Nikolai Topor-Stanley
Encyclopedia
Nikolai Topor-Stanley is an Australia
n professional football (soccer) player who currently plays as a defender
for the Newcastle Jets in the A-League
.
father of Indo-European
heritage, Percy, and a Polish
-German
mother, Helen.
He has had several short-term contracts with A-League
club Sydney FC
, firstly as a replacement for injured Jacob Timpano
, and then Ruben Zadkovich
, but was not signed by former Sydney FC coach Terry Butcher
on a reported long-term deal despite his "outstanding performance" because of the club's salary cap problems. He is a defender
and has previously played for NSW Premier League
teams Manly United FC
and Belconnen Blue Devils
, as well as representing Australia
in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
. He was also selected to participate in the first training camp for the Beijing
Olympics.
On 15 July 2006, Nikolai debuted for Sydney off the bench against Queensland in the Pre-season Cup before scoring his first goal for the club against Newcastle
a week later. Nikolai made his A-League
debut on 27 August 2006 against the Central Coast Mariners
. In the absence of Timpano, Nikolai cemented a place in Sydney's first team, having started a number of Sydney FC
's games in the 06-07 season
.
He was known to Sydney
fans as "Hyphen", a name that was given to him by Sydney FC
supporters' group "The Cove" upon him scoring his first goal for the club. The name "Hyphen" comes about due to his hyphenated name.
Topor-Stanley wore shirt number 21 at Sydney FC
and played as a left-sided stopper.
Sydney coach Butcher was apparently "fuming" after hearing that he had developed a foot injury at an Olyroos training session before the first semi-final against Newcastle Jets
. In the first qualifying game against Taiwan
in Adelaide
on Wednesday, 7 February 2007, Topor-Stanley scored 2 of the 11 goals - one with each foot.
He was rumoured to be following Sasho Petrovski
and Alvin Ceccoli
out of Sydney FC and it was confirmed on 1 April 2007 that he has signed on with A-League rival team, Perth Glory
on a two year deal. He left Sydney due to the contract which was offered to him by the club which was less than the amount he was being paid as a replacement player during the first season. Topor-Stanley will continue to represent Sydney until after Sydney's participation in the 2007 Asian Champions League
. He is a "victim of a club-versus-country tug of war," according to Branko Culina
, flying from country to country in between Olyroos and Sydney FC matches, along with fellow Sydney and Olyroos player Mark Milligan
. Fellow Sydney FC player Mark Rudan
was quoted as saying, "Nikolai Topor-Stanley will be a pretty big loss for us and again we seem to be losing players and not getting them."
He was praised as a new player for Perth Glory at the beginning of the 2007-08 season of the A-League
, along with Jimmy Downey
, and was nicknamed Nikolai "Gandhi" Topor-Stanley by his teammates. Only several matches into the A-League season, however, he took an ankle injury whilst playing for the Olyroos, but was able to play his next match against Iraq
. "Outstanding young Perth Glory defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley has capped off a wonderful season by claiming the 2007/08 ‘Most Glorious Player’ Award, along with a host of other accolades, at the club’s presentation evening on Friday. The event belonged to Topor-Stanley as he scooped the pool with three awards in his debut season with Perth
, adding the ‘Players’ Player of the Year’ and ‘Young Player of the Year’ to his 'Most Glorious Player' award." (Perth Glory website, 22 February 2008)
On 8 January 2009 Nikolai signed a two-year contract with Newcastle Jets. The assistant coach at the club 'rates Nikolai Topor-Stanley one of the best centre-backs in Australia and believes he is the perfect man to fix the club's defensive woes.'. Playing for the Jets will enable Nikolai to compete in the Asian Champions League for the second time, the first being with Sydney FC in 2006.
In a tense penalty shoot-out on 20 February 2010, Nikolai scored the goal that earned Newcastle Jets the right to go into the A-League 2010 semi-finals -- much to the disappointment of Gold Coast United fans at Skilled Park, Gold Coast, Australia.
