Wild night out helped Glory gun mature
Perth Glory defender Josh Risdon says he has learnt from his late-night escapade in Adelaide and has become a “better person” for it.
The 22-year-old was included in Australia’s 46-man provisional squad for this year’s Asian Cup campaign after a strong start to the A-League season to show he was on the brink of national selection.
But when an ill-judged outing with teammate Andy Keogh after Glory’s 1-1 draw with Adelaide United in February ended in the pair’s arrests, Risdon was in the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Risdon showed his potential with a 21m thunderbolt against Western Sydney on Saturday night that broke Glory’s nine-match winless run.
His 88th-minute goal secured a 3-2 win and kept the club firmly in the race for the minor premiership, with one point separating fourth-placed Glory from leaders Wellington Phoenix.
“That’s obviously all done and dusted now, but I’ve learnt from my mistake,” Risdon said.
“It’s made me a better person I feel. If I can take anything out of that, it’s that I’ve definitely learnt something and matured.
“(Socceroos coach) Ange (Postecoglou) has his reason whether he picks me or not, so I’ll respect that. It’s in the past and I can only look forward.”
Risdon has ambitions of a Socceroos debut and said he hoped Postecoglou had seen the footage of his strike, which came after beating three defenders.
“That’s part of my game that I was missing, just that final third, the last ball and just that cutting edge,” Risdon said.
“Hopefully I’ve got a few more to come and hopefully it helps me.”
