Tom Pondeljak

Tomislav "Tom" Pondeljak (born 8 January 1976 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is a retired Australian football (soccer) player who last played for Victorian Premier League side St Albans Saints SC.

Tom Pondeljak
Pondeljak playing for Melbourne Victory in 2010
Personal information
Full name Tomislav Pondeljak
Date of birth (1976-01-08) 8 January 1976
Place of birth Melbourne, Australia
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Attacking Midfielder
Youth career
1992–1993 VIS
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1995 St. Albans 62 (14)
1995–1999 Melbourne Knights 97 (29)
1999–2001 Sydney United 60 (6)
2001–2003 Sydney Olympic 63 (13)
2003–2004 Perth Glory 26 (7)
2004 Johor FA 14 (8)
2005–2008 Central Coast Mariners 55 (7)
2008–2012 Melbourne Victory 78 (7)
2012–2013 St. Albans 26 (8)
National team‡
2002–2009 Australia 6 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 November 2015
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17:30, 12 November 2010 (UTC)

Club career

Pondeljak started his career in the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) before playing for St Albans, making 62 appearances in his 2½-year spell at the lower league Victorian club. He was then brought into the National Soccer League (NSL) by the Melbourne Knights and helped them to victory during the 1995–96 NSL season. After playing another 3½ years and a total of 97 appearances for the Melbourne club, he moved to Sydney United.

Not much success was had in his two years at the club, and Pondeljak eventually moved to cross town rivals Sydney Olympic, where he won his second NSL title. He then moved on to Perth Glory, where he won his third NSL title. Following the collapse of the NSL at the end of the 2003/04 season, he went to Malaysia and played for Johor FC.

When the A-League was formed, Pondeljak was being chased by a number of teams including Sydney FC, Perth Glory, Newcastle Jets and his hometown team Melbourne Victory but it was the Central Coast Mariners who made the best offer and he accepted that offer, becoming one of the marquee signings for the Mariners.

The 2005/06 season was not the best for Pondeljak as he was injured for about two months with a fractured and dislocated wrist. He did however produce one of the goals of the season against Sydney FC. He ran into the penalty area, turned three Sydney FC players and slotted the ball past the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Clint Bolton. He scored the only goal of the Preliminary Final against Adelaide United to send the Central Coast Mariners into the Grand Final.

On 27 February 2008, Pondeljak signed a two-year contract with Melbourne Victory.

Pondeljak was promoted to Victory's starting 11 following his debut against South Korea's Chunnam Dragons and proved his worth on four minutes with a cracking shot from outside the penalty area that gave the visitors a perfect start.

On 28 January 2009, Pondeljak started for Australia in their Asian Cup qualifying match against Indonesia, which was Pondeljak's first international appearance in seven years, and added to the four caps he had earned back in 2002.

A month later, on 28 February 2009, Pondeljak scored what proved to be the winning goal in Melbourne Victory's 1–0 triumph over arch-rivals Adelaide United in the A-League Grand Final. He was later substituted for teammate Grant Brebner and was awarded the Joe Marston Medal for man of the match.

Pondeljak left Melbourne Victory at the conclusion of the 2011–12 A-League season and returned to boyhood club St Albans Saints.[1]

Pondeljak retired at the end of the 2013 Victorian State League One season, helping Dinamo avoid relegation in a tough season.

A-League career statistics

(Correct as of 5 February 2010)

Club Season League Finals Asia Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Central Coast Mariners 2005–06 1526300---1826
2006–07 1630------1630
2007–08 1715410---2125
Melbourne Victory 2008–09 19133202102443
2009–10 20222022
Total 991316

National team statistics

[2]

Australia national team
YearAppsGoals
200240
200300
200400
200500
200600
200700
200800
200920
Total60

Honours

With Melbourne Victory:

With Central Coast Mariners:

With Perth Glory:

With Sydney Olympic:

With Melbourne Knights:

References
  1. http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/pondeljak-returns-to-st-albans/
  2. "Tom Pondeljak". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
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