Family really does come first for Glory’s Joseph Mills.
Having made the move over from the UK a year ago, the left-sided defender has settled in well and is thoroughly enjoying the child-friendly, outdoor lifestyle that Perth is so renowned for.
“My daughter was only five months old when we moved,” he said, “so it was quite a big thing to come over.
“But my brother and his family have lived in Perth for a while, so they made us feel very welcome to start with.
“And the squad we have at Glory are a good bunch of lads and they took me in straight away which was really helpful and much appreciated.
“Once we got through the winter months, summer in Perth was just something else.
“My daughter is at an age now where she’s pretty much changing week to week and that’s really nice to see.
“Going for a walk with her to the park or getting down to the beach is what I love to do. That’s the priority for me when I’m not training or playing.”
But when he’s not being a doting dad, the former Southampton man does his best to get out on the golf course.
“I enjoy my golf,” he said. “It’s a big thing for me and luckily it’s a lot drier here than it is in England, so I can get out and play a lot more.
“My dad came over a couple of times last year, so I got some rounds in with him and my brother.
“I also played quite a lot with Rostyn [Griffiths], but I haven’t gone out and played with a big group of the lads from the club, so I don’t know what they bring to the table.
“What I can safely say, now that he’s no longer in the country, is that I’m a much better golfer than Rostyn!”
A popular figure within the playing group, Mills relishes the inevitable training ground banter and is happy to cop the flak that comes his way.
“I’m 27, but a bit of a baby-faced assassin,” he explained, “so when we split into groups at training, some of the lads reckon I should be in the younger group.
“But I’m actually in with the oldies and I’m delighted with that because we played five or six games against the younger lads towards the end of last season and didn’t lose any of them!”
Although he’s fully immersed himself in all things Hyundai A-League, the Englishman still keeps up to date with the latest happenings in the Football League, helped by the fact that his brother Matt is currently playing for Nottingham Forest.
So with League Two, League One and the Championship all set to get underway this weekend, does he have any tips?
“My hometown club, Swindon, got relegated to League Two last season,” he said, “but they’ve got a good manager now in David Flitcroft and have recruited well, so I think they’ll come straight back up.
“In terms of the Championship, though, it’s a bit tricky.
“Obviously you’ve got the big hitters like Middlesbrough and Aston Villa. Middlesbrough have spent 30 million pounds on three front players which shows how much money is floating around in the Championship these days.
“But there’s almost always a team that comes from nowhere like Huddersfield did last season, so that’s a tight one to call.”
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