Perth Glory defender Josh Mitchell feels he’ll struggle to break into a winning starting XI despite getting a provisional clearance from FIFA to play against the Jets this weekend.
Mitchell has been waiting several weeks for the provisional clearance after his previous club, Romania’s Universtatea Craiova, refused to sign an international transfer clearance allowing him to play for the Glory.
Twenty-six-year-old Mitchell and fellow Glory team-mate Michael Baird were both at Craiova last season, the players opting to leave after not getting paid for three months.
Baird, though, is still without a clearance, despite lodging his paperwork with FIFA before Mitchell, the striker’s case incredibly held up by his caseworker taking holidays at the most inopportune time.
But Mitchell is free to play against Newcastle, the club he previously represented in the National Soccer League, although the defender is uncertain whether he can earn a place in a run-on side that kept a clean sheet in last week’s clinical 2-0 win over Melbourne.
“I’ll just be happy to be on the bench this week,” said Mitchell.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to experience a game even if it will be from the bench.”
“The most important thing for us is keeping up points, it’s a long season, 30 games is a long time and whether I play this week, next week or in a month, as long as the team keeps winning (I’m happy).”
“(So) I can’t see the team changing too much from last week, which is normal of course, but like I said I’ll just be happy to be on the bench if I’m picked.”
Mitchell said he was looking forward to eventually playing alongside former Blackburn skipper Andy Todd, who established a formidable central defensive partnership with Chris Coyne last season.
This time around Todd’s preparation for the new campaign has been hampered by a knee injury which will keep him out for a further fortnight, while Coyne is on loan in China and won’t be available until January.
And, with Mitchell absent for the first two games, Glory coach Dave Mitchell has had to rely on old stagers Jamie Harnwell and Jamie Coyne in the central defensive roles.
However, Josh Mitchell is looking forward to eventually teaming up with the reliable Todd, who was given a big wrap during the week by Jets’ skipper Michael Bridges, who said he was severely under-rated in the eastern states last year.
Mitchell said that working with Todd, along with other high calibre players like Robbie Fowler, would only help with his development as a defender.
“We have a lot of experienced players who have played for the Qantas Soceroos or a higher level even than back here, and they’re the ones who really sort of show the young boys around,” Mitchell said.
“I needed a change from Romania and the way things worked out, it was best to come back here.”
“And, yeah I think I’ve come back at the right time with Perth and everything else, so it’s been good so far. Hopefully it can continue.”
