Sky Blue prodigy, Jake Girdwood-Reich, has had a positive start to his A-League career. After progressing through the ranks of the Sydney FC Youth and Senior Academy, the young gun has cemented his place in the starting line up for the Isuzu UTE A-League side this season.
Having made his debut in 2022 in an Australia Cup Round of 32 clash against the Central Coast Mariners, the midfielder has continued to develop his game and now is being rewarded with more minutes along with other younger players.
“We have a lot of young boys in the squad this year and they are getting a chance. A lot of the boys are getting minutes,” he shared.
“Not just us [Sydney FC] but as a league a lot more younger players are getting the opportunity which is really good to see.”
“Across the league in the first four rounds it’s been the most minutes played by under 21 players,” said Girdwood-Reich.
During a pre-season friendly, Girdwood-Reich was forced into centre back following an injury and since moving there, hasn’t looked back. Literally.
“There was a pre-season game and one of the boys got injured at centre half and I filled in there,” Girdwood-Reich said.
“I liked the position because as a midfielder, you are kind of facing backwards, but as a centre half you are facing the whole field.”
“I’ve really enjoyed it,” he added.
After beating Adelaide United 5-1 last weekend, the 19 year old spoke about using that performance as a springboard for the rest of the season.
“It wasn’t the start of the season we wanted. Three losses as a club. At Sydney FC we have a high standard and that was not good enough from us players,” he said.
“We went to Adelaide with a game plan, and we pressed very well. We finished our chances and defended well.”
“It was a good win. Of course, Adelaide away is a very difficult game. I think most players in the league would say it’s one of the hardest places to go to get three points.”
“We played very well and hopefully we can kind of build on this win,” he said.
Now within an international break, the Sky Blues’ defender/midfielder can work towards the Sydney Derby next weekend and he can’t wait to experience the atmosphere that only this fixture can provide.
“Obviously there is a big game instore with the Wanderers next. It’s a derby – you don’t want to lose. It’s a thing for the fans as well. As a former Cove member, it was always the one thing we didn’t want to see,” he said.
“You just hear the roar… you get a bit of a buzz from it. We love that energy from the fans.”
“Hopefully we can get those three points at Allianz,” he concluded.
Grab your tickets now to see Jake Girdwood-Reich and the rest of the boys in action in the 36th Sydney Derby.
Match Details
Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers
Isuzu-UTE A-League Round Five
Saturday 25th November 2023
Allianz Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Kick Off: 7:45pm AEDT
Gates Open: 6:15pm AEDT
Broadcast Live: Paramount+ & 10BOLD
Tickets: Click Here
