Campbelltown City skipper Iain Fyfe contemplates hanging up the boots after a remarkable career
Almost two decades after SA legend Iain Fyfe was a member of Australia’s only team to make a FIFA World Cup final, the Campbelltown City skipper is contemplating hanging up the boots.
Local Soccer SA
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Soccer SA. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Almost two decades after SA legend Iain Fyfe was a member of Australia’s only team to make a FIFA World Cup final, the Campbelltown City skipper says he is ready to pull the pin at the end of the year.
Fyfe, 37, made history in 1999 at the FIFA U-17 World Cup final shootout loss to Brazil.
He became part of a rare crop of South Australians, ex Adelaide United trio Lucas Pantelis, Louis Brain and Aaron Goulding and goalkeeper Matthew Milosevic in the nation’s only FIFA World Cup final appearance in New Zealand.
New Western United A-League signing Scott McDonald is the last man playing professionally from that Joeys era.
“I’m feeling great but I’m pretty sure this is going to be my last year,’’ Fyfe said after featuring for Sydney FC, Adelaide United and Newcastle Jets in the A-League.
“I’ve got my little fellow now (son Lennon) and I want to spend more time with him and get into coaching and look at my options.
“But who knows, I always get to the end of the season and then assess things from there, I’m really enjoying playing, these boys at the club make me feel young and the coach (Joe Mullen) is top drawer.”
Fyfe starred in reigning Australian national premier league champion Campbelltown’s emphatic 3-0 win over premiership challenger Comets at Newton on Saturday.
Fyfe broke the deadlock with his fourth goal in eight appearances this season two minutes before the break.
The clash was on a knife edge until that point before Alex Mullen and Dion Kirk added second half goals to see City leapfrog Comets and into second place, three points behind table-topping Blue Eagles.
“I said “all right boys I’ve got a have a crack at this” when that free kick came up and usually I let the younger boys take it, they’re the ones practising every week,’’ Fyfe said.
“I thought that was moment to break the game, I had a look at it and thought “he left (the goalkeeper Julian Torresan) one side of the goal open and I put it in that area and it went in.
“He’s a good goalkeeper and maybe he thought I was going to shoot over the wall, but they had big boys in that wall over six foot two and three, so I hit it low.”
Blue Eagles maintained pole position beating Adelaide United’s NPL side 1-0 after a sole goal from Evan Kounavelis at Angle Park.
In other matches Adelaide City bounced back from a three-game losing streak in an upset 1-0 win over MetroStars at Oakden.
Chris Pepe scored the winner.
Raiders smashed Croydon 5-1 at the Croatian Sports Centre after Kings’ Nathan Munro jagged the opener.
West Adelaide and Olympic shared the points in a 1-1 Greek derby draw at Angle Park and Para Hills belted South Adelaide 4-1 at The Paddocks.
Raiders embrace ‘underdog’ tag, new recruit scores winner
An NPL side enjoying its second season in the top flight is making a strike for the top of the table, while another club coach says his side is playing a brand that’s ‘nice, it’s good, it’s sharp’. Check out The Messenger’s reports from the weekend’s action.
Top women’s soccer coach quits, cites ‘difference of opinion’
A top flight women’s soccer coach has quit mid season because “differing opinions” despite leading the side to first spot on the table with just one loss after six rounds.