Young Glory defender Aidan Coyne has signed a first-year pro contract with English Championship promotion-hopefuls Watford.
The 18-year-old made five ISUZU A-League appearances in what was his maiden senior season in purple last year, having previously progressed through the ranks of the PGFC Academy.
He is now looking forward to taking the next step on his football journey with the Hornets who are looking to bounce back into the Premier League at the first attempt following last season’s relegation.
“The NPL WA season finished and I’d always had it in my mind that I wanted to come to the UK,” he explained.
“So, I booked the flight and came over.
“I didn’t have a club to come to.
“There were one or two clubs that I went to train at, but nothing really happened.
“Family friends let me stay with them for a month of two and then I got a ‘phone call from Watford saying that they wanted me to come in for a week.
“After the week, they asked if I could stay for another week and then another week and eventually they offered me a one-year deal.”
Coyne has already been hugely impressed by what he’s seen during his initial period with the Hertfordshire-based club.
“I’ve been training mainly with the Under-23s, but I’ve also had some opportunities to train with the first-team,” he said.
“It’s been good to see how they conduct themselves and the ability they have, which is just scary.
“It’s almost a different style of play.
“It’s very physical, very fast and if you take too long on the ball, the chances are that you’re going to get smashed.
“It’s the way they use their bodies and how they execute.
“If you don’t close the ball down outside the box, they will score nine times out of ten; that’s something I learned in my first training session.”
While naturally excited at his new opportunity in the UK, Coyne was quick to acknowledge how much his time at Glory had shaped him.
“The PGFC Academy played a massive role in my development, not only as a player, but as a person as well,” he said.
“I joined Glory when I was 14 or 15 and went into a full-time environment with ex-pros as coaches; people like Steven McGarry, Terry McFlynn, Richard Garcia and then Ruben Zadkovich for two years.
“They played a massive role, especially as they were tough with me which is exactly what I needed at the time.”
The talented centre-back, whose father Chris made more than 200 appearances for Watford’s arch-rivals Luton Town, is now determined to focus on the task at hand rather than look too far ahead.
“At the moment, my targets are pretty short-term,” he said.
“I’m just concentrating on developing further as a player, getting better and better every day, working hard at training and listening to and learning from the coaches and the pros at the club.
“I’ve trained with the first-team a couple of times when [Head Coach] Slaven Bilic has been in charge and I really liked him as a coach.
“The way he gets his message across and conducts himself is very, very good.”
Glory Head of Recruitment, Andy Keogh, meanwhile, welcomed the news that another of the club’s youngsters has earned an opportunity to develop their career in Europe.
“We’re delighted to see Aidan pursuing his dream by signing for a great club like Watford,” he said.
“It’s fantastic for our club to see another talented individual make the move overseas.
“We wish him all the very best and hope to see him back in purple at some point in the future.”
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