Melbourne Victory defender Matthew Foschini feels blessed to have inherited the No.2 from retired club legend Kevin Muscat.
Melbourne Victory defender Matthew Foschini feels blessed to have inherited the No.2 from retired club legend Kevin Muscat.
But the 21-year-old insists he’s no clone of his former captain whose hardness attracted enemies and admirers throughout the football world.
“I’m a bit tamer than him,” said Foschini with a laugh after Thursday morning’s training session at a hot and blustery Gosch’s Paddock.
“But if I have to win a tackle I’ll win it, I’m not going to take a backward step.”
In a team full of stars, Foschini, who managed just 17 appearances – 16 of them as a substitute – in two full seasons under Ernie Merrick, has been a quiet achiever in 2011.
Muscat’s retirement and the departure of Surat Sukha and Evan Berger created an opening at the back that new coach Mehmet Durakovic asked Foschini to fill.
He’s looked very much at home in two outings so far this season and on Saturday will start in his first Melbourne derby.
“It started from the ACL campaign, he gave me an opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands,” Foschini said of Durakovic.
“Under the old management I didn’t get much of an opportunity and he just pulled me aside and said, ‘if you take your opportunity you’re not going to get dropped’.”
“I took comfort in that and repaid his faith in me.”
“From the first minute I stepped in the door here I wanted to be a regular first-team player.”
“It didn’t work out the first couple of years but now I’ve got my spot at right full back and I don’t plan on letting it go to anyone.”
Foschini said Muscat’s support has been a huge factor in his development this season.
“The No.2 was passed on to me by Kevin,” he said.
“The first day of pre-season he pulled me aside and said, ‘you can have the No.2’ and I saw it there in my locker and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.”
“He’s a legend of the club and he’s an idol of mine and someone that I look up to and get along with really well so for him to pass that on to me was a big honour.”
“I still really can’t believe that I’m wearing the No.2.”
