Newcastle Jets have today added budding attacker Andy Brennan to the club’s Hyundai A-League roster for the next two seasons.
Brennan, 22, joins the Jets from former national league heavyweights South Melbourne FC in the PS4 National Premier Leagues (NPL) Victoria having spent a successful period on trial with the club, and having been monitored over the last six months by Newcastle Head Coach Phil Stubbins.
Previously Brennan played for one of Australia’s oldest clubs, South Hobart FC, in Tasmania’s Victory League.
It was with South Hobart that Brennan featured in the inaugural Westfield FFA Cup – his successful penalty in a shootout after extra time unfortunately not enough to stop his side bowing out in the round of 32 against Tuggeranong United.
In 2014 Brennan produced some of the Victory League’s most memorable moments. Indeed, he netted 25 goals to finish as the competition’s second highest goal-getter, and subsequently won the league’s Best and Fairest Award. He also collected South Hobart’s Best and Fairest gong last year.
Brennan’s form in Tasmania was enough to convince South Melbourne mentor Chris Taylor to bring him to Victoria from the Apple Isle, and having continued his strong form Brennan says he’s grateful to Newcastle for giving him the chance to make an impact in Australia’s top flight.
“It’s pretty amazing to think how far I have come in such a short period of time,” Brennan said. “But this is a challenge that I welcome and I am really looking forward to getting started in Newcastle.”
“I finish with South Melbourne on June 5 [when the men from Lakeside Stadium take on Melbourne Knights] and will be in Newcastle for the first day of pre-season on June 22,” he said.
Brennan said that Jets members and fans can expect him to produce a “positive” style of play for the club.
“I am a pretty positive player in the sense that I am direct and always want to try and get in behind the defence,” he explained. “Obviously the Hyundai A-League is another level, but given I will be playing with some high-class players that should only help me to improve my game.”
Today Stubbins likened Brennan’s story, ability and potential to that of former Adelaide United ace Mathew Leckie, now of FC Ingolstadt 04 in Germany, as well as the Socceroos.
Stubbins worked with Leckie in the city of churches, and said that while there is no pressure on Brennan to emulate the former Bulleen Lions forward, he believes he has the capacity to make a telling impact in the Hyundai A-League.
“Andy plays in a way that can be compared to Mathew Leckie,” Stubbins said. “When Mathew came to Adelaide he was a raw, untapped talent, but he possessed pace and an eye for goal which was nurtured over time.”
“He [Brennan] is a player that we’ve identified could turn into a very good player in the Hyundai A-League. He was best on ground when I watched him against Melbourne Knights a few weeks ago, he’s six foot two, very quick, and has scored a heck of a lot of goals at state level.”
“There’s no pressure on him whatsoever, but we believe we’ve identified a gem and someone that deserves an opportunity,” Stubbins concluded.