During Round 14 of the 2010-11 Hyundai A-League season against Adelaide United, Nikolai Topor-Stanley finally broke his goal-scoring drought by scoring his first goal in 88 games for the Newcastle Jets.In his commentary Mick Cockerill stated: "Has that [goal] been a long time coming! Topor-Stanley ends one of the longest droughts in Australian football...". In Round 16 he scored another goal for the Jets, a magnificent glancing header. On 27 November 2010 Nikolai captained the Jets to defeat David Beckham's LA Galaxy at Energy Stadium before a record crowd. Beckham commended the Jets on their speed and fitness.
at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Topor-Stanley contributed significantly to the Olyroos' win over Saudi Arabia
at Hindmarsh Stadium
on 28 March 2007 by scoring the first goal, a header from the near post in the 74th minute of the game. In 2008, Topor-Stanley was named in Pim Verbeek's preliminary Australia
n squad which opened their World Cup
qualifying campaign against Qatar
on Wednesday 6 February in Melbourne
but made his international debut against Singapore
in March 2008. Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek included Nikolai in the Socceroos squad that drew 0-0 against China in Kunming
on Wednesday 26/3/2008, that won against Ghana on and lost to China in Sydney on Sunday 22/6/2008. Nikolai is the most capped Olyroos player representing Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Verbeek selected Nikolai for the Socceroos squad that played Indonesia to a nil all draw on 28 January 2009 and for the squad that is to play Kuwait in Canberra on 5 March 2009.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n professional football (soccer) player who currently plays as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
for the Newcastle Jets in the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
.
Club career
Topor-Stanley was born to a MauritianMauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
father of Indo-European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
heritage, Percy, and a Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
-German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
mother, Helen.
He has had several short-term contracts with A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
club Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
, firstly as a replacement for injured Jacob Timpano
Jacob Timpano
Jacob Timpano in Wollongong, Australia) is an Australian football player who currently plays for NSW Premier League club South Coast Wolves FC.-Club career:...
, and then Ruben Zadkovich
Ruben Zadkovich
Ruben Zadkovich is an Australian football player who attended Woonona High School in Wollongong NSW and currently plays for the Newcastle United Jets in the Hyundai A-League.-Club career:...
, but was not signed by former Sydney FC coach Terry Butcher
Terry Butcher
Terence Ian "Terry" Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career...
on a reported long-term deal despite his "outstanding performance" because of the club's salary cap problems. He is a defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
and has previously played for NSW Premier League
New South Wales Premier League
The New South Wales Premier League is the highest state-level men's soccer competition in New South Wales, Australia. Nationally, it is considered one grade lower than the A-League...
teams Manly United FC
Manly United FC
Manly United Football Club is an Australian football club based in Manly, New South Wales, Australia and plays in the New South Wales Premier League. Their home ground is Cromer Park, located in the Northern Beaches suburb of Dee Why, approximately 10 minutes away from Manly...
and Belconnen Blue Devils
Belconnen Blue Devils
Belconnen United FC, also known as the Blue Devils, are a football team in Belconnen, Australia. The club currently plays in the ACT Premier League.-History:...
, as well as representing Australia
Australia national football (soccer) team
The Australia national association football team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is the "Socceroos"...
in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in The Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. The 2005 championship was the 15th contested.- Venues :- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship...
. He was also selected to participate in the first training camp for the Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
Olympics.
On 15 July 2006, Nikolai debuted for Sydney off the bench against Queensland in the Pre-season Cup before scoring his first goal for the club against Newcastle
Newcastle United Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club is a professional football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The club competes in the A-League and plays its home games at Ausgrid Stadium . The Jets have won one A-League championship, defeating arch rivals the 1–0 in the 2007–08 Grand Final...
a week later. Nikolai made his A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
debut on 27 August 2006 against the Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners FC
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is a professional football club based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. They participate in the A-League and are one of three teams from the state of New South Wales playing in the competition...
. In the absence of Timpano, Nikolai cemented a place in Sydney's first team, having started a number of Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
's games in the 06-07 season
A-League 2006-07
The 2006–07 A-League season was the second season of the Australian football competition, the A-League. Football Federation Australia hoped to build on the success of the first season and on the interest generated by the Socceroos competing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup...
.
He was known to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
fans as "Hyphen", a name that was given to him by Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
supporters' group "The Cove" upon him scoring his first goal for the club. The name "Hyphen" comes about due to his hyphenated name.
Topor-Stanley wore shirt number 21 at Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
and played as a left-sided stopper.
Sydney coach Butcher was apparently "fuming" after hearing that he had developed a foot injury at an Olyroos training session before the first semi-final against Newcastle Jets
Newcastle United Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club is a professional football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The club competes in the A-League and plays its home games at Ausgrid Stadium . The Jets have won one A-League championship, defeating arch rivals the 1–0 in the 2007–08 Grand Final...
