“Considering our season doesn’t start until March [Kingston open their season at home to Werribee City on March 23] we have been training since November. We’ve got a lot of running and pre-season games under our belts which is always a good sign.

“There has been a lot of changes at the club, a new coaching staff [Con Tangalakis replacing new Bentleigh Greens coach Nick Tolios] and new players. But I’m very impressed with the new lads coming in this year.

“It’s a very young squad that’s very motivated and hungry to do well, so I think we will do very well. The aim obviously to get promoted back to the NPL where we belong, and that’s what we will be working on.

Of course, the E-League reputation of Zwed, or the “Polish-born, Libyan E-League superstar” to give him the title bestowed upon him by NPL Victoria commentators, does proceed him when he arrives at Kingston training.

“Every single week last year I was copping it from the lads at Kingston,” Zwed laughed.

“I think I’ve paid the most amount of fines out of anyone. It was at the point where I was telling Victory not to put any more posts of me up on social media!

“But all the lads at the club were pretty supportive of what I do.

“During games sometimes I do get oppositions throwing few words here and there such as ‘stick to FIFA mate’ and it always makes me laugh because it’s the exact same thing everyone says every game.

“And it’s always the same lads that go home after training/games and fire up the game!

“So we just laugh it off after the game and move on no hard feelings.”

Header Image Credit: Melbourne Victory