Victory stand by their coach Mehmet Durakovic

Melbourne Victory managing director Richard Wilson insists under-fire coach Mehmet Durakovic will be given every chance to right the ship at the A-League club.

Football director Francis Awaritefe became the first victim of the Victory’s disappointing start to the season on Tuesday when he quit after only four months in the job.

“I approached Richard Wilson and told him that after much deliberation, I didn’t want to pursue the role any further,” the former Socceroos striker said in a statement.

“While I have enjoyed working with the staff at Melbourne Victory, I have decided to return to Sydney for personal reasons.”

The club said Awaritefe had jumped rather than being pushed.

After signing a number of big-name players including Harry Kewell, Jean Carlo Solorzano and Marco Rojas, the Victory were expected to challenge for a third A-League title this season.

But they have struggled early in Durakovic’s first campaign, winning only one of their first seven matches to sit seventh on the table heading into Sunday’s vital home game against Gold Coast United.

“We’re obviously not where we’d like to be. We’d like to be further advanced, but we’re not panicking,” said Wilson.

“The players will come together – they’ll build some confidence.

“There’s a game on Sunday and we’re looking forward to getting the result we need.

“This club is not in crisis.

“… Mehmet is going to be given every opportunity with this coaching structure to succeed.”

Star Victory striker Archie Thompson said the playing group had to take a large slice of the responsibility for the lacklustre start to the season.

“It’s not all down to the coaches. It’s down to the players who go out on the pitch on the weekend,” he said.

“I feel like the players that are going out there that are not playing for the club and not showing that they want to be here and they want to play for this club.

“We have high expectations at this club and, at the moment, I don’t think they’re being fulfilled.”

The Victory made sweeping off-field changes at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season.

Foundation coach Ernie Merrick and football manager Gary Cole – two of the cornerstones of the 2007 and 2009 premiership campaigns – were replaced by Durakovic and Awaritefe.

Wilson said Awaritefe’s role was more of an over-arching one than that of Cole, taking in responsibility for the Victory’s style of play and their elite youth pathways.

“It was not to oversee or be directly responsible for the playing performance or the coaching,” said Wilson.

The club will begin the search for Awaritefe’s replacement.

Star forward Harry Kewell is hopeful of returning from a hamstring injury for Sunday’s clash with Gold Coast at AAMI Park.