Aussie defender Bailey Wright is hoping to get some game time in Australia’s final group game of the World Cup in Brazil, when they face Spain later today.
Since being selected in Ange Postecoglou’s final 23-man squad, Wright has relished the experience, but to pull on the green and gold jersey would be the icing on the cake.
“I don’t know yet whether I will get on the pitch, I will have to wait and see, we will go about training and I’m sure everyone wants to get out on that pitch, who wouldn't.” Bailey told us in an exclusive interview with PNE.Com.
“I will just keep going about myself the way that I have been and continue learning and then see what comes of it. Hopefully my chance comes but you always have to make sure that you are ready because you never know when your chance could be.
“Any way to make you debut will be special, but to do it at a World Cup, is extra special, and against the World champions, I suppose is even better, but I just look at it as another game of football and one we want to win.
“So whether it’s a start or coming off the bench, who knows, you have to be ready for whatever you get thrown your way.”
Many people had written off the Socceroos ahead of the tournament, but they have done themselves proud with two good performances, and will be hoping to finish on a high against Spain later today.
The Australians proved a tough test for the Netherlands on Wednesday, and Bailey admits they were unlucky not to come away with a better result.
“We were disappointed we didn’t come away with a better result in the end, we created some good chances and made a very good team look very ordinary at times, but at the same time, they did punish us for any sort of mistakes we made and that’s what you get when you play against the World’s best.
“There were plenty of positives but we were disappointed we didn't get the win and were unable to stay in the World Cup but a great experience and the boys did really well and played some great football.
“It just goes to show, I mean they are the World’s best, but we had a game plan, we have some great players as well and we made a good account of ourselves.
It was the 21-year-old’s second experience of a World Cup matchday, and with over 40,000 inside the Estadio Beira-Rio, it didn't disappoint.
“The experience of the stadium like itself and the atmosphere itself was brilliant, and the game itself, each team took the lead, we were 1-0 down and then we equalised, then went 2-1 up then they equalised and scored the winner so there was plenty of commotion throughout the game.
“I think from a fan’s point of view, it must have been a good game to watch, it was a good game to watch for us as well but just disappointing that we couldn't hold onto the lead, but it’s an experience, you learn from that and you move on from there.”
The main focus of the Socceroos’ camp is now to end the campaign on a high note against Vincent Del Bosque’s Spain, and for Wright, the aim is to get on the pitch.
“Obviously we are out of the World Cup now but we still have another game to play, and we want to finish the tournament off on a high and get a win.
“We are playing against the World champions, but for me it’s just been preparing the same as we have every week, and preparing to give a good account of ourselves and try to get into that starting eleven.
“We have showed a lot of people in the two games that we have already played that we are a good side, a lot of people wrote us off before the World Cup even started saying we would get hammered but we proved a lot of people wrong and showed that we are a good team and put in some good performances and that we were unlucky at times.
“We don’t want them to go to waste, we want to finish on a high, and we want to get a win. It’s a long flight home, so it will be much nicer flight if we could finish on a high.
“Our preparations haven’t changed one bit, we train hard and work on certain things and we have done our homework on the opposition and getting our game plan sorted, nothing has changed at all, we are very much treating this game the same.
“It is a World Cup game and there is always something to play for when you are at a World Cup so you've always got to make sure you prepare well.”
Don’t forget to watch the game this evening to see if Bailey gets his chance, kick off 5pm.