Spring in his step … Brett Emerton at a Sydney FC recovery session after the club's 1-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday night. Photo: Brendan Esposito
SEVEN years on from Australia's most famous football moment, Brett Emerton still thinks about that night in November 2005 when the Socceroos qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 32 years.
It is no surprise that it remains the highlight of his career, despite all he has achieved at club level and with two World Cup campaigns under his belt.
On Sunday, he returns to the scene of the Socceroos' greatest triumph, ANZ Stadium, on a new mission - and not in the gold of Australia but the sky blue of Sydney FC as the A-League visits the stadium for the first time.
''Personally, it's a stadium with many fond memories, some of the best of my footballing career, including the best of the lot,'' he said last night. ''I still think about it quite often. You can't help but talk about it a lot because it's a game that sticks out for everyone.
''That's not only for the players but for the Australian public, who always talk about 'that night against Uruguay'. It's a great night to remember and I'll never forget it.
''Now it's time for us to go there and it really is the big stage when you're playing there. It's a great opportunity for those players who've not played there before.''
Emerton and his teammates go into the match against Perth buoyed by a victory over Western Sydney in the inaugural Sydney derby at Parramatta Stadium on Saturday.
''It really went well and it was great to see the character which the boys showed because it was always going to be a battle,'' the 33-year old said. ''Some people have questioned that about our team but everyone worked their socks off and we got the result we deserved.
''We fought harder than we have done in the first two games and won our individual battles all over the park. That was hugely important.''
The former Blackburn Rovers and Feyenoord star was especially pleased at how his side went for the jugular from the outset rather than waiting for the game to come to them. ''We started a lot better than what we have in the past,'' he said.
''Even last season, we tended to start slow and grow into the games but, sometimes, we'd leave it all too late. We need to get in the habit of starting fast and being on top from the first minute.''
After playing the first two matches of the season at right-back, Emerton was happy to move into his regular position at right midfield.
''Obviously, it's where I feel most comfortable as my preferred position and where I play my best football,'' he said.
''I enjoyed the opportunity to play there on Saturday and, hopefully, I get to stay there. But I'm sure as the season progresses, I'll be moved around - which I don't mind as it keeps things interesting.''
Sydney coach Ian Crook has mixed things up in each of the first three rounds as a result of injuries and a desire to find a winning formula, but Emerton hopes a starting XI can be settled upon sooner rather than later.
''Even in pre-season, we never had our best side on the park,'' he said. ''The first month or two of the competition we really had to grind out some results, pick up points where we can and just keep ourselves in contention.
''The longer the season goes on, the more we'll improve, but we just need to keep in touch with the top teams for now.''
Sydney are also hopeful they won't have to deal with the threat of the league's best striker, Perth Glory's Shane Smeltz, who missed last weekend's 2-0 win over Melbourne Heart with a hamstring injury.
''They're a tough team to beat as they showed on the weekend - and we expected nothing less from them - but missing Smeltz is a pretty big bonus for us,'' he said. ''But they still won without him on the weekend so they're clearly a top side.''
One of Australia's most decorated international players, Emerton was an observer as the Socceroos beat Iraq 2-1 last week. He was delighted to see them scrape home.
''I was pretty relieved after they went 1-0 down but they got the job done,'' he said.
''That's fantastic, because we need to keep qualifying for World Cups to help grow football in this country. It was a massive win.''
A friendly against South Korea in Hwaseong on November 14 was announced yesterday and Emerton has his sights on being selected by coach Holger Osieck.
''Since the [ankle] surgery, it's been an aim of mine to win selection again, and with three 90-minute games under my belt, I'm starting to feel stronger with each and every game,'' he said. ''Hopefully I'll be picked and get to represent my country again.''
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