‘Geordie’ flying high at Bonnyrigg

Born and bred in Newcastle, England, Brown has been an integral part in Brian ?Bomber? Brown?s squad for the new season which has seen the 25-year-old rise amongst one of the finest left-backs in the competition.
?It?s been a good year so far for the squad and for myself but I still believe we are yet to play our best football.
?It?s a fairly new team so it has taken time to settle in with all the new faces but ?Bomber? has done well in getting us all to gel as a team unit.
?In terms of the competition itself, it has been very tight and we are only two points behind the league leaders so we can all see that the lead may well change on a weekly basis, it?s been ultra competitive.?
The former Feyenoord and Australian youth international has always wanted to play under the direction of Brian Brown and 2010 saw his dream become a reality after he spent a season in the Scottish First Division with Airdrie United.
?I heard quite a lot about ?Bomber? when I was here and even when I went overseas and said that I would like to play under him one day and when the opportunity came about after returning home I jumped at the chance.
?From what I have seen so far it is what I expected as he is a good coach and puts on great training sessions as well as sets our minds on playing good football weekly.?
Brown was part of the NSW Premier League two seasons ago when he was playing his trade with the Macarthur Rams before taking the opportunity in playing in Scotland which was an experience and eye opener for the tough tackling left-back.
?I spent a year at Airdrie and it was certainly an experience.
?I had originally gone to England for trials with English League One side Tranmere Rovers but things didn?t work out there. I ended up in Scotland and trained well with Airdrie who then signed me for the season.
?The game itself was very direct as the game was played at an explosive speed as you were always put under pressure, it taught me a lot.
?At the end of the year the club offered me a six month extension to my contract but wanted to cut my salary which was something I could not accept and there was no point me hanging around.
?I went back to my home in Newcastle where I was training with Conference side Gateshead FC but there wasn?t really anything happening there so I decided to return home and took the opportunity to sign with the White Eagles.?
Part of Brown returning back to Australia was the lure of the possibility of playing in the A-League something the Newcastle born star hopes to achieve in his list of goals.
?First and foremost I want to win silverware with the White Eagles. We have a solid side and I hope we can replicate this with some trophies for the club and our fans.
?Secondly getting a chance to play in the A-League would be up there as a big goal of mine. ?Bomber? has changed my position to left-back, a position I was playing in my second year at Feyenoord a couple of years ago in the hope of gaining more attention from respective A-League clubs.
?I have been confident with my new role and I hope that it does lead me into bigger things in my career.
?I haven?t ruled out the dream of going back abroad one day but I want to take things one step at a time and concentrate on winning things at Bonnyrigg first.?
The White Eagles will face a stern test in the shape of Sydney Olympic this Saturday in a game tipped to be full of excitement and fireworks as both clubs chase the three points to add to their tally for 2010.
?Sydney Olympic have got a quality team and have hit their straps in the last few weeks so I know we are in for a very tough game on Saturday.
?I know that they didn?t start on the right foot but they seem to be coming good slowly so we need to be careful about this.
?I do believe though that the win against the Suns last weekend was much needed and it has spurred us on for this match and if we play to our potential then we shouldn?t have a problem.
?We want to win this week for our club and the fans who have been great for us this year.?
Brown signalled out a special shout-out to White Eagles goalkeeper Phillip Zabaks who was unfortunately injured two weeks ago and suffered a fractured skull which shocked many in the NSW Premier League community. All prayers were answered that Zabaks has commenced his road to recovery with Brown wishing him all the best.
?It shocked all the boys when we heard the news what Phil was going through but thankfully it turned out well and he pulled through.
?He?s a strong lad and I know he will be back better than ever, it?s just one of those moments where you don?t think could happen in football but it did.?
Finally Brown was asked what his thoughts were about seeing his beloved Newcastle United, a place where he grew up until the age of 12, gain promotion back into the English Premier League after a year of wilderness in the English Championship, his reply was quite simple.
?I was absolutely buzzing.
?I watched the English Championship more the English Premier League this year, they are back where they belong and I hope they stay there for years to come.?
-By Mark Stavroulakis