Neil Jablonski crowned State League Two Golden Boot winner

Four hat-tricks and three braces helped the former Scottish Premier League player average almost a goal a game this year, although he has been quiet of late netting just once in his past four matches.
Incredibly Hakoah only lost one match with Jablonksi?s name on the scoresheet (a 4-2 defeat by Roosters in round six) and he only failed to score against three clubs in 2011 (Northbridge, Springwood and Nepean).
The 28-year-old striker started the year well, guiding one in against Prospect (he scored a goal against United in each of their three match-ups) and following up with a second-round hat-trick against another top-five side in Luddenham. After a barren three weeks Jablonski went on a rampage scoring eight goals in his next five games before another dry spell netted just five goals in 11 rounds.
But the man with goalmouth instinct blasted eight in four matches, including back-to-back hat-tricks against Bathurst and Gazy, to re-establish himself at the top of the scorers chart ahead of Hakoah’s grand final showdown with Roosters at Hawkesbury’s Benson Lane Field this Sunday afternoon (3pm kick-off). Jablonski was not always a prolific goal hunter.
Born in the small picturesque east-central Scottish town of Glenrothes (in the heart of Fife about 50km north of Edinburgh and 50km south of Dundee), a young Jablonski seemed destined to follow a footballing path and in 2002 made his first appearance for Dundee United ? where he played alongside current Hakoah coach Mark Robertson ? as a spritely 19-year-old midfielder in the Scottish Premier League.
He remained contracted to Dundee for three years, joined Brechin City and Raith Rovers briefly, and then (postponing an Aussie adventure) helped East Fife on their path to promotion to the Scottish second division with a 10-goal goal bundle as an attacking midfielder in 2006. Jablonski was named third division footballer of the year, but he packed his bags and headed Down Under ? via some coaching clinics in the United States.
Arriving in Australia in 2008 Jablonski touched base with his former Dundee playing partner Robertson, who hooked him up at NSW Premier League outfit Sutherland. The Sharks went on to win a thrilling premiership that year before losing to Wollongong 4-2 in the grand final, Jablonski scoring late in the match for Sutherland.
He returned home to Scotland for a short stint doing some coaching work with his hometown juniors club but returned to Sydney in the summer of 2009.
When Robertson took over the coaching reins at Hakoah following their bottom-place finish in 2010, his old mate Jablonski was one of the first guns he hired to turn the historic club?s fortunes around.
His impact on division two speaks for itself and it was no surprise Jablosnki was nominated by 4-4-2 magazine as one of its top-10 footballers outside the A-League. But don?t expect the man himself to gloat about his accomplishments, says Robertson.
?Jabba?s a very humble guy and that?s what helps his cause more than anything because he doesn?t shout out what he does from the rooftops,? he said. ?There?s no better role model at the club. He coached the under-14s this year and they made their first ever finals, and you can imagine the kids looking up to their coach who plays in first grade.?
Jablonski held Northbridge duo Ry Hardy (23 goals) and Elliot King (20) at bay in a free-scoring season (King missed the first seven competition games), with Roosters captain Ercan Topal fourth (17 goals) and Luddenham?s Huso Merdanovic and Prospect?s Gustavo Orcajo joint-fifth with 15 successful strikes.
The other division two players to score more than 10 goals this year were Paul Cooper (Hawkesbury), Ahmed Chandab (Prospect), Adem Taslak (Roosters), Paul Paras (Belmore), Haissan Morhi (Hurstville), Baturay Akin (Roosters), Grant Odei (Luddenham), Bryan Campbell (Springwood), Peter Henderson (Springwood), and Daniel Hillege (Northbridge).
-By Dan De Nardi