. In the first qualifying game against Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
on Wednesday, 7 February 2007, Topor-Stanley scored 2 of the 11 goals - one with each foot.
He was rumoured to be following Sasho Petrovski
Sasho Petrovski
Sasho Petrovski is an Australian football player. He is a striker who last played for the Newcastle Jets in the Hyundai A-League. Petrovski has two caps for the Australian national team...
and Alvin Ceccoli
Alvin Ceccoli
Alvin Warren Ceccoli is an Australian football player of Sammarinese heritage who played for three A-League clubs and was capped internationally for Australia.-Club career:Alvin started his National Soccer League career at Wollongong Wolves in 1995 as a 21 year old...
out of Sydney FC and it was confirmed on 1 April 2007 that he has signed on with A-League rival team, Perth Glory
Perth Glory FC
Perth Glory Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, competing in Australia's top football competition the A-League. Perth Glory is one of only three clubs to survive from the now defunct National Soccer League...
on a two year deal. He left Sydney due to the contract which was offered to him by the club which was less than the amount he was being paid as a replacement player during the first season. Topor-Stanley will continue to represent Sydney until after Sydney's participation in the 2007 Asian Champions League
2007 AFC Asian Cup
The Asian Football Confederation's 2007 AFC Asian Cup finals were held from July 7 to July 29, 2007. For the first time in its history, the competition was co-hosted by four nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The tournament was won by first-time champions Iraq, who defeated Saudi...
. He is a "victim of a club-versus-country tug of war," according to Branko Culina
Branko Culina
Branko Čulina is a football coach and former player. He is currently without a club after being sacked by Newcastle Jets.-Club career:...
, flying from country to country in between Olyroos and Sydney FC matches, along with fellow Sydney and Olyroos player Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Daniel Milligan is an Australian football player who is currently playing for JEF United Ichihara Chiba. He was also the regular captain of the Australian Under 23 football team and has been capped for the junior Australian National team...
. Fellow Sydney FC player Mark Rudan
Mark Rudan
Mark Rudan is a former Australian football player who last played for Adelaide United in the A-League.-Club career:...
was quoted as saying, "Nikolai Topor-Stanley will be a pretty big loss for us and again we seem to be losing players and not getting them."
He was praised as a new player for Perth Glory at the beginning of the 2007-08 season of the A-League
A-League 2007-08
The A-League 2007-08 season was the third season of the Australian A-League football competition, won by the Newcastle Jets. Football Federation Australia hoped to build on the success of the previous two seasons and on the interest generated by and playing in the 2007 AFC Champions League, and...
, along with Jimmy Downey
Jimmy Downey
James "Jimmy" Downey is an Australian football player for New Zealand club Wellington Phoenix as wingback.Downey holds the AIS football program beep test record .-Club career:...
, and was nicknamed Nikolai "Gandhi" Topor-Stanley by his teammates. Only several matches into the A-League season, however, he took an ankle injury whilst playing for the Olyroos, but was able to play his next match against Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. "Outstanding young Perth Glory defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley has capped off a wonderful season by claiming the 2007/08 ‘Most Glorious Player’ Award, along with a host of other accolades, at the club’s presentation evening on Friday. The event belonged to Topor-Stanley as he scooped the pool with three awards in his debut season with Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, adding the ‘Players’ Player of the Year’ and ‘Young Player of the Year’ to his 'Most Glorious Player' award." (Perth Glory website, 22 February 2008)
On 8 January 2009 Nikolai signed a two-year contract with Newcastle Jets. The assistant coach at the club 'rates Nikolai Topor-Stanley one of the best centre-backs in Australia and believes he is the perfect man to fix the club's defensive woes.'. Playing for the Jets will enable Nikolai to compete in the Asian Champions League for the second time, the first being with Sydney FC in 2006.
In a tense penalty shoot-out on 20 February 2010, Nikolai scored the goal that earned Newcastle Jets the right to go into the A-League 2010 semi-finals -- much to the disappointment of Gold Coast United fans at Skilled Park, Gold Coast, Australia.
