Asian Cup 2015: Socceroos defender Jason Davidson happy at EPL club West Brom despite lack of playing time

JASON Davidson is adamant he made the right decision to move Premier League club WBA despite a lack of football that has hurt his Socceroos career.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 13: Jason Davidson of the Socceroos controls the ball during the 2015 Asian Cup match between Oman and Australia at ANZ Stadium on January 13, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

JASON Davidson remains adamant that he made the right decision to move English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion despite a lack of football that has hurt his Socceroos career.

Australia’s first-choice left back at last year’s World Cup, Davidson has since struggled for game time after leaving Dutch club Heracles Almelo in August to link with West Brom.

CUP’S OPEN ARMS AND OPEN GOALS

START PUTS WORLD CUP IN PERSPECTIVE FOR MCKAY

LUONGO APPROACHING CRITICAL MASS

MILLIGAN: ‘I DON’T MIND PLAYING SECOND FIDDLE TO MILE’

Jason Davidson doesn’t believe his move to West Bromwich Albion has hurt his Socceroos career.

While Davidson started in the Socceroos’ 4-0 Asian Cup spanking of Oman on Tuesday night in Sydney, it was Aziz Behich who was preferred at left back Australia’s 4-1 tournament-opening win over Kuwait last Friday in Melbourne.

And while the left back spot remains one of the Socceroos’ most contentious positions, there is a clear feeling that Turkey-based Behich is Postecoglou’s preferred option.

However, Davidson insists he has no regrets about foregoing regular first-team football — which is Postecoglou’s want — in the Netherlands to try his luck in England.

“As a player you want to be playing week in, week out, but … I haven’t regretted my move to England because it’s the biggest league in the world,” the 23-year-old defender said.

“(I’m) training every day with (good) players. We’ve got 15 internationals at West Brom.

“For me it was a great move after the World Cup. Physically and mentally I’ve developed a lot since I’ve been in England because of the professionalism, and it’s difficult to grab a spot in the Premier League.

“In my whole career, nothing’s come easy and for me, I’ve just got to keep my head down and work hard, and my chance will come and I’ll grab it.”

Davidson has only started one game since joining West Brom.

Since Davidson has been in Asian Cup camp with the Socceroos, West Brom have appointed a new manager, Tony Pulis, who replaced sacked mentor Alan Irvine.

“For me, that’s a fresh slate,” said Davidson, who has started in only one Premier League match this season.

Despite his lack of football, Davidson felt he played well enough against Oman to give himself a strong chance of retaining his spot when the Socceroos meet South Korea in Saturday night’s Group A decider at Suncorp Stadium.

“All I can control is what I do on the pitch and I did my talking on the pitch,” he said.

“Whatever Ange decides, he’s the boss. That’s for me and for every player in the team.

“I’m happy with my performance (against Oman), but all I can do now is concentrate on recovery, training hard and working hard, because he makes the decisions and we’ve got to stick by what he decides.”

Robbie Kruse, man of the match in the Socceroos’ 4-0 win over Oman, joins the Fox Football Podcast to reflect on the performance. Adam Peacock is joined in studio by Sasa Ognenovski and The Daily Telegraph’s Tom Smithies, and on the phone by Ned Zelic, to dissect the game, and the tournament thus far, from all angles.

Originally published as Asian Cup 2015: Socceroos defender Jason Davidson happy at EPL club West Brom despite lack of playing time