North Sunshine’s Club Italia Sporting Club on March 21.