Koutroumbis was diagnosed with stage one cancer earlier this month and and will continue to receive treatment in the coming weeks.

But the prognosis is positive for the young defender after the cancer was discovered early, and the 20-year-old was already back at training yesterday morning.

Team-mate Steven Ugarkovic said he was inspired by the resilience shown by Koutroumbis and praised the football community for their support.

“Johnny and I are pretty close as neither of us are from Newcastle originally and I know for myself, I’m there for him and all the boys will do anything to help him,” Ugarkovic told FTBL.

“The operation went well and all the boys are behind him. If he ever needs anything, we’re here and I think the support he’s getting, not just from us at the club, but from the football community in Newcastle and the league is very touching for him and all the boys.

“He’s a strong lad, he’ll get on with it. He was out for the week in the hospital, he had the operation and he’ll be coming in slowly to do more rehab on where the operation was and to get the muscles back.

“He’s the kind of guy who doesn’t want to be treated differently because of this and it’s also good to see that his head is in the right mindset.”

Ugarkovic said Koutroumbis’s cancer scare made him realise the importance of his own health.

“When something like that happens to someone so young, it’s pretty shocking and it rocks you a little bit,” he said.

“It’s all about the way you bounce back and treat it and doing the right things for your body. It puts things in perspective that football’s a game and our job, but at the top it’s your own personal health.”

Ugarkovic in action against Nix

The 24-year-old was looking to the next game against Adelaide United tomorrow night and will be looking to bounce back after their opening round 2-1 loss to Wellington Phoenix.

Ugarkovic said winning the championship this season was still realistic after falling to Melbourne Victory in last season’s Grand Final.

“We have different expectations compared to the start of last season and we know we’re not going to be seen as an underdog,” Ugarkovic added.

“Other teams will be changing game plans and expecting things from us, so it’s a bit of a different challenge for us this season.

“We haven’t had much of a turnover compared to previous seasons and our squad is pretty similar to last season. Jair, Matt Ridenton and all the new boys have shown they’re dedicated and want to work hard as a team.”