Wherever striker Patrick Antelmi goes, goals tend to follow, and Sydney United 58 are witnessing this first hand as their exciting signing finds form with his new club.
The 24-year-old is evidently adapting to life at United 58 with three goals in his last three NPL NSW Men’s appearances.
His output coincides with a trio of back-to-back victories, rapidly surging United 58 up the table to brush aside a slow start to their 2018 campaign.
“The first two games the results obviously didn’t go for us,” said Antelmi.
“When we looked at the games we were pretty much all over Marconi Stallions and Blacktown City but shot ourselves in the foot with two slip-ups.
“We were quite calm in the sense that we know what we have and that we are contenders, so we weren’t too phased by it all. We just needed that first win to get us on a roll and that has shown in the last three weeks.
“Fortunately for myself in playing with such good players, it helps me do what I have to on the field and in the last three weeks has brought the goals that I’ve wanted.”
Former Socceroos stalwart Jason Culina brought Antelmi in from Wollongong Wolves as his first signing after taking the reins at United 58, and the flourishing striker will face his former employers this Saturday evening at Edensor Park.
Jacob Timpano’s men will remember the young striker well from his 9 goals in 21 appearances for the South Coast club in 2017.
“It’s always good to see those boys,” smiled Antelmi.
“I made good friends down there last year with (Peter) Simonoski, (Josh) McDonald, and a few of the boys. There’s certainly no bad blood there so it’ll be good to see them.
“Obviously they’ve been doing very well this season which is good to see, and it’ll be an interesting battle so I’m looking forward to this weekend.”
Antelmi has gone from strength to strength since returning home to Australian soil following spells within the youth setups of Portsmouth, Leeds United, and Wigan Athletic.
His time at Blacktown City featured two Championships and a Premiership before a move to Wolves saw him continue his rich vein of scoring on the South Coast.
While success has followed him in the NPL NSW Men’s competition, Antelmi has his sights firmly set on the Hyundai A-League and beyond.
“My aspirations are to get into the Hyundai A-League and then back overseas,” said Antelmi.
“That’s my biggest goal. For the last two years I’ve put work on hold to focus more of my time on football and training so that when the opportunity comes I will be well prepared to kick on into the professional environment.
“My aspirations for Hyundai A-League and overseas are very high and that’s why my determination is all about football.”
-By Michael Shoolman
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