The A-League spotlight will finally return to the pitch this evening, with Sydney FC to host Wellington 116 days after the season came to a sudden recess in March.
The Sky Blues have managed the uncertainty of the Covid-19 break better than any club (bar arguably only tonight’s opponents), and skipper Alex Wilkinson is confident they’ll pick up where they left off, with an eye to further filling their trophy cabinet.
“We worked pretty hard to put ourselves in the position we were in before the break. We were pretty close…to getting that Premier’s Plate wrapped up but we couldn’t quite get there”, he told Box2Box.
“That’s the motivation to get out there, finish what we started and lift trophies. We’re (also) trying to go back-to-back as Grand Finals winners, that’s pretty rare in the A-League era, it’s been a strong motivation for sure.”
As a senior statesman of the competition, Wilkinson pairs his playing duties with sitting on the PFA (Player’s Union) Executive, a body that has worked overtime during the uncertainty of the last few months.
“We had had a really anxious and uncertain playing group, and when that happens the PFA need to be front and centre.”
“In my position you get to see a lot of it and then relay that to the players, and I enjoy that side of things immensely.”
Wilkinson paid tribute to former PFA Chief John Didulica, who departed the role last month after four years in the job.
“JD’s been absolutely brilliant for the PFA, he’s an unbelievable administrator.”
“He’s also a fantastic person, he always put the players first and fought very hard for the players rights, and not only that, but for the good of the game.”