Blacktown City FC’s rising young star Dakota Askew is really missing his National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s football fix.
The 22-year-old had a great start to the season under the watchful eye of legendary coach Mark Crittenden but his rise to the top got cut short in March when COVID-19 hit.
Restrictions and with no official NPL NSW Men’s date set as of yet, Askew headed back to Gold Coast where he has spent enjoying downtime with his family and friends but keeping fit and in shape waiting patiently for that call-up to return back to Lily Homes Stadium.
“COVID-19 has affected me dramatically in terms of lifestyle – Since the suspension of football, I decided to return home (Gold Coast).
“I’ve been up here for the last few months now enjoying time with my family and friends.
“It sucks being away from my teammates and not being able to play but I’ve still been training during this difficult period as if the season is set to continue.
“I’ve made it a point to keep in the best shape possible doing cardio and keeping up with my touches on the ball hoping to return to the game I love.”
Askew who has played for the likes of Poole Town FC, Europa Point FC, Brisbane Strikers and Brisbane Olympic is a footballer through and through meaning this has been the youngster’s main source of income.
Without football, Askew has been helping his father out keeping him busy on that front amongst hitting up the waves at the ‘GC’.
“When I moved back home temporarily, I have been doing a little bit of part-time work with my dad as a means to keep me occupied.
“In terms of picking up any extra hobbies apart from going to the beach a lot due to the better weather up at the Gold Coast, I have used this time productively to work on weaknesses in my game and hope to utilise everything I’ve fine-tuned to the best of my ability when we come back.”
Finding his passion and love for the game as a four-year-old, Askew has kept his spirits high ever since restrictions have eased allowing teams to train once more.
“It did put a smile on my face, I think its important to appreciate your regular routine as I’ve figured during lockdown things got boring very quickly.
“Until we here of an official date for the recommencement of the NPL, I will continue with my training up here but looking forward to getting back onto that pitch.
“I’ve really missed game day, for me there’s nothing like the feeling of a bit of pressure to perform and compete with your teammates to win a match.
“We started off on fire winning three games from three and we hope to continue our winning streak when we hopefully return.”
Askew certainly gained a fair bit of attention ever since the 2020 NPL NSW Men’s season kicked off and will no doubt be one to watch out for as one of Crittenden’s gems moving forward.
Coming to the club for the 2018 season, Askew is certainly a player to watch out for with the midfielder hoping to win some silverware with the senior squad.
