Senior Sydney FC players inspired to stick around
TWO senior members of Sydney FC’s title- winning side have signalled their desire to return for another season, as the A- League champions move to lock down the bulk of their record- breaking squad.
Marquee forward Filip Holosko and Dutch defender Jordy Buijs both said they wanted to re- sign for next sea- son, as the players continued the celebrations from winning a penalty shootout over Melbourne Victory in Sunday night’s grand final.
Though Holosko will not be offered another marquee contract, he reiterated his wish to stay with the Sky Blues, while Buijs – who only arrived in January as an emergency replacement for Matt Jurman and Seb Ryall – wants to build on a remarkable haul of two trophies in four months at the club.
“There’s a very, very big chance that I will stay,” Buijs said. “My feeling is very good here, I have a very good connection with all the people involved here at Sydney FC. The staff, the players, the fans, all of them, so I think we can go further with this.
“Four months, two trophies – it’s not bad for a very short period. I don’t really have the words for this.”
Holosko meanwhile said he had yet to hold talks with Sydney over his future, with his two- year marquee deal expiring next month.
“I didn’t talk with the club yet but we will see what happens,” he said. “I would like to stay though. It’s an unbelievable feeling to be champions.”
Meanwhile, the gripping denouement to the season attracted a record A- League TV audience, with 367,000 viewers watching the grand final.
The viewing figure peaked at 553,000 for the penalty shootout, making it the second highest rating show on Foxtel in 2017 and helping the season as a whole to post an 11 per cent rise in viewing figures on Fox Sports.