Where do you think he would have been thrown on?
Probably as far away from the ball as possible! [laughs] We’d probably stick him up front. I think we were under the pump most of the second-half so he would probably have been thrown on up front somewhere.

I know you’re mates with Anthony LaPaglia. Does he just want to talk football and goalkeeping with you?
Yeah [laughs]! He’s crazy. Any time you get on the phone with him or whenever he comes over you try and have a conversation about how his life is, about what’s going on in Hollywood and all that, but he just wants to get straight back onto football. He wants to talk about goalkeeping… he’s just that passionate about the sport, about the position. You can just tell in his eyes that the excitement of being part of football and Sydney FC is something that he’s always been keen to do. He was probably even more keen to be part of it as a player but he can’t do that… he’s too old! Too many operations [laughs], but he’s certainly enjoying his time being part of Sydney FC. I think it’s an exciting club to be at. There’s certainly a lot of drama and a lot going on but I think he enjoys every moment of it.

How many fingers have you broken in your career?
Oh god, that’s a bad question! Touch wood… none, zero.

Really? That’s amazing...
Yeah, I’ve had ligament damage but nothing too major fortunately.

We’ve noticed that in a lot of pictures of you kicking the ball, you stick your tongue out...
I’ve noticed that too lately! I didn’t know I did it, no. But yeah, I’ve also noticed every time I’ve got a photo of me doing it.

It’s not a conscious thing, then?
Certainly not, no! I would if I got any extra power doing it but I don’t think so! I don’t know what to say to that, I don’t know how that happens. I don’t stick my tongue out often, so it’s a bit of a strange one.



Being at the back means you must cop a lot from rival fans. What sort of things do they say?
Oh... usually they’re not too original at all. They just have a go at your mother or something like that. They call you names and stuff, nothing that original. That’s what I love about the Cove, they’ve got all these songs and they put a lot of effort into it. The Cove fans are just fantastic. I think they’re by far… and I’ve been to every ground in the league, but the Cove have just taken on this professional attitude of being a fan of Sydney FC. Most of them have learnt all the songs and they’re original songs. They’re the best supporters in the league by far, I think.

What are some of the lyrics?
They always like to, when we score, sing ‘Bolton, Bolton what’s the score?’ and I give them a one or two-up… depending on what we’re up by and that usually gets a cheer!

How old were you when you got your first pair of gloves with your name on them?
Last season! Yeah, I’ve never been too fussed about having my name on the gloves but Uhlsport did that for me. They had a pair sent out from Germany like that, so that was great. As long as they do the job you know!

Reproduced from TheFull90 – the official matchday magazine of the Hyundai A-League www.a-league.com.au Get it at the game!