During warm-up for the A-League fixture against Wellington Phoenix, Noah James withdrew from the matchday squad after sustaining a head injury. His replacement was Youth Team keeper Jordan Baylis, who was at McDonald Jones helping to warm up James and Scott.
“I remember seeing Noah go down, so I had to jump in goals for the shooting warmup. I wasn’t really thinking about being on the bench, I was just focusing on the shots. I remember the warmup finishing and Goldie (Andrew Goldman, Head of Goalkeeping) came up to me and told me I was going to be on the bench and to go and get ready. I wasn’t really nervous; I was more excited to get this opportunity that I’ve always wanted as a kid. To be involved in an A-League game was a dream of mine.”
Whilst Jordan didn’t quite make it onto the field to make his senior debut, he was fortunate enough to also be on the bench the next week for the 6-0 drubbing of the Central Coast Mariners in the F3 Derby.
“I’ve played in several derbies against the Mariners in the academy before, but nothing beats being a part of this game. Our biggest rivals and we beat them 6-0 at home in front of the fans. Seeing and being one of the players to celebrate with the fans at the end of the game was a very special moment for me.”
These two games weren’t Jordan’s first involvements with the 1st team. He featured on the bench twice in 2024, in Australia Cup fixtures against Western United and Rockdale Ilinden. He also trains regularly with the team at Maitland Sportsground.
“The main differences I find from training with the A-League boys is the speed and accuracy. The speed the ball moves is at a different level, and you don’t get much time to set yourself before the ball is struck at you. The accuracy of the A-League players is unbelievable. You see players score goals from the tightest angles.”
Jordan has spent several years with the Newcastle Jets InfraBuild Academy. The Cardiff Tigers and South Cardiff junior spent two years with Edgeworth in their junior NPL teams before joining the club in 2020. Since then, Jordan has quickly risen through the ranks, making his Academy 1st grade debut in 2022 at 16. He was part of the Youth team which won the 2022 FNSW League Three Men’s competition, as well as the team that went through the 2024 FNSW League Two competition unbeaten.
Jordan has set himself the goals of helping the Youth team get promoted into the NPL NSW competition, as well as getting more involved in the A-League Men’s team and developing as a player.
Our Youth Team boys are back in action this Saturday at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility against SD Raiders. U20s kick-off at 5pm, whilst 1st Grade kicks-off at 7pm.
