"It's my first cap and I already want more" - Nisbet reflects on Socceroos debut
Josh Nisbet reflects on achieving a dream by becoming the 642nd player to play for the Socceroos on Tuesday night at GIO Stadium in Canberra.
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Nisbet was a late call-up to the squad following a late injury to Lewis Miller, experiencing a Socceroos camp for the first time following his stellar performances for Central Coast MAriners in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
“It’s been really good,” said Nisbet on his time with his new Australia teammates.
“It’s nice to meet the boys - they’re all very humble and they’re all good blokes.
“It was enjoyable and the football side of it was good too.”
The driving factor for Nisbet’s selection and debut was his excellent, consistent form for the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League Men's competition.
Across the campaign, Nisbet has registered a league high seven assists, as well as netting two goals, securing an impressive average of 0.43 goal involvements per 90.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1772577989869654387
It was no surprise, considering his excellent club campaign, that after being called off the bench, Graham Arnold told Nisbet to just continue his Mariners form.
“He just said have fun and do what you do at the Central Coast”, said Nisbet.
“Enjoy it and play with a smile.”
Heading into the match, Nisbet played 23 minutes, making eight accurate passes and having 13 touches in a measured debut.
Reflecting on the performance - and his heart rate - Nisbet said “It was going a little bit!
“I thought I’d get a little bit more nervous closer to it.
“I felt good, it’s the same thing just at a higher level.
“I’m pretty happy, pretty excited.
“It’s my first cap and I already want more.”
The addition of Nisbet to the match was met by an abundance of cheers from the crowd - the tricky, incisive midfielder has been not only one of the most outstanding players in the A-League Men this campaign, but one of the most popular.
“I try to avoid social media but a few of the fans were cheering,” he said on the support he’s received.
“It’s nice to be loved and wanted.
“I’ll just keep performing and hopefully continue that support for me.”
Finally, Nisbet reflected on his youth and emerging years at the Mariners.
His rise from being told he wasn’t good enough to make the A-League Men to having just made his Socceroos debut and being a strong candidate for player of the season for his club and league.
“I think it’s an indication of just, if you want it that bad, just keep pushing at it and don’t listen to anyone,” he said.
“For anyone who wants to be a footballer or wants to be anything in life, just believe in yourself and don’t stop trying.”
