Sydney FC boss Ufuk Talay has praised the performance of central defender Kyle Shaw after the debutant’s impressive display during the Sky Blues 4-1 win over Adelaide United.
Goals from Joe Lolley, Patryk Klimala, Adrian Segecic and Anthony Caceres saw Sydney end a run of three games without a win as they put title-chasing Adelaide to the sword at Allianz Stadium.
However, whilst all the attention was on the Sky Blues attacking display, 20-year-old Shaw quietly went about his business alongside club captain Rhyan Grant at the heart of another makeshift defence.
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With Socceroo Hayden Matthews sealing a club-record move to English Championship side Portsmouth plus a raft of recent injuries to contend with, the Sky Blues have been forced to chop and change their defensive combinations in recent weeks.
Experienced defender Alex Grant has signed but isn’t yet available, Aaron Gurd is out with a broken collarbone and on-loan defender Alexandar Popovic not risked due to a groin complaint, Talay put his trust in a player who only rejoined the Sky Blues late last year having spent the majority of his junior years with the club.

“Yeah, he was very good,” said Talay when asked about Shaw’s performance after the 4-1 win.
“It looked like he had played 100 games. He was very comfortable, calm on the ball.
He continued: “You know, (he) won his duels at times. So, you know, we should be proud as a club at the players that are coming through this club.”
Joining the Sydney FC academy aged 13, the towering central defender spent roughly four years at the club before he was told he wouldn’t make the grade and subsequently sought regular football elsewhere.
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A spell with NWS Spirit in the NSW NPL followed before the 20-year-old re-joined Sydney FC’s NPL program in November 2024.

“He was with us. He went away, got some men’s football and came back with us now and the opportunity arises when you sell a player, and injuries happen, that the door opens for another player.
“Sometimes in these moments, you can build a career or you can kill a career at the same time. But I think we’ve built a career with him.”
Shaw’s composed display will certainly now give Talay food for thought when it comes to his team selections for the Sky Blues’ upcoming fixtures – most notably the Sydney Derby on February 8.
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New signing Grant will technically be available for that mouthwatering clash against the Wanderers however the 31-year-old has played just one pre-season friendly for former side Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C since the Chinese Super League season finished back in November.