http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/72945,mariners-sign-macallister.aspx
Mariners Sign Macallister
Mar 31 2008 10:05
CENTRAL Coast Mariners have swooped to sign Dylan Macallister from top Norwegian club FC Lyn Oslo for the next two years.
The 25-year-old, who stands among the tallest players in the Hyundai A-League at 193cm, has been abroad since the demise of the National Soccer League (NSL), firstly with SK Brann and most recently with FC Lyn Oslo.
A star at the 1999 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in New Zealand, where Australia progressed through to the final against Brazil, Macallister adds another dimension to an Mariners front line that includes the A-League’s all-time second top scorer, Sasho Petrovski and local livewire Matt Simon.
Aside from Macallister’s contribution to one of Australia’s most memorable restricted age campaigns in 1999 – six goals in 16 qualifying, friendly and World Cup matches, including one against Brazil at the group stage, the giant marksman is perhaps best remembered for his role in securing Australia their berth at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Alongside fellow new Mariners recruit Ahmad Elrich, Macallister top scored with six goals in as many qualifying matches, including a hat-trick against Fiji to help shore up Australia’s place in Athens later that year.
"We believe that Dylan complements the likes of Sasho Petrovski and Matt Simon perfectly up front and I’m certain that he will contribute immensely to the threat we will offer in the final third in the Hyundai A-League for the next two seasons and also in the AFC Champions League," said Mariners Executive Chairman Lyall Gorman.
"Dylan’s pedigree at youth international level is among the best in the country and I know that he is determined to replicate that form in the Hyundai A-League.
"His recent performances in Norway’s Tippeligaen, which is an extremely competitive league in its own right, are most encouraging and I have every confidence that we’ll see Dylan build on this form at the Mariners."
Prior to departing for Norway, Macallister was one of the standouts of the final editions of the NSL, including Sydney Olympic’s championship winning season in 2001/02.
With new Mariners team-mate Greg Owens for company, Macallister was Sydney Olympic’s second highest goal scorer throughout the regular season with six strikes, including a memorable opening day match winner against Sydney United and a brace against the Parramatta Power in Round 5.
Macallister signalled his arrival in the Tippeligaen with two goals in just his second match for Brann against Molde in front of over 15,000 spectators at the Brann Stadion.
However, these would be the last goals Macallister would score in 2004, with the form of regular strike pairing Raymond Kvisvik, a Norwegian international and Scottish national team player Robbie Winters limiting Macallister to mostly cameos from the bench.
The following season, Macallister featured more regularly for Brann and added another two goals to his tally, one in his first start for the season at home to Fredrikstad and also the equalising goal away to HamKam in what would ultimately be his last match for the reigning Norwegian champions.
Macallister made the trip inland to the Norwegian capital to join FC Lyn Oslo in 2006 and after featuring heavily in the early part of the season and netting Lyn’s only goal against Tromsø in Round 8, Macallister was loaned out to FK Sparta Sarpsborg in Norway’s second tier Adeccoligaen.
While with Sparta Sarpsborg, Macallister netted two goals in six appearances, the first against IL Hødd in his second start and the last against Follo two matches further on.
2007 saw Macallister conclude his tenure with Lyn with a memorable match winning goal in a Norwegian Cup fourth round knockout tie against recently promoted Tippeligaen club Bodø/Glimt.
"Dylan is an exact fit in terms of the type of player we are intent on introducing to our set up for season four and beyond – a promising Australian player in his mid twenties with representative ambitions and a real hunger to showcase their ability domestically," said Gorman.
"We now add Dylan’s name alongside Adrian Caceres and Ahmad Elrich in terms of our new signings for 2008/09 and needless to say, I think our recruitment campaign has gotten off to an excellent start.
"There will be more signings and re-signings to announce before the commencement of season four, but in the meantime we as a club are most content with how our squad is shaping up."
Macallister is currently in Norway where his former club will tonight begin their 2008 Tippeligaen campaign.
Macallister will join his new team-mates in time for the commencement of pre-season training in early May.
Dylan Macallister
Date of Birth 17 May, 1982
Position Striker
Height 193cm
Weight 90kg
Domestic Career
2007 – FC Lyn Oslo (Norway); 7 appearances, 1 goal
2006 – Sparta Sarpsborg (Norway); 6 appearances, 2 goals
2006 – FC Lyn Oslo (Norway); 10 appearances, 2 goals
2005 – SK Brann (Norway); 16 appearances, 2 goals
2004 – SK Brann (Norway); 11 appearances, 2 goals
2003/04 – Northern Spirit (Australia); 13 appearances, 4 goals
2002/03 – Northern Spirit (Australia); 17 appearances, 1 goal
2001/02 – Sydney Olympic (Australia); 21 appearances, 6 goals
2000/01 – Sydney Olympic (Australia); 18 appearances, 3 goals
International Career
2004 (Qantas Under 23’s) – Samoa, Papua New Guinea (2 goals), Solomon Islands (1 goal), Fiji (3 goals), New Zealand, New Zealand
1999 (Qantas Joeys) – Fiji, Papua New Guinea (1 goal), American Samoa, Vanuatu (2 goals), New Caledonia, Fiji (1 goal), Bahrain, Uruguay, Uruguay, Argentina (1 goal), Brazil (1 goal), Germany, Mali, Qatar, United States, Brazil
