Relieved Maclaren vows he’ll never forget first for Aussies
HIBS ace Jamie Maclaren admits he’ll “cherish his first goal for Australia for the rest of his life” after finally breaking his international duck.
The Easter Road striker netted in a 3-0 win against Palestine in the Asian Cup in his 10th Socceroos cap.
He said: “When you get your first one for the national BY MARK WALKER team it stretches beyond the whole squad. I’m so proud and I’m sure my family are proud of me. It’s just a great moment I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.
“Chances are always going to come in this team and I’ve got to be the man that can step up. This was my moment to step up and I did.
“It has been a long time coming but I’ve always stayed on track.
“I believe in myself and obviously having a manager like Graham Arnold who does too, it was going to happen one way or another.
“As a striker I’d be lying if I said that not scoring hadn’t been on my mind.
“I’ve been the most consistent scorer at club level for Australian strikers for the last three years – it just hasn’t happened for the national team.
“But now it has and it’s time for me to step up and kick on.”