Redmayne ignores retirement call to reach milestone
George Clarke |
Midway through the last A-League Men season, Andrew Redmayne was summoned to a meeting at Sydney FC’s training ground where the goalkeeper was told it was in his best interest to retire.
Sydney promised to send the long-serving ‘keeper out with the appropriate level of fanfare for a club hero such as Redmayne, who had started to lose his grip on the No.1 berth to Harrison Devenish-Meares.
But the only person who didn’t seem comfortable with that was Redmayne.
“I just said, ‘I still feel like I’ve got more life in me’,” Redmayne told AAP.
Redmayne, now 37, does not want to sling mud at the Sydney officials who told him his time at the club, where he was part of three Championship-winning sides, was over.
But he defied their advice and has backed up his inner belief to enjoy a stellar season at the Central Coast Mariners where he has played every game and registered five cleansheets.
This week he will mark his 300th ALM game at Gosford against Brisbane Roar in what is a full circle moment for the goalkeeper, who made his senior debut for the Mariners in 2008.
“Mark Bosnich pinged a hammy on a goal kick in the ninth minute and fortunately we went on to win,” Redmayne said.
“That was one hell of a day because that was back in the National Youth League days so I’d played a full 90 minutes as a curtain raiser.
“I cramped towards the back end of the A-League game and John Hutchinson gave me an absolute earful for cramping as a ‘keeper.”
Redmayne has stood tall for the Mariners during a turbulent season where the club’s future has been clouded by an uncertain ownership situation.
He confirmed he intends to play on next season.
“There was a clause in my contract to play a certain amount of games, and I’ve ticked that off this year so the dream lives on,” Redmayne said.
“The thing that excites me the most, and probably drives me the most, is working under (goalkeeping coach) Danny Vukovic.
“I’ve always looked up to him and it’s been invigorating to work under him.
“I’m getting better and learning every day still so I still think there’s a few chapters to be written.”
Redmayne is the senior figure in a youthful side that has defied early-season predictions to be in the mix for a finals berth.
The Mariners sit ninth with three games of the regular campaign left and can secure a top-six finish if they topple the Roar, Auckland and Newcastle over the next month.
“There’s times where I think my head will give out before my body because the chat in the change room is starkly different to that when I first came in,” Redmayne said.
“It’s an interesting dynamic but I think I feed off that youthful energy sometimes. I have to ask, ‘what does that mean?’ with the little catchphrases they say.
“In certain regards, we’ve over-achieved this season, but I think that’s a kind of external opinion.
“We know we’ve got a lot more to give and we’re certainly outperforming teams who on paper are spending a hell of a lot more money than we are.”
AAP