Aussie bid for Charlton goes ahead
State League 5 (West) DEAKIN DUCKS v Keilor Wolves (Deakin Uni Sports Precinct, 5pm) BARWON v Melton Phoenix (Grovedale Reserve, 5pm) LARA UNITED - BYE Senior NTC v GALAXY UNITED (State Football Centre, 3pm) State League 1 (Northwest) Western Suburbs v GEELONG (Ralph Reserve, 3pm) State League 2 (Northwest) Maidstone United v LARA UNITED (Scovell Reserve, noon) Bationo will also return to the team to face Altona North after missing last week’s 3-1 win over struggling Balmoral FC.
Bationo has scored nine goals this season to lead the goalscoring tally at the Torquay club and will be itching to hit double figures tomorrow.
When the two sides met in Round 1, the entertaining season opener produced a 4-4 scoreline. The team was then led by current assistant coach, Brad Ower.
Markoulis is confident but at the same time wary tomorrow’s opponent.
“They are a very solid team, well organised. Last week they suffered a big loss, but apart from conceding four goals in that game and four against us, in the eight other matches this year they have only conceded four goals.,” he said.
“As such, they are defensively well-structured and we are expecting a close, tough game against them.”
The match kicks off at Banyul Warri Reserve at 3pm. A GROUP of Australian businessmen is set to take over third-tier English club Charlton Athletic, the club has confirmed.
Led by Essendon AFL board member Andrew Muir, the investors have been in talks for several months and appear ready to close the deal for the League One outfit.
Charlton said a sale was imminent to an investment group “linked” to the mysterious Australian Football Consortium.
“The group has a significant interest in the long-term prosperity of the club and is committed to seeing the deal go ahead,” a club statement said.
“Understandably, negotiations of this scale take time due to the enormous amount of due diligence that goes on, the need to satisfy the regulatory complexities and the challenges of assembling an ownership group.
“The current ownership would like to assure the club’s supporters that the running of the club will remain its priority throughout this process.”
The Australian Football Consortium has been on the lookout for an underperforming English side to acquire since it was established in 2016.
But the consortium remains shrouded in almost total secrecy.
Muir has been pictured at recent Charlton matches and reportedly agreed on a price for the club with Belgian owner Roland Duchatelet in March.
Reports indicate Gerard Murphy, another key figure in the consortium, will become the club’s chief executive.
Based in southeast London, Charlton Athletic has not reached the Premier League since the 2006-07 season.