Vukovic grabs his chance

IT’S when he gets home from an away game that Danny Vukovic can see the difference, and know the big decision he took was the right one.

Some 18 months after son Harley had a liver transplant, and a year since goalkeeper Vukovic secured a move to Belgium at the age of 32, the angst of Harley’s early years is gone, most of all in his face.

Harley is too young to understand, but soon enough he’ll read about the year his dad went to the World Cup, on the back of winning player of the year in his first season overseas.

The decision to quit Sydney FC a year ago to take up an offer at Belgian side Genk was fraught with competing factors, most of all giving up the family support and excellent medical care.

“It was something I’d dreamed about for a very long time, and we came to a decision as a family that we could do it,’’ Vukovic said. “When we were at Melbourne [Victory, 2½ years ago], Harley was in the middle of his illness, and he really wasn’t doing very well.

“Now I look at Harley and he’s just a normal little boy. You wouldn’t be able to tell he’s had anything wrong with him.

“When we were in Melbourne, you could see the moment you looked at him that he was an unwell child.’’

Vukovic confessed to a couple of nervous errors as he tried to establish himself at Genk, where Socceroos teammate Mat Ryan had excelled the year before.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself early on, especially after the season I’d had at Sydney FC,’’ he said.

“It was like I couldn’t do anything wrong there, and the moment I arrived in Belgium it felt like I was making mistakes.

“But once I relaxed … I started to come into my own.’’