Australia’s Favourite Football Fanzine www.goalweekly.com $4 FOOTBALL FEATURE ON BAILEY WRIGHT FOOTBALL FOCUS ON JASON DAVIDSON BENDING OVER FOR BECKHAM Season 5: Issue 3 Monday 9th March 2009 Photo: Daniel Flis Photo: Peter Kakalias THUNDER STRIKES AGAIN! ALL FINE AT DANDY AS ANOTHER SCALP NABBED SL NW2 FIXTURES / JIMMY MACKAY / VPL ROUND 2 FOOTBALL FEATURE Langwarrin’s Bailey Wright WRIGHT HEADS TO UK Bailey Signs Two-Year Deal With Preston LANGWARRIN teenager Bailey Wright play against the youth sides from some of the has signed a two-year scholarship with biggest clubs in the game.” English Championship outfi t Preston Bigger still was his inclusion in the Joeys North End, currently in the hunt for squad that made it to the fi nals of the Asian promotion to the Premiership. Football Confederation Under-16 champion- The former Victorian Institute of Sport star ships held in Uzbekistan last October. Wright and Joeys defender fl ies to England in late played in a 6–0 rout of Turkmenistan but the June and while that’s a blow for the club he young Aussies went down 3–2 to United Arab joined as a junior it’s an enormous opportunity Emirates in the quarter-fi nals, the UAE winner for this confi dent 16-year-old to kick-start coming in injury time. what could be a successful career as a profes- “There’s nothing like it. Nothing comes close. sional footballer. It’s awesome playing for your country.” And the ironic twist to his tale is that he only Wanting to play senior football before fl ying to trained with Preston for a day late last year the UK, Wright trained during the pre-season before spending a week on trial with Black- with Dandenong Thunder, newly promoted to burn Rovers. Premier League but when senior coach Stuart “I think Preston liked the physical aspects of Munro indicated to Wright that the youngster my game. The players were really welcoming might not get a regular game in stepped Lang- which made it a lot easier and after the session warrin supremo Gus Macleod. the club told me that they were interested and “You hear some people say bad things about they knew that I was going to Blackburn,” said Thunder but they really treated me well. The Wright. people there were really nice to me and helped Wright was injured during his Blackburn trial me a lot. and the Ewood Park outfi t could not properly “As soon as I started training with Langwarrin assess him but Preston had seen enough and Gus put me into the fi rst team and played me offered him a scholarship which he accepted. every week in the practice games, which was He’ll play in Preston’s youth team from the great. outset under coach Jamie Hoyland and no “It’s only a fi ve-minute walk to training which doubt director of youth Dean Ramsdale and beats an hour and a half and sometimes two assistant Nick Harrison will be keeping a close hours to get to training with the VIS.” watch on Wright’s progress. While Wright is enjoying himself at Langy the The teenager will arrive at the Deepdale thought of joining a professional club with a stadium already aware that he’s joining a club chance of playing in the English Premiership steeped in history. It tells you something about is never far away. Likewise the thought of one how keen he is to forge a professional career day becoming a full-time pro. that he’s even bothered to learn some impor- “How good would it be to make a living out of tant aspects of the club’s background. something that you love doing?” “It’s one of the longest serving clubs in the Wright will join a Lancashire club whose league and you soon learn about all those Sixteen-year-old Bailey Wright heads to Preston North End at the end of June to promotion push is matched by its off-fi eld famous names like Finney. I’ve been to the take up a two-year deal. Photo: SUE MACKIE. impetus. A major redevelopment of Deepdale (National Football) museum and they’ve even began in 1995 when the old West Stand was got the old Wembley goals there. It’s awe- father’s infl uence. me I was a good player but that I had to work demolished to make way for the new £4.4m some.” “Dad always was honest with me. Honesty on my fi tness.” Sir Tom Finney Stand which has a capacity And “awesome” is a word you’ll hear often gets you a long way. He always told me when Wright captained the Victorian Under-14 and of around 8000 and includes press