McDonald plays a starring role as Brisbane make silent Roar behind closed doors
SCOTT McDONALD admits he has found it ‘very odd’ to still be playing football Down Under when the rest of the world is on a sporting lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The former Celtic and Motherwell striker (below) scored the winner for Brisbane Roar in their 1-0 victory over Newcastle Jets on Friday as the A-League kept the ball rolling with games behind closed doors.
It was 36-year-old McDonald’s fourth goal in the last three games, with former
Hibernian striker Jamie
Maclaren also getting in on the act with a hat-trick in
Melbourne City’s 4-2 victory over Central Coast Mariners.
Ex-Hearts pair Ryan and
Dylan McGowan shared the bragging rights yesterday when Ryan’s
Sydney FC drew 1-1 with his brother’s Western
Sydney Wanderers in what was branded the
‘Lockout Derby’ because of the lack of fans. With virtually every other major league having been suspended because of the global health crisis, McDonald has confessed it is strange to be carrying on in Australia.
But he insists every precaution is being taken to ensure the games go on. The Australia cap said: ‘It’s very odd, to be one of the only countries still playing sport.
‘The AFL, the Aussie Rules, that is, the NRL (National Rugby League) are still going and obviously football as well.
‘We had a long chat, all parties, the PFA, the FA, and it was decided we would continue as long as the government felt it was okay, and the health organisations.
‘And we’re doing our utmost every day to make sure we are keeping within the agreements of keeping space between each other and being as clean as we can.’