KYE’S ON THE WRIGHT PATH WITH HEARTS
AUSSIE defender Bailey Wright is tipping Hearts’ new boy Kye Rowles for a bright future after his part in the Socceroos’ World Cup qualification success.
Rowles departed for the Middle East without a cap but will return to Australia having played all three of his country’s fixtures, including the play-off wins over the UAE and Peru that booked their spot in Qatar.
The 23-year-old sealed a move to Tynecastle, where he’ll join Socceroos pal Nat Atkinson and fellow Aussie Cammy Devlin, between the two play-off fixtures.
Wright, who made his bow for the Socceroos in 2014, reckons the young defensive duo are examples of the talent that has been blooded during Australia’s campaign in which head coach Graham Arnold called up 48 players, 17 of those debutants.
Wright said: “Kye stepping in, making his debut the other day and playing in these games, it’s a credit to him.
“He’s taken it in his stride. His maturity, his quality, he’s got a big future ahead of him and so does Nath. We’ve got a lot of good young players coming through.
“As a team we’ve got all those little ingredients, that togetherness, that’s galvanised us to make sure we get the best out of each other regardless of how many caps we’ve got, how many games we’ve played, what age we are.
“We don’t care. We are there to do a job for ourselves, for each other and we can rely on one another. And that goes a long way.”
The penalty shoot-out triumph over Peru on Monday night that sealed Australia’s World Cup spot capped a big few months
for Wright. He arrived in camp fresh from securing Sunderland’s spot in the Championship via the play-offs, while the qualifying matches in Qatar were his first for Oz in more than two years.
After missing out on the France 2018 squad – despite being part of the team that defeated Honduras in the play-offs – Wright is eager to continue his run to ensure he doesn’t miss out again come November.
The defender added: “Nothing’s guaranteed in football. You’ve got to enjoy moments like this because I’ve been here before.
“I’ve qualified and not been part of a World Cup, so I take massive satisfaction in qualifying for a World Cup.
“I’m kind of pinching myself. I got promoted with Sunderland and qualified for a World Cup.
“I’ll certainly sit down with my wife and my daughter in the next few weeks, see my family and just reflect on everything that’s happened because it’s a good feeling.”