areas and from Wright who still is over-the-moon at the I played well and when I had a bad game. Under-15 Metro sides at national champion- restaurants. opportunity that’s been offered to him. You’re not going to get anywhere if you get ships and accepted a scholarship to the VIS in The next stand to be developed was the Bill Preston is a founder member of the Football told you’ve done well when you’ve had a bad 2006. Shankley Kop in 1998. The National Football League and became the champion of the game,” said Wright. “The VIS was brilliant, a really professional museum runs underneath these stands with the world’s fi rst professional league in 1889 when Next port of call was Mornington’s Under-13 environment and (head coach) Ian Greener entrance at the corner of the two. it went through the season unbeaten. Super League side coached by Nick Townsend taught me a lot as a player and gave me confi - The Alan Kelly Town End was next to be built Current boss Alan Irvine is in illustrious but at the ripe old age of 13 he joined Division dence. I wasn’t good at keeping possession but replacing the popular Town End terrace and company. Some of the game’s greatest names One outfi t Dandenong Thunder in 2005 and they worked hard on that and I’m a lot better in 2008 the Invincibles Pavilion opened to have managed the famous club among them played regularly in the club’s reserves under in that area now. complete the regeneration. Alan Ball, Bobby Charlton, Nobby Stiles and Toby Paterson. “Mehmet Durakovic was the assistant coach Just as well because they’ll need the extra Tommy Docherty. “I’d never really got close to playing for and he helped out with defensive aspects of seating to house the Wright clan that consists Yep, that’s awesome alright. But it won’t Victoria before but I’m sure lots of kids got my game so I’ve got a lot to thank the VIS of his dad, mum Jeanette, older sisters Nicole overawe a youngster who’ll soon be fl ying overlooked a few years back. I made the Vic for.” and Amanda, older brother Craig and twin halfway around the world to live in digs with Under-14 Metro side and that’s really when I The introduction of the Australian Institute sister Maddison. other hopefuls. got involved in the system.” of Sport team into Victoria’s Premier League Rest assured though that Preston will accom- That’s because of the many people who have Paterson had recognised the teenager’s talents in 2007 also heralded the entry of Wright and modate the Wrights, especially if the youngest played a part in nurturing Wright’s talents, not and arranged trials with Scottish giant Celtic his VIS teammates into that league’s reserves family member follows in the footsteps of a just on the fi eld, but off. He’s level-headed, and English outfi t Crewe Alexandra. competition and it was also in 2007 that couple of Aussies called Neil and Cahill. ambitious and talented, a potent mix indeed. “We went to the UK in September (2005) and Wright had another “awesome” experience. Wright started playing with Langwarrin as a mum and dad and my twin sister came as well. “Yeah, touring the UK with the VIS that year fi ve-year-old. He was coached by his father I was at Celtic for a week but didn’t get much was awesome. We had some good results and By Craig MacKenzie Andy back then and has great respect for his feedback and I had a week at Crewe. They told some not so good but it was just amazing to Finger On The Pulse Dept. p2 Monday 9 March 2009 ISSUE #3 REWIND DEPT. ASIA CUP THIS WEEK’S LINE UP Aus v Kuwait Rewind 3 ‘ROOS STUMBLE! Errea Scoreboard Page 4 Kuwaitis Infl ict Capital Punishment Georgies v Hume 5 Australia sit rooted to the bottom of Group B in qualifying for the South v Bergers 6 2011 AFC Asian Cup after defeat Magic v Lions 7 at the hands of a spirited Kuwait in Canberra on Thursday evening. Monday Night Football 8 A record local crowd for an in- ternational football match of 20,032 fi lled Blast From The Past 11 Canberra Stadium, and were lamenting a lacklustre display from Australia as they Eagles v Knights 14 fell 1-0 to the visitors. The loss added fur- Cannons v Thunder 15 ther weight to the anti-A-League band- wagon, with the part-timers from Kuwait MacKenzie At Large 16 illustrating a more cohesive style of foot- ball in comparison to the more fancied Football Focus 27 yet vastly underdone hosts.