Sky Blues midfielder Paul Okon Jnr has admitted this Saturday’s Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final against Auckland FC will be the biggest match of his career.
The 21-year-old made his debut for the CommBank Socceroos in November last year when he started against Venezuela in a friendly, but Okon Jnr insists this weekend’s Grand Final will be his biggest game yet.
Despite his age, the defensive midfielder believes Sydney FC’s mix of youth and experience, alongside the guidance of Patrick Kisnorbo, has prepared him for the occasion.
“It’ll be the biggest moment of my career so far,” he said.
“[I’m] just trying to stay as calm as possible and just being true to myself, I think that’s the most important thing.
“For us young boys, having such experienced players that have been there and done that in our squad is just so important, and having that balance between experience and youth.
“They’ve been there in those types of moments, it’s good to have people like that in your squad to rely on and to be able to talk to.
“PK’s [Patrick Kisnorbo] been to two grand finals… so he has firsthand experience and he knows what to expect, as coach he’s trying to calm us down and just play in the moment.”
Following a stellar first season with the Sky Blues, which saw him named on the bench in the PFA A-League Men’s Team of the Season, Okon Jnr is confident heading into the Grand Final.
However, the player believes Sydney FC need to learn from their previous matchups with Auckland if they want to lift the Isuzu UTE A-League Championship.
“The last game that we played against Auckland, it was a disappointing result, I think we should have won that game.
“We’ll be looking back on that game and seeing what they did and we’ll be trying to rectify some things that we could have done better in the game.
“We know what their strengths and what their weaknesses are. We’ll try to work on things so that we’re able to try and win in those areas of the game.
“We’re going there with the away crowd and we’re just preparing, making sure that we’re as ready as possible for that game, and we’re going in with full confidence.
“We don’t mind playing home or away, it doesn’t really matter for us.”
Okon Jnr, who’s aiming to earn a spot in the Socceroos’ 2026 FIFA World Cup squad, commented on Sydney FC making Kisnorbo their permanent Head Coach, with a three-year deal.
“We’re happy as a group that he gets rewarded with a contract extension,” the midfielder said.
“I think he deserves it for the job he’s done for us. He’s given the group such confidence.
“The boys have such a good relationship with him and I think it’s such a good thing that the boys are able to have such a relationship with their coach.
“It was a tough moment in the season when he came in and he brought a lot of confidence into us. I think we needed it.
“Did I think we were gonna be in this spot? I thought we could have. Doesn’t mean I thought that we would have, obviously now that we’re in this spot we just need to live in the moment.”
With the biggest match of his career looming, Okon Jr. insists that Sydney FC are embracing the moment as the side chase a record sixth Isuzu UTE A-League Championship this Saturday against Auckland FC, kicking off at 6:10pm.
