For Cameron Devlin, his first Hyundai A-League goal and the celebrations that followed on Friday night saw the 20-year-old come full-circle.
From being a Cove Member at 12 years old, to celebrating with the Cove following his maiden strike, Devlin said it was an unforgettable moment in his fledgling career as he heralded the Sky Blues’ supporters for all their efforts during the season.
“When I was around 12 or 13 me and my cousin and a few mates used to go into the Cove and that’s what made it [the goal] a bit more special,” Devlin said.
“I used to sing songs and go along with the chants about some of my team mates now, and now to play with them and celebrate with the Cove that something I can’t really describe.
“Brandon broke clear, he did well to get into the position he got into and I just sprinted tried to keep myself onside, and when he found me I only had one thing on my mind and that was hitting the back of the net, and when I did I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, I was so excited.
“I definitely didn’t have anything [celebrations] planned,” he continued.
“Lucky it was at the Cove end. Without them it’s not much of a game so I felt like when I hit the back of the net it was right to head over to them and celebrate with them.
“All the boys loving seeing them in the crowd every week. To be fair I wasn’t going to go over to the Cove but I saw a mate who was at the front of the Cove and I just thought ‘yeah we’ll go over’. It was good fun.”
Plying his trade in a role similar to 2016/17 Johnny Warren medallist Milos Ninkovic, Devlin has the perfect mentor as the youngster looks to hone his skills under the Serbian’s tutelage.
“I feel like I’ve got so much to learn,” he said.
“I’m playing a similar position to Ninko at the moment, so I’m just watching him, doing as much as I can and asking him a lot of questions, thriving off that.
“I’m absolutely loving it, the experiences, the game time is an added bonus, I wasn’t expecting much of it this year.
“To be a part of a successful team, a team with such good players that I’m learning off every day and the coaching staff that look after me, for me being a young player I feel like I’m improving every day.
“For us as players and myself, it’s more games and that’s what we play for,” Devlin said as he looks ahead to Wednesday’s AFC Champions League opener.
“As a team we’re really looking forward to it, we really want to do well and we definitely believe that we can go far in the competition and I’m sure that we will.”
Sydney FC kick off their 2019 AFC Champions League campaign at home at Jubilee Stadium against Korea Republic powerhouse Ulsan Hyundai FC. With two tickets for $30*, bring your mates and be there to see your Sky Blues face the best in Asia.
*booking fees apply
