Forget titles and glory – for Brian Dene, there’s no better feeling than watching one of his talented youngsters make the step up to first team football.
Forget titles and glory – for Brian Dene, there’s no better feeling than watching one of his talented youngsters make the step up to first team football.
In his first year in charge of Sydney FC’s youth team, Dene has seen a number of his charges progress to A-League level. In recent weeks Peter Triantis, Aaron Calver and Alec Urosevski have all seen first team action, and their coach has watched on like a proud father.
“It’s not a good feeling, it’s a great feeling,” said Dene.
“To know that you’ve picked the right sort of players who will go on and play first team football – that’s a great feeling for any coach to have.”
Balancing results and development is always a challenge for the youth team, but a good balance of ages within the squad has ensured the team is always competitive.
Dene credits a lot the progress of his youngsters to the experience of playing and training alongside quality first team players, in particular Jason Culina and Adam Griffiths.
“I know a lot of the boys look up to these players so they listen and they learn – they have had a big influence.”
“We have tried to find the right balance in the team and I think we’ve got it at the moment, and that’s why the boys have progressed so well.”
The young Sky Blues take on the high-flying Melbourne Victory this Sunday at Cromer Park, the team they beat 3-2 last time out, and Dene admits it will be a good challenge for his young squad.
The Victory are fresh from an 8-1 pounding of league leaders Central Coast, and this, coupled with the intensity of the rivalry between the two clubs, should make for a tough contest.
“It’s gonna be a really tough one – we’ve gotta be at our best defensively and be strong and structured in our shape.”
“Sydney versus Melbourne is always a big game.”
Sydney FC’s A-League side face another huge match as they bid to stay in Finals contention this Saturday evening against bottom of the table Wellington Phoenix. Kick off is at 5,30pm and tickets are priced at just $25 for adults from Ticketek. Let’s Stop The Phoenix Rising and take another step towards finals football!!
