John Aloisi says his decision to axe No.1 goalkeeper Clint Bolton in favour of Andrew Redmayne was an attempt to spark Melbourne Heart’s ailing season.
The surprise decision to axe number one goalkeeper Clint Bolton in favour of club debutant Andrew Redmayne against Newcastle Jets on Tuesday was an attempt to spark Melbourne Heart’s ailing season, according to coach John Aloisi.
Heart ended a three-match losing streak and climbed off the bottom of the A-League table courtesy of a 2-1 victory over the Jets at AAMI Park but the former Australian international’s omission dominated the post-game discussion.
After 39 consecutive games in goal, Bolton made way for Redmayne, who lined up for his first Heart appearance since leaving defending champions Brisbane Roar in the off-season.
And Aloisi revealed he came to the decision in the wake of his side’s capitulation against Wellington Phoenix last Thursday.
“I thought about it after the Wellington game,” Aloisi said on Tuesday.
“I had a couple of days to think about what I needed to do to spark the team a little bit.
“I came to the decision that, it was a tough one because Clint’s (Bolton) been our best player for the last two seasons.
“He’s won our best and fairest and it’s not like he wasn’t playing well but I thought Redmayne deserved a chance.
“He played really well in pre-season, also in training he’s been great … and I thought it was his time to get an opportunity.
“I think it was something that could spark the team and so I decided upon it and say down with Clint and he was very good, and he’s been really good with Redmayne the last couple of days.”
Despite conceding a 16th-minute penalty on debut, the 23-year-old produced a number of stunning saves to keep the Jets at bay and Aloisi said the position is now his to lose.
“Let’s hope he keeps performing like that,” he said.
“We know what a good keeper he is and that’s the reason why we ended up getting him here.
“We know he can improve a lot more too and you saw today the saves he pulled off and just the presence out there too.
“He did well and we’re happy for him but happy for the group in general because it’s not only about an individual it’s about the group and that’s the reason why I chose Redmayne today.”
