The 22-year-old's progress has gone largely unnoticed back home but out of the ashes of Fury's axing from the A-League has emerged another promising career abroad that has seen Usai rubbing shoulders with former England No.1 Paul Robinson.

Injuries to Robinson and Mark Bunn towards the end of the Premier League season saw Usai climb the pecking order to join the matchday squad for the final day against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a match the Blues won 2-1.

“Sitting on the bench at Stamford Bridge was quite an experience,” Usai told au.fourfourtwo.com. “The atmosphere was amazing and it is obviously a day that I will always remember.”

Usai had only been a young back-up at Fury but the club still earned a place in the Queenslander's heart.

“Fury folding was a huge disappointment to myself and everybody else involved,” he said. “For many players it spelled the end of their careers.

“My first preference was to stay in Australia and try to make a name for myself in the A-League but unfortunately no firm offer came through and I had to look at other ways to continue my development as a young goalkeeper.”

He travelled to England and scored trials with a few lower league clubs, and when a deal was scuppered by a delay in Usai's international clearance, all looked lost.

But the next day Blackburn's reserves manager Gary Bowyer invited Usai to Rovers for a trial, and he earned himself a deal.

“My first season was a bit of a mixed bag," he said. "The elation of signing for such a big club was dampened by seriously injuring my ankle just a month into my contract.

"I spent three long months in the treatment room which was tough but I did get to meet some great characters like Vinnie Grella and David Dunn.

“Towards the end of the season I was finally fit and managed to break into the reserves team and put in some good performances which paved the way for me to sign a new deal.

"The coaching and training facilities are top class, from a development perspective the quality I have been exposed to in the past year has helped me immensely.”

Blackburn's relegation was a blow for fans but Championship football could move Usai up the pecking order if one of the goalkeepers ahead of him moves on as expected.

As well as getting game time in the club's last three friendlies, he has been training with the first team, who he joined in a pre-season camp in Austria.

But Usai is still keen on a loan move so he can spend at least part of the season accumulating precious match experience at a smaller club.

“This will be vital for my continued development over the next 12 months,” he said. “It can be really tough for Aussies moving abroad to big clubs.

"Clubs will sign players with a view to the future so it can be years before they get an opportunity to play for the club they are actually contracted to.”

Usai is now living with another young Blackburn Aussie, star academy striker Jamie Maclaren, but the move to the other side of the world has still had its difficulties.

He added: “It is nice for both of us having somebody else who understands how tough it is being so far from home.

“Living in England has been a big culture shock for me. There certainly isn't much of an outdoor lifestyle with the weather the way it is here!

"It is also tough being away from my family and friends who have been such a positive influence on my football over the years."