SYDNEY FC defender Mark Milligan believes his side cannot afford to ignore the threat posed by ‘the grinder’ in Melbourne Victory’s side this weekend.
Players such as Archie Thompson, Danny Allsopp and Carlos Hernandez have grabbed plenty of headlines in recent weeks but Milligan is well placed to acknowledge the contribution of someone who just gets on with the job without too much fuss.
Leigh Broxham is something of an unsung hero in Milligan’s eyes, the pair colleagues for the Qantas Under 23s. Both played their full part in qualification for the Olympic Games later this year.
The duo will be on opposing sides this weekend as Sydney FC chases the minor premiership with the Victory out to spoil the party – a clash on course to see a record regular season crowd pack into the SFS on Sunday evening.
So while Milligan, who has a fight on to force his way back into the starting line-up following a toe injury, is confident Sydney can end their largely miserable run against Melbourne, he will be telling colleagues to bottle the Brox.
He said: “Leigh is great for them. He’s a bit of a grinder in there. He works really hard and wins a lot of ball. It’s the same for the Qantas Under 23.
"Every team needs someone like that in their midfield, someone to do the dirty work and win tackles. He always seems to keep it simple and creates a lot of things by doing so.
“He’s definitely someone you want to close down and try and limit his influence in the midfield as much as possible.”
This weekend’s blockbuster clash is the last of 21 rounds in the competition and Milligan hopes it isn’t too long before he finds himself having to take part in a longer campaign.
While the finals loom, another hot topic at present is the potential expansion of the Hyundai A-League. Gold Coast Galaxy and the Northern Thunder are both hoping to join the party sooner rather than later.
Milligan said: “With eight teams as it is you can’t really play more than three rounds. At times it gets a little frustrating seeing the same faces and there’s a danger of feeling you’re playing the same team every week.
“We should go to more teams but you need to make sure they’re the right teams and that we keep the standard that we’ve got. You don’t want the A-League standard dropping.
"We have a lot of quality players coming back, you want the quality there and that helps to keep the fans coming in and keep the competition strong and healthy.”
Leigh Broxham is something of an unsung hero in Milligan’s eyes, the pair colleagues for the Qantas Under 23s. Both played their full part in qualification for the Olympic Games later this year.
The duo will be on opposing sides this weekend as Sydney FC chases the minor premiership with the Victory out to spoil the party – a clash on course to see a record regular season crowd pack into the SFS on Sunday evening.
So while Milligan, who has a fight on to force his way back into the starting line-up following a toe injury, is confident Sydney can end their largely miserable run against Melbourne, he will be telling colleagues to bottle the Brox.
He said: “Leigh is great for them. He’s a bit of a grinder in there. He works really hard and wins a lot of ball. It’s the same for the Qantas Under 23.
"Every team needs someone like that in their midfield, someone to do the dirty work and win tackles. He always seems to keep it simple and creates a lot of things by doing so.
“He’s definitely someone you want to close down and try and limit his influence in the midfield as much as possible.”
This weekend’s blockbuster clash is the last of 21 rounds in the competition and Milligan hopes it isn’t too long before he finds himself having to take part in a longer campaign.
While the finals loom, another hot topic at present is the potential expansion of the Hyundai A-League. Gold Coast Galaxy and the Northern Thunder are both hoping to join the party sooner rather than later.
Milligan said: “With eight teams as it is you can’t really play more than three rounds. At times it gets a little frustrating seeing the same faces and there’s a danger of feeling you’re playing the same team every week.
“We should go to more teams but you need to make sure they’re the right teams and that we keep the standard that we’ve got. You don’t want the A-League standard dropping.
"We have a lot of quality players coming back, you want the quality there and that helps to keep the fans coming in and keep the competition strong and healthy.”
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