Turkish Riviera spurs Jedinak
Qantas Socceroos midfielder Mile Jedinak hopes a switch to the Turkish Riviera will provide him the platform to shine ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
Three years ago, the thought of Mile Jedinak gracing the same field as Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell and Robbie Keane was pie in the sky.
The then New South Wales state league player was only then on the verge of training with the Central Coast Mariners, driving from Sydney up to five days a week for nothing.
It certainly paid dividends in the end, with a short-term contract with the Mariners followed by a full-time deal.
Fast forward to August 12 this year and Jedinak not only shared the same pitch, he anchored a midfield that dominated the Keane-led Ireland in the 3-0 friendly win.
Jedinak, who made his Qantas Socceroos debut against Singapore in March, 2008 said his confidence is growing.
"The Ireland game was a big one for me, knowing I was going to get my opportunity with a few of the other guys who play my position not being there," said Jedinak, who has now won six caps.
"I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself and I had only one training session prior to the game but I was quite relaxed and we ended up playing a free flowing game, which we haven't played in a while.
"Not that the handcuffs are on, but I guess with World Cup qualifiers tensions are a bit higher and there's a lot at stake, but being a friendly there's not as much pressure."
The 25-year-old switched from one Turkish club to another just three weeks ago, joining Antalyaspor on loan from Genclerbirligi.
It was a move he decided on with his place in the Genclerbirligi starting line-up far from assured, this despite starting virtually every match in the second half of last season, when he signed from the Mariners.
"It's been good at my new club. I've enjoyed my time here so far and they made me feel welcome straight away," he said.
"I made the call to move because I had minimal game time in my first two matches this season (with Genclerbirligi) and they were talking about bringing in a few more players.
"I knew I would get chances at some stage and any other time I would have stayed and fought for my spot, but this season is so important - I need to be playing, I can't afford to be in and out of the side, and the club wanted me so I signed.
"But I left on good terms so I was quite lucky."
And swapping the capital Ankara for Antalya, known as a gateway to the country's so-called 'Turkish Riviera', is something that he is sure to appreciate in time.
"It's one of the biggest tourist places in Turkey and the coast is quite nice. There's probably a bit more to do, but I haven't had a chance to explore it too much yet," Jedinak said.
"It's a bit more like living back in Australia so it will help me and particularly my fiancée.
"It's been over 30 degrees usually so training's always been at 9pm, bit it is starting to cool down a bit.
"We get a lot of teams coming here in January for pre season camps, both from Turkey and abroad, because of the pleasant climate."