Harry: He was like, ‘C’mon!” [mimics revving up the players]. And he had this big, kind of Craig McLachlan perm and he was just going for it and I just remember looking at him like that [mimics stunned look].

And Scotty McDonald walked out with me when we played Uruguay in Melbourne [in 2001]. He was either there or walked out with me.

Schwarzy, it was a tumultuous time with your debut with Bozza dropping out at late notice and you being called up late then getting on after a red card early. How do you recall that time?

Mark: It was the biggest point in my career because I’d gone from playing an NSL the season before that and we’d won the league and got goalkeeper of the year. It was a massive sort of learning curve and push forward for me. Then all of a sudden get called in late for the national team. From going to turning up very late to sitting on the bench in Edmonton and 18 minutes later coming on. I remember sitting on the bench with Paul Wade – and that was the first time Wadey had been dropped by the national team.

And I remember sitting there talking with him, looking at the crowd, counting the flags and all of a sudden Zabica gets sent off and suddenly I’m on here. To then getting the nod two weeks later to play in my first full game.

It was a huge occasion as it was. To go that far in the game and to equal the score 2-1 from the previous leg to thinking this is going to a penalty shootout and nobody giving you a chance because you’re so young. This 19-year-old kid in his first full international to making two saves and the rest is history as they say.

Look, it was very, very different in those times compared to say, fast-forwarding to 2005 and obviously the games were different in a sense that 1993 was to qualify into the final stages of World Cup qualification while 2005 was to qualify for the World Cup. There were a lot of similarities and parallels with the two dates but again there was a slight difference in the way the two were received.

When that media spotlight is shone so bright what’s your take on it?

Mark: Football at that time [1993] wasn’t that huge. It was kind of like on the side of the front page. It was still very much Rugby League with football in the background a little bit. Even fast forward to 2005 we all had to get on planes the next day and get back to Europe. So it was kind of like you enjoyed the euphoria on the night. But the one regret I have about that night is that we couldn’t stay back for three or four days and really enjoy it. You just had to get on a plane and play for your club the next weekend.

Can you retell your favourite moment in your Socceroo careers? Is there one?

Harry: I’d have to think about that. I’ve had some great times. Whether it’s just having a laugh on the bus… because there’s a certain kind of chemistry in this team where you don’t get that elsewhere. Maybe it’s Australians getting together abroad. And even though in England when we were all playing [at club level] everyone had respect for us but it was always, ‘You are the Aussie guy’. You know? You wouldn’t say much but you’d always work hard and this and that. And we always kind of had that.

But when we got together, there was something special. Everyone would be talking with everyone. Everyone would be laughing. You get in the change-rooms and everything that you were, you just put aside. You were just coming together with mates and like having a kick around the park again and just enjoying it and having a laugh.

I’d have to say that’s a great memory for me. The camaraderie. There’s a lot more – especially with the nights out and all that kind of stuff – as well as some of the games we’ve played in. We’ve played in some fantastic games where we were complete underdogs and we’ve turned it around. But literally [the best moments have] always just hooking up with the boys. It’s always something special.

Mark: It’s kind of that common ground. We’re very unique. I think we’re probably the only nation on the planet which plays games across such a wide stretch of the globe. We generally got to travel the furthest. Generally it’s the same with teenagers who leave Australia to go overseas. Living so far away from your family and really creating a new life for yourself. It’s very unique.

I think when players get together in Australia there’s that bond as well but it’s not as strong as when they leave Australia and they get an understanding of what it’s like being overseas, what it’s like to be alone and try to prove to people we’re not just a cricket nation or a rugby nation. But we’re a football nation now –  we’re starting to evolve and really turn some heads. And that’s one of those things that’s really unique.

Another thing I find very interesting with us– compared to other countries and other players from around the world and particularly what I see in the UK – is there are so many players out there who play for various teams don’t want to play for their national team. They actually don’t want to do it – they’d rather have the summer off.

Yeah it’s great having a little holiday [in the off-season] and we do get it but we’re all very passionate about playing for Australia and very, very committed to Australia. And that’s something that’s very unique.

FFT: Harry, your thoughts on that?

Harry: Again, I think we’re on the same page …. Er, actually I just switched off! [cue more laughter all-round]. I was thinking about something else… I didn’t really hear the actual... Don’t think bad of me there, I was just in another world. I was thinking about something else!

What were you thinking about? But Schwarzy makes a good point about the commitment and time taken from your schedule…

Harry: Look, in the football right now you’re lucky to get four weeks off. And you deal with it. You’ll go back to your club and they’ll know you haven’t had a long break so they’ll ease you into pre-season. But it’s work at the end of the day. You’re getting paid to do a job that you love so at the end of the day there is no rest period. Sure, you’d love to have six weeks off. I’d be the first person to say, ‘six weeks off, rest up’. But you can’t - even when you’re on holidays you can’t rest off.