Sydney FC’s Wataru Kamijo has admitted playing Finals football is not something that’s lost on him, as he embraces his first opportunity at the business stage of the season.
Kamijo, a graduate of the Sydney FC Academy, made his A-League debut at the age of 18, coming off the bench in a match against Perth Glory last season.
The defensive midfielder has started every game under new Head Coach Patrick Kisnorbo and is eager to continue his run of form, leaning on Rhyan Grant and other leaders in the group before his first Isuzu UTE A-League semi-final.
“I’ve always had the belief that I could do it [play finals], so doing it now isn’t too much of a surprise for me,” the midfielder said.
“Obviously I didn’t get many games mid-season, but playing now is really enjoyable and I’m trying to take the most out of this opportunity.
“I’ve just got to keep working hard and keep looking towards the next step.
“He’s [Grant] a really good mentor. I speak to him about my games and if I have any questions, I ask him…we’ve got a really good team dynamic.”
Despite the challenge ahead, the 20-year-old remains confident leading into the first leg of against Newcastle Jets.
“The boys are just ready for the next battle.
“We’ve got experience and we’ve also got young energy.
“We have a good mix of players. Newcastle have a young squad too, but we just focus on what we can do.
“They’re a really good team, but we’ve just got to focus on ourselves, focus on this week’s training and work hard.”
The Japanese-born midfielder believes that the support of The Cove and the Sky Blues home fans could be the difference-maker in this weekend’s matchup.
“The fans are our 12th player on the field, so it’s really important for them to come to games and support us,” he said.
“We go all-in every game.
“It’s going to be huge. The bigger the crowd, the better it is for us as players.”
Kamijo looks to start his sixth game of the Isuzu UTE A-League season this Saturday, with Sydney FC taking on the Newcastle Jets at Allianz Stadium in the first leg of the Semi-finals, kicking off at 7:40 pm.
