Fresh from Saturday night’s festivities after claiming the AFC Asian Cup with the Socceroos, Terry Antonis returned to Sky Blues training today as he bids for a place in the squad to face Perth at nib Stadium on Saturday (kick off 9:30pm).
Antonis said he was pleased to be back at Macquarie University Sports Fields but acknowledged he has a fight on his hands to retain his position following the arrival of Micakel Tavares during that January transfer window.
“It’s always great to be back and seeing the boys again and having a couple of laughs,” Antonis said.
“It was great to get some hard work done today. Being able to train with them [Faty, Tavares and Stambolziev] and to mingle with new players and see the old boys again was a great feeling.
“It’s always great to have someone pushing you,” he continued.
“They’re all top quality players and I can’t wait to be playing with them on the field on the weekend.
“Having him [Mickael] with me and Milos in midfield I think is going to help me a lot and just by being able to train with them and learn heaps off them helps a lot. They’re both great players and I think I’ll learn a lot.
Clinching Australia’s first major piece of silverware Antonis said it was a dream come true, and as he turned his focus back to the Hyundai A-League he was brimming with confidence at the prospect of Perth Glory on the weekend.
“For me it was great to be able to play with my childhood heroes and get to represent your country on home soil and to win it here,” he said.
“For me it was an amazing thing and I’ll always remember it.I learnt from what they were doing on and off the field and now I hope to bring it back to club level and prove myself.
“Since I’ve come back the boys are looking good,” he continued.
I think it will be a great test for us.We’ve been confident from the start of the season that we’d be able to do well with all the players we’ve got and the coaching staff so I think the final leg, halfway now, I think we’ll do really well.”
Sydney FC take on Perth Glory at nib Stadium on Saturday 7 February (kick off 9:30pm AEDT). Catch the match on Fox Sports 4 or follow @SydneyFC on Twitter for match updates.
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