Zeljko Popovic

DOB: 21st October 1980

Position: Centre-back

Season of first appearance: 2005/06

Season of last appearance: 2005/06

Full Appearances: 1

Substitute: 0

Goals: 0

Also played for:

Sutjeska Niksic (Montenegro), Besiktas (Turkey), Reading (0), Portsmouth (0), Grays Athletic, Hornchurch, Gravesend & Northfleet, Southend United (0), Staines Town, Barnet, Grbalj (Montenegro), Preston Lions (Australia), Brunswick City (Australia), Sunshine George Cross (Australia).

Player Profile:

6' 0" tall left-sided Montenegrin defender who played for Montenegro-based Sutjeska Niksic in the First League of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia before having a trial spell with Turkish club Besiktas.

During the 2002/03 season Zeljko was due to sign for a Polish club but work permit problems meant his move fell through.

Towards the end of 2003, he married a British girl in Belgrade and Zeljko then moved to London.

In January 2004, he joined Reading on trial and the Royals' manager Steve Coppell said: "He's played at a certain level but I don't know exactly how high. Besiktas has been mentioned but I don't know the foundation of that. He's come from nowhere really. My contact just said he's available so we're having a look." Zeljko played in one reserve team game during a week with the club but Reading didn't pursue their interest.

In the summer of 2004, he had a trial at Portsmouth as he continued his efforts to find a club in England and Zeljko played for Pompey's reserves at they drew 0-0 with Arsenal Reserves in August 2004 but wasn't given a contract.

In September 2004, Zeljko signed for Conference South club Grays and made a goalscoring debut for them as they won 7-0 in a match at Dorchester on 23.10.04. He played twice more before moving on to Hornchurch early in November 2004.

Zeljko played twice in the Conference South for the Urchins and then linked up with Gravesend & Northfleet in November 2004.

He made a handful of Conference appearances for the Fleet before being released by mutual consent in February 2005.

After leaving Gravesend, Zeljko had a trial with Southend where he featured in the reserves and, in March 2005, he joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Staines. Zeljko made two league appearances there before the end of the 2004/05 season.

At the start of August 2005, he was signed by Barnet as a non-contract player after featuring in some friendlies for them but, later in August, Zeljko had a brief spell at Margate.

He wore the number five shirt in a 2-0 defeat at Ramsgate in a match played for the Kent Messenger Cup on 13.8.05 but went off in the second half after picking up a head injury and then returned to Barnet where he played for the reserves three days later.

On 20.8.05, Zeljko was in Staines' side for their opening Isthmian League Premier Division at Leyton and before the end of August he was officially released by Barnet. Zeljko went on to score twice from 15 league outings for Staines during 2005/06 before leaving the club at the end of the season.

He later returned to his native Montenegro and during the 2007/08 season Zeljko played for Grbalj in the Montenegrin First League.

In 2008, he moved to Australia and Zeljko spent three seasons playing for Preston Lions of the Victorian Premier League up to and including the 2010 campaign.

He joined Victorian State League Division 2 club Brunswick City for the 2011 season and, after a year there, Zeljko signed for Sunshine George Cross of the Victorian State League Division 1 in January 2012.