It’s a long way from Motherwell to Brisbane but new Roar signing Tom Aldred says he and the rest of the fresh faces in Robbie Fowler’s new-look squad are beginning to find common ground.
Following a loan spell in the Scottish Premier League from parent English League Two club Bury last season, the 28-year-old journeyman jetted into Queensland to join his 13th club of an 11-year career.
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With eleven new additions from England, Poland, Germany and Australia introduced to the leftovers of last season’s Hyundai A-League roster, Roar players could be forgiven for not yet recognising their own teammates.
But not only are they all on first-name terms, Aldred believes something special is building on the banks of the Brisbane River.
“It’s a lovely area to come to but we’ve been working hard and we’re obviously excited for the coming season,” Aldred told Brisbane Roar’s official website.
“There’s a lot of people in the same boat as each other in that they’re brand new to the football club.
“Everyone seems to be getting along well and there’s a lot of excitement within the group because we feel like we’ve signed some good players and we feel like we’ve got a team that can go places if we work hard.”
Roar takes on Brisbane City in their second match of the 2019/20 pre-season campaign on Saturday 20 July at Logan Metro Sports Complex at 3pm, following a 3-0 win against Redlands United last week.
More than 2,000 of the Roar faithful turned out at the same venue last week to get a peek at Fowler’s new charges and Aldred wants to see his teammates take another step in the right direction this week.
“As a team we’re starting to get to where we want to be and the way we want to play the game,” Aldred said.
“There’s definitely room for improvement, but I think it was initially just good to get some minutes in the legs. As games go on, we want to get closer to where we really want to be in terms of playing and competing.
“We’re enjoying it and I think initially it’s not just growing on the pitch, it’s growing off the pitch as well.”
Jets giving sweat and blood in pre-season
Jason Hoffman, Matt Millar and head coach Ernie Merrick were among eight Newcastle Jets who made life-saving blood donations this week.
The men from the Hunter were highlighting the fact that one in three Australians will need blood in their lifetime yet only 3% of Australian donate blood.
“As professional sportsmen, there have likely been times where we’ve been in for operations and have needed blood transfusions, so to be able to give back is important,” said midfielder Ben Kantarovski.
“It’s such a simple thing to do, it didn’t take much more than half an hour from start to finish, and to be in a position to give blood and potentially save lives is special.”
