De Silva’s golden chance to shine
MATT ENCARNACION
“He had a bit of a setback as well with his hamstring early on in the season and playing really well in the (FFA) Cup, scored a goal,” Sydney coach Corica said.
“In pre-season he got injured so he was out for about eight weeks with his hamstring, and it was taking him a bit of time to come back.
“Finally now we’ve got him back fully fit and he’s been off the bench quite a bit. Now he’s really starting to warm up and getting through games.”
Corica was noncommittal on whether De Silva would fit into his first-choice line-up, but conceded the chance is there to make a claim.
With de Jong possibly facing a stint in the stands, and the AFC Champions League around the corner, De Silva will get as many minutes as he can handle.
“Whether he starts, that just depends on the game and what else we’ve got going on. We’ve got a lot of games still to come with Champions League,” Corica said.
“So he’s going to get a lot of game time from now until the end, without a doubt.”
Meanwhile, Brookvale Oval will host an A-League match for the first time after Sydney FC moved its round 22 clash with Melbourne City to the suburban ground.
The Sky Blues were scheduled to host City at the SCG on Saturday, March 16 but pushed the game out a day because they arrive back from their Champions League clash against Kawasaki Frontale on the Friday morning.