He left Australia with a fire in his belly and an eye on the Socceroos. After an overseas journey that took him across Europe, Scandinavia and Asia, Dylan McGowan tells FTBL what he learned in the dog fights overseas and how he's not looking back in red and black.
It was out of the frying pan and into the fire at Vendsyssel FF who were nailed down to the relegation zone for the majority of the season.
McGowan said it was a tough experience coming into a side that was fighting from minute one.
"The move was to a European club scrapping and fighting for points," he said. "I knew that if we didn't stay up then they wouldn't keep me on.
"I played four of my matches as a striker to win second balls and throwing caution to the wind."
Despite his efforts as an extremely false number nine, they failed to beat the drop, losing in the relegation play-offs and dropping down to the second division.
But there was a lingering voice in McGowan's ear the moment he set foot in Denmark. It was Western Sydney Wanderers coach Markus Babbel.
"We had a lot of phone calls the six months before I signed here and we were speaking the whole time I was in Denmark," said McGowan.
"I knew it could only be a six month deal and from the word go Markus was on the phone saying he'd like me at the Wanderers."
McGowan is set to be a part of the re-energised Western Sydney Wanderers team finally returningto their spiritual home in Parramatta.
The 28-year old is looking forward to a thrilling ride in red and black who believes that "it's time for the players to deliver."
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