Rising Tasmanian star secures future at City

TASMANIAN Nathaniel Atkinson has been rewarded for a lightning start to life in the ALeague with a two-year contract extension at Melbourne City.

The 18-year-old only made his debut for club’s senior team last month but he has had an immediate impact, featuring in six consecutive games and providing a maiden assist for Ross McCormack on New Year’s Day.

The wide player has caught the eye of head coach Warren Joyce, who praised Atkinson yesterday for making the most of his opportunity in the first team.

“You’ve seen him play in several positions and one-vone he’s very good,” Joyce said.

“He’s shown a great attitude to work but he’s clever in tight situations and he’s got good feet, and if you’ve got a lot of players that are good in one-vone situations it helps you tactically as a coach to organise a team.”

Atkinson’s impact has also been recognised by City fans, who on Thursday voted the teenager the club’s Player of the Month for December.

His new deal will see him remain at Melbourne City until the end of the 2019-20 season.

Atkinson started his career with Riverside Olympic in the state’s North, before joining the NTC, and he was scouted from there by Melbourne City youth coaches.

He believes his work ethic has helped him make the transition to the A-League.

“I work hard both attacking and defending, going forward and then when we’re in transi- tion tracking back and tackling has been a big thing for me,” Atkinson said. “This is only the start really. There’s a lot more hard work to go, I’ll try my best for the team, start winning, and hopefully [we can] get titles through the seasons.”

Atkinson has been overwhelmed by the support he has received from Tasmania.

“My friends are proud, my whole family’s proud, and it’s really good to give something back to them for all the sacrifices they’ve made for me through my junior career,” he said.