James Delianov
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Nicholas Delianov[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 October 1999[1] | ||
| Place of birth | East Melbourne, Australia[2] | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Newcastle Jets | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015–2016 | A.I.S | ||
| 2016–2019 | Melbourne City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2019 | Melbourne City NPL | 64 | (0) |
| 2019 | Melbourne City | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Western United | 0 | (0) |
| 2020–2025 | Adelaide United | 54 | (0) |
| 2021 | Adelaide United NPL | 5 | (0) |
| 2025– | Newcastle Jets | 26 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015 | Australia U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Australia U20 | 4 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12 July 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 26 April 2019 | |||
James Nicholas Delianov (Macedonian: Џејмс Делијанов, romanized: Džejms Delijanov, pronounced [dɛˈlijanɔf];[3] born 20 October 1999) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Newcastle Jets.
Delianov was born in Melbourne, Victoria and raised in Mill Park. He has two older siblings, a brother who is four years older, and a sister who is five years older.[4] He took an interest in football at a young age, like his father, and was enrolled with Bundoora United Soccer Club.[5] Delianov idolised Mark Schwarzer and Mitchell Langerak.[4] He is of Macedonian descent, with his family originating from Aegean Macedonia, specifically the city of Lerin (now Florina in Greece).[5]
Club career
Early career
Delianov started his career at Melbourne City where he was named as one of the best young goalkeeping prospects in the country.[6][7] He was added to the first team squad after signing on a two-year scholarship contract in March 2017.[8]
Delianov made his debut on 26 April 2019, after spending two years as a third-choice keeper, in a 5–0 win against Central Coast Mariners at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.[9] Despite keeping a clean sheet in his maiden appearance, Delianov was released by Melbourne City a month later.[10]
Shortly after his release, Delianov signed for Western United on a two-year contract ahead of the club's inaugural A-League season.[11][12][13] He soon suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training, missing the rest of the season and was later replaced by Ryan Scott in November 2019.[14][15] Delianov terminated his contract with Western United in November 2020 by mutual consent.[16]
Adelaide United
Delianov signed a two-year deal with Adelaide United on 11 November 2020, following his departure from Melbourne.[17] He made his debut on 28 December 2020 in a goalless draw against his former side Western United, keeping a clean sheet at GMHBA Stadium.[18][19] Delianov was voted RAA Travel Members' Player of the Month twice consecutively by March 2021, having made 41 saves and keeping three clean sheets in total.[20] He was later ruled out with a hamstring injury during that month and temporarily replaced by Joe Gauci.[21]
He played in Adelaide's last match on 19 June 2021, saving a penalty during a 2–1 semi-final defeat to Sydney FC.[22] Delianov remained as a first-choice keeper in his second season, playing in the opening seven league matches before suffering a shoulder injury.[23] He was replaced by Joe Gauci in goals for a second time, although after his return, Delianov remained on the bench in the following matches.[24] He extended his contract with Adelaide United on a renewed two-year contract in June 2022.[25]
After Gauci was absent due to international football,[26] Delianov made his first appearance for United, following two years on the bench (his last being on New Year's Day in 2022), on 4 January 2024 against Wellington Phoenix.[27]
International career
An Australian youth international, Delianov represented Australia under-16 and under-17 squad.[4] He was a part of the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship qualification campaign,[28] and included in the 2015 U-17 World Cup squad,[29][30] although he did not feature in a single match during the latter tournament.[1] Delianov was called up in October 2018 to the Australian under-20 squad, in preparation for the 2018 AFC U-19 Championship.[31][32] He received recognition for his goalkeeping abilities during the tournament,[33] even though Australia failed to qualify for the 2020 U-20 World Cup after a 3–1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the quarter-final.[34][35]