The 24-year old defender signs over from the Preston Lions. In a 2-week trail with the Victory did, he obviously did enough to warrant his inclusion on the Victory payroll:

“Steven reads the game well, has excellent speed, good distribution and possesses great maturity.” (Ernie Merrick)

Pace’s signing doesn’t come as a huge surprise, with the FFA handing Steve Pantelidis a 3-match suspension, Ljubo Milicevic still out with injury, Sebastian Ryall away for international duty, and Daniel Piorkowski out for the season. And don’t forget Adrian Leijer’s sudden departure to Fulham during the pre- season.

Meanwhile, Eugene Galekovic is leaving the Melbourne Victory and making the short trek over to Adelaide United. Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar offered to take Melbourne’s second-choice goalkeeper off its hands yesterday – an offer quickly accepted, by the looks of it. Galekovic joins Adelaide as a replacement for Daniel Beltrame, who tore a quad muscle in Sunday’s match with the Wellington Phoenix.

More details The Age and Herald Sun.

He is a valuable cog in the Melbourne machine and has appeared in 45 matches. Touted by Wikipedia as a central defender, by the Melbourne Victory website as a right back, and by Michael Lynch as a “spare parts man” (The Age), Pantelidis provides Ernie Merrick with a broad spectrum of options.

And yet, this season is off to a rocky start for “Panta”. Early in the Pre-Season Cup, he picked up a hamstring injury. He was back by the time Melbourne played Sydney in the final pre-season hitout, but when it came to the first round of the regular season, Pantelidis was told to stay home. But Merrick insisted that he had not lost his place in the squad:

“He can put others under pressure for a place. He can still get his place back and he’ll get his chance.”

Herald Sun

After the disappointing draw in Wellington, Pantelidis found himself straight back in the first 11 – perhaps owing to Ljubo Milicevic’s injury. But, the poor bloke just can’t seem to catch a break at the moment, coming out of the Perth match with a bad cork that looks likely to set him back even more.

Injury aside, Pantelidis has enough of a challenge to stake his claim in the Victory first 11. His best chance is to slot into the right back role, where his primary competition is Matthew Kemp, who started on the bench in the opening two rounds. Judging by Merrick’s selection for the Perth match, Pantelidis has a slight edge over Kemp. But I expect a fair bit of shuffling around in this spot, especially as injuries force Merrick’s hand somewhat.

Read more about Steve Pantelidis:

• Steve Pantelidis on Wikipedia
• Pantelidis profile on Melbourne Victory website
• Victory turns to Pantelidis, The Age, August 31, 2007.
• Pantelidis to fall as Merrick warns spots up for grabs, Herald Sun, August 24, 2007