Newcastle Jets utility player Matt Thompson will be the first player in the Hyundai A-League to make 75 appearances if he takes the field this Saturday evening against rivals Sydney FC.
Matt Thompson goes about his business with a minimum of fuss and will likely do so again this Saturday evening in the Newcastle Jets- Round 4 clash with rivals Sydney FC. Should he take to the pitch in this mouthwatering match, the Jets- utility will be the first player to reach 75 Hyundai A-League appearances.
However, despite the accolades, the bloke known as ‘Thomo- describes his achievement in a typically unpretentious manner.
“It-s a good little milestone but I-d like to remember the 75th game as 3 points, so we-ll just worry about that first,” he said today.
“I-ve been pretty lucky with injuries, I haven-t really missed any games through injury, which is great. I-ve been lucky and that-s obviously helped me get to where I am now with the 75 games. It-s great, and I-m hoping that throughout my career it doesn-t affect me that way either,” said Thompson.
The Jets are looking to rebound from their Round 3 loss away to Melbourne, and have the perfect opportunity to do so this Saturday evening at EnergyAustralia Stadium. Thompson and his teammates have banded together during the one-week FIFA Match Day break and plan to come out stronger than ever against their intra-state rivals.
“We obviously realise what went wrong a couple of weeks ago against Melbourne. We just can-t wait to get back out there and do what we know we can do. Training-s been great, the intensity-s been great, and I have no doubt that we can take that into the game on Saturday.”
“I think we-ve got to look after each other on the weekend and whoever goes out there, the starting 11 and the 15 that-s in the squad, have got to go out there and do it for each other,” stated Thompson.
Head coach Gary van Egmond also took the opportunity today to sing the praises of Thompson, who is the only remaining Jets player from the inaugural season of the Hyundai A-League.
“It-s a real testament to ‘Thomo-. There have been 3 or 4 Head coaches in that time and he-s always been a player that-s been within the 11, so that speaks volumes for ‘Thomo- as far as his ability is concerned. Obviously he takes good care of himself with regards to the prevention of injuries and ensures that he can also train and play with setbacks as well, which is also an important component.”
“You-re not going to find too many more talented players than ‘Thomo-. He-s technically very good, good athlete and good with the group as well.”
“As the years go on I-m sure he-s going to take up much more of a leadership role than what he is right at this moment. Eventually, who knows, he could captain the team without any problem,” van Egmond said.
This Saturday-s game could prove to be the scene of another milestone, with the next goal by the Newcastle Jets to be the 100th recorded in the club-s history.
Tickets for Saturday evening-s clash against Sydney FC are still available from www.proticket.com.au, or by calling (02) 4915 2345.
