‘Best job in the world’ – Why 300-man Reddy wants to play on for years to come

He may be about to become a 300-match milestone man but Perth Glory’s evergreen goalkeeper Liam Reddy has no intentions of hanging up the gloves anytime soon.

The man they call ‘Rocket’ will become the first gloveman to play a triple century of Hyundai A-League matches when he runs out for Glory's Monday night clash against Western United at HBF Park.

The 38-year-old has shown no signs of decline – in fact he leads the competition in clean sheets in 2019/20 with seven – having played in every one of the Hyundai A-League’s 15 seasons.

The veteran shot-stopper has turned out for a competition-record seven clubs and, reflecting on his storied career, Reddy paid tribute to the commitment shown by his family for supporting his dream job.

“I’ve changed clubs, changed cities a lot too, so the family has always moved with me and really settled in every time we’ve gone new places,” Reddy told perthglory.com.au

“Obviously it’s harder on my older two kids because of school, but they’ve been a major contributor and factor of why I’m still playing now.

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“They are the ones that still drive me every day to come in, be positive and, for me, I still think I’ve got the best job in the world.

“You come in, train and play on the weekend in front of fans, for me that’s the best thing and it’s something I want to continue to do for a number of years still.”

Reddy becomes the fourth member of the 300 club, alongside Andrew Durante, Leigh Broxham and Nicolai Topor-Stanley, and he has every chance of becoming the division’s leading appearance-maker if he can continue to perform as long as he intends to.

The Sydneysider was not always a natural custodian, although his Aussie roots, his rugby league-playing dad, Rod, and his dislike of cardio helped forge the pathway ahead.

“I moved to the UK when I was younger and got into soccer,” he added.

“I was actually a field player but didn’t appreciate the running you have to do.

“Coming from a rugby league background, goalkeeping was the best way to go. 

“I could still get rough a little bit and dive around.

“I just took to it and never looked back.”

Watch the full feature interview on perthglory.com.au as Reddy discusses the best strikers he has faced, best defenders he has played with and tries to remember every penalty save he has made.

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