During Round 14 of the 2010-11 Hyundai A-League season against Adelaide United, Nikolai Topor-Stanley finally broke his goal-scoring drought by scoring his first goal in 88 games for the Newcastle Jets.In his commentary Mick Cockerill stated: "Has that [goal] been a long time coming! Topor-Stanley ends one of the longest droughts in Australian football...". In Round 16 he scored another goal for the Jets, a magnificent glancing header. On 27 November 2010 Nikolai captained the Jets to defeat David Beckham's LA Galaxy at Energy Stadium before a record crowd. Beckham commended the Jets on their speed and fitness.
International career
He was part of the Olyroos squad that represented AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Topor-Stanley contributed significantly to the Olyroos' win over Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
at Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
on 28 March 2007 by scoring the first goal, a header from the near post in the 74th minute of the game. In 2008, Topor-Stanley was named in Pim Verbeek's preliminary Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n squad which opened their World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifying campaign against Qatar
Qatar national football team
The Qatar national football team is the national team of Qatar and is controlled by the Qatar Football Association. They have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup but are hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The team has also appeared in seven AFC Asian Cup tournaments and hosted the 2011 AFC Asian...
on Wednesday 6 February in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
but made his international debut against Singapore
Singapore national football team
The Singapore national football team is the national association football team of Singapore. The team comes under the organization of the Football Association of Singapore...
in March 2008. Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek included Nikolai in the Socceroos squad that drew 0-0 against China in Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
on Wednesday 26/3/2008, that won against Ghana on and lost to China in Sydney on Sunday 22/6/2008. Nikolai is the most capped Olyroos player representing Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Verbeek selected Nikolai for the Socceroos squad that played Indonesia to a nil all draw on 28 January 2009 and for the squad that is to play Kuwait in Canberra on 5 March 2009.
A-League career statistics
(Correct as of 29 October 2010)| Club | Season | League | Cup | Asia | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Sydney FC Sydney FC Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League... |
2006–07 A-League 2006-07 The 2006–07 A-League season was the second season of the Australian football competition, the A-League. Football Federation Australia hoped to build on the success of the first season and on the interest generated by the Socceroos competing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup... |
14 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| Perth Glory | 2007–08 A-League 2007-08 The A-League 2007-08 season was the third season of the Australian A-League football competition, won by the Newcastle Jets. Football Federation Australia hoped to build on the success of the previous two seasons and on the interest generated by and playing in the 2007 AFC Champions League, and... |
16 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
| 16 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2008–09 A-League 2008-09 The 2008–09 A-League season was the fourth season of the Australasian A-League association football competition. Two new clubs, North Queensland Thunder and Gold Coast Galaxy had received tentative licences from the FFA but these were revoked for the 2008–09 season on 12 March 2008. Expansion... |
21 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 21 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Newcastle United Jets Newcastle United Jets Newcastle United Jets Football Club is a professional football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The club competes in the A-League and plays its home games at Ausgrid Stadium . The Jets have won one A-League championship, defeating arch rivals the 1–0 in the 2007–08 Grand Final... |
2009–10 | 28 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2010–11 | 22 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 22 | 2 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Total | 101 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 107 | 0 | 4 | |
Honours
Personal Honours:- Perth GloryPerth Glory FCPerth Glory Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, competing in Australia's top football competition the A-League. Perth Glory is one of only three clubs to survive from the now defunct National Soccer League...
Most Glorious Player Award: 2007-2008Perth Glory season 2007-08The Perth Glory finished 7th in the 2007-08 A-League competition making them the worst Australian team in the A-League, for the second consecutive season. Given the team's promising pre-season performances, expectations at the club were to achieve a Top 4 finish, or to at least significantly... - Perth GloryPerth Glory FCPerth Glory Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, competing in Australia's top football competition the A-League. Perth Glory is one of only three clubs to survive from the now defunct National Soccer League...
Player's Player of the Year: 2007-2008Perth Glory season 2007-08The Perth Glory finished 7th in the 2007-08 A-League competition making them the worst Australian team in the A-League, for the second consecutive season. Given the team's promising pre-season performances, expectations at the club were to achieve a Top 4 finish, or to at least significantly... - Perth GloryPerth Glory FCPerth Glory Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, competing in Australia's top football competition the A-League. Perth Glory is one of only three clubs to survive from the now defunct National Soccer League...
Young Player of the Year: 2007-2008Perth Glory season 2007-08The Perth Glory finished 7th in the 2007-08 A-League competition making them the worst Australian team in the A-League, for the second consecutive season. Given the team's promising pre-season performances, expectations at the club were to achieve a Top 4 finish, or to at least significantly...