Reigning National Youth League Golden Boot winner Kale Bradbery says he hopes to carry his hot run of form with the Newcastle Jets youth team into the 2013 NBN State League season.
Bradbery netted 16 goals during the Jets’ most successful NYL campaign ever to finish the season as the competition’s top scorer.
Despite missing the opening rounds of the current NBN State League season with a knee injury, Bradbery said he is determined to earn another Golden Boot award and defend the title he won in 2012.
“It was my target at the start of the year to get the Golden Boot in the National Youth League and just be consistent enough to get a run in the A-League.
“Obviously that didn’t happen, but it will definitely be my goal during the NBN State League season to work as hard as I can and try to earn myself a contract for next season.
“Last NBN State League season I managed to get the Golden Boot in my first season in first grade and it’s always my goal to do that.
“Scoring goals is definitely where your confidence comes from.
“When you’re hitting the back of the net on a regular basis the rest of your game flows with it and it’s great when you’re doing that.”
Bradbery has clearly benefitted from having the opportunity to train regularly with the Jets’ first team and learn from former English Premier League strikers Michael Bridges and Emile Heskey.
“It’s massive having them here,” Bradbery said.
“Obviously they’ve played in the biggest league overseas and probably the best league in the world.
“It’s great having those experienced blokes here to guide me along and teach me new things.
“Bridgey has taken me aside a few times and told me the areas of my game that I need to work on. If I’ve done something wrong he’s helped me to correct it.
“It’s massive for me having those guys around especially for me as a young striker to learn off them.”
Bradbery is hoping to follow the path tread by his teammate and close friend Andrew Hoole, who graduated from the Jets youth team to make his A-League debut and earn a contract with the Club this season.
“Hooley’s a great player and I always played with him growing up,” Bradbery said.
“It gives me great inspiration to try and follow in his footsteps and hopefully get a contract either next year or in the years coming.”
The Jets youth team have started the 2013 NBN State League season with a draw and a loss, but Bradbery is confident they can quickly turn their form around.
“The boys have had kind of a tough start to the season, but you could see that happening with us having a month off after the National Youth League,” he said.
“We’re sort of just getting back into it and I’m sure we’ll get better as the season goes on.
“Hopefully we can finish in the top two teams and that will help us develop heading into the National Youth League next season.”
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Originally Posted by MFKS
