We count down the top ten goalkeepers in Hyundai A-League history.
With time ticking away between seasons seven and eight of the Hyundai A-League, we here at footballaustralia.com.authought we would go retro and take a look back at some of the best the league has had to offer over the years.
We-re opting to start with the men at the back and will be counting down the top ten glovemen to have graced the league since its inception this week with two a day throughout the week.
Without further ado let-s get this countdown underway.
10. Glen Moss
The All Whites goalkeeper has suffered through plenty of highs and lows at both club and international level throughout his career.
Infamously banned for four matches before the 2010 World Cup after swearing at match official Lencie Fred in a match of no consequence with Fiji, Mark Paston took his spot in the national team having previously taken over from Moss at the Phoenix.
That move saw Moss head to Melbourne Victory where he struggled to find his place and was eventually replaced by a young Mitch Langerak.
From there he went to Gold Coast United a re-established himself as one of the competition-s premier shot-stoppers, his cat-like reflexes one of the reasons Gold Coast United went so far in their early seasons, before a leg injury ultimately cruelled his 2011/12 season.
How he bounces back from that may determine his legacy at the top level in Australasia, but his next challenge will be unseating Mark Paston from the Nix- number one jersey.
9. Danny Vukovic
Somewhat of a polarising figure within the game, Vukovic is rather unfortunately best-remembered for putting his hands on referee Mark Shield during the 2008 Hyundai A-League Grand Final and then receiving a lengthy ban from the game for doing so, when playing for Central Coast Mariners.
More of a sturdy positional keeper than a fantastic shot stopper Vukovic consistently controls his defenders well, so well in fact that he had easily the most clean sheets for any keeper in the most recent Hyundai A-League season for Perth Glory.
Aside from holding a ‘Happy Gilmore- like record for his manhandling of Shield, he also became the first keeper to score in the history of the league when he netted a penalty for Wellington Phoenix in their 2010/11 season, harking back to his days as a striker in juniors.
At 27 there is also plenty of time for Vukovic to get the Grand Final victory he craves and move up the all-time list.
The views in this article are those of the author and not Football Federation Australia
