Let's start off with your background in the game ... when did you start playing and who for?
"I have always played football for as long as I can remember. I started in England when I was younger for my local junior sides and when we moved to Perth in 1997 I joined Sorrento straight away as that was where my Dad (Trevor) was coaching at the time. I played for Sorrento from Under-14's all the way through to the reserves and had a couple of brief appearances in the first team towards the end of last season. When I first started with Sorrento I was playing as a centre-back, but I moved into the centre of midfield when I was 16 and that's where I'm play now, it's a bit harder in midfield but I really enjoy it there."
Late last season your Dad was offered the coaching position with Sengkang Marine ... what were your thoughts on that at the time?
"When Dad first had the job interview and I knew there was a chance that we could be moving to Singapore I have to admit I was a bit worried - I didn't even know where Singapore was on a map! He moved over here in July and I came over in October for a visit and I really did like it. For as long as I can remember I had always wanted to be a footballer, so when Dad said there was a chance for me to do it full-time in Singapore that pretty much made my mind up."
You're now well and truly settled in to life in Singapore ... how have you found the city and it's lifestyle?
"Singapore is very different to Perth, it has very different cultures and the weather here is so hot. The football is also very different and, because all the teams I play against are all full-time, it changes a lot of things. They are a lot sharper on the ball, full of tricks and turns and it's very hard to get the ball off your opponent - unless you foul them which is sometimes the only way! Seriously though, I do miss Perth a lot, I miss my mates there, but I wouldn't want to come back yet, not now I have tasted what it is like playing football full-time. And the lifestyle here is brilliant, sometimes we train twice a day - at 8.00am and 6.00pm - but more often than not it is just at 6.00 in the evening. That really leaves the whole day free for us, there are a few ex-Sorrento boys here, we all get on really well together and have a great time."
You've spent much of your first season with Sengkang playing for their Prime League team - excuse my ignorance, but what is the Prime League?
"It's basically the equivalent of the S-League reserves, it's purpose is to provide competition for those players that do not play for the first team each week. And if you do play for the S-League (senior) team on the Thursday, Friday or Saturday then you can not play in the Prime League. The League itself is very well organised and is quite strong, there are some very good teams in it and some very good players. I've been primarily playing for the Prime League side as we are only allowed to have four foreign players in the first team each week and I'm the fifth - and youngest - of Sengkang's foreign players."
How have things been going for Sengkang this season in the Prime League?
"Unfortunately we're not doing too well at the moment. We haven't got a very big squad and have a lot of very young, inexperienced players, myself included. I have played most games for the Prime League this season, I've missed only two previous games through suspension but are currently serving a two-match ban ... so as you can see I haven't fully adapted to the way the game is played in Singapore yet! But as I said before, the Prime League is quite a high standard - higher than the equivalent leagues in Perth - but then again it should be as all the Prime League teams train full-time, mostly with their S-League counterparts."
The Sengkang first team started their season in sensational form but seen to have become somewhat erratic as the season has progressed. What caused the change in fortunes?
"We did start the season off very well. We were unbeaten over the first five games and even top of the league at one point, but now we are in a more realistic mid-table position. It's well-accepted that we can not compete for the top-of-the-table positions with some of the other clubs as we are only a small club in comparison. For example, Singapore Armed Forces - who are now top of the league by nine points - are a massive club, they have several big sponsorship deals worth several hundreds of thousands dollars each year and can afford to bring in the best foreign talent and also sign the best local players. There are few clubs like this - Home United, Tampines Rovers, Woodlands Wellington and Jurong - that all have big corporate sponsorship deals, hence have a lot of money to throw around. Sengkang will want to finish as high up as possible, as I am sure any club would, but I think that seventh or eighth is a realistic goal for us, especially when you consider that all our previous season's have seen us end in the bottom two!"
You recently stepped up to the Sengkang senior side when named on the bench for the game with Woodlands Wellington, but your debut outing lasted just four minutes ... what happened?
"I made by my first team debut a few weeks back, an opportunity that I had waited for a long time for as I had to wait until one of the other foreign players was injured or suspended. It was a league match against Woodlands at our ground with around 3,000 people there. I came on as substitute in the 56th minute, I had three good touches of the ball and then went in for a tackle with another player. I may have been a bit late and the referee blew for a free-kick but my momentum took me over the top of the opposing player and my foot became entangled with him. He obviously thought that I stood on him on purpose, a bit of a free-for-all begins during which he spat at me, and after all the chaos ended I was the one sent off - in just the 60th minute!"
What are your goals for the remainder of the season, do you expect to feature more for the first team?
"Yeah, I hope so. I spend most of my time training with the S-League squad and the improvement has been no-end. After the gruelling pre-season training we went through - some of which I thought I wouldn't survive - I am now a lot fitter and looking forward to the next opportunity. That should come this week against Geylang United, who are the reigning S-League champions, as our striker Grant Holt will be missing through suspension. I'll take my chances as they come and hopefully my next game will last longer than four minutes!"
Copyright Brett Klucznik, 2002. No part of this article may be reproduced without the prior content of it's author, Brett Klucznik (bklucznik@iprimus.com.au). Doing so would be a violation of copyright laws and regulations.