A very familiar face in the Wanderers Academy made their Hyundai A-League debut on Sunday night in the Red & Black’s clash against Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium.
A very familiar face in the Wanderers Academy made their Hyundai A-League debut on Sunday night in the Red & Black’s clash against Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium.
18-year-old defender Daniel Wilmering came on as a substitute in the 95th minute of the match, marking not only the youngster’s Hyundai A-League debut but also the seventh Wanderers Academy to get minutes this season.
The Wilmering family have been members of the club since inception, Daniel also previously volunteered as a ball boy for the Hyundai A-League side when he was 13.
Since joining the Wanderers Academy, Wilmering has played an instrumental role in the Red & Black’s backline and has been part of the Wanderers NPL 2 U18 and Foxtel Y-League Championship winning sides.
The youngster got minutes during the Wanderers pre-season campaign under Markus Babbel and Wilmering got the call-up to travel to Wellington this weekend where he made his competitive debut as a substitute.
Speaking ahead of the start of the Foxtel Y-League season, Wilmering touched on the enormity of playing for the club.
“You know I’m glad I’ve got that insight (during pre-season) to see what it is like to play at that level and playing there itself was a bit weird for me,” said Wilmering.
“Especially because I’m a fan and member of the club, and I was also a ball boy for the first two seasons.
“So now to play with some of the players and train with players like Bridgey (Mark Bridge), it’s just definitely a good system we’ve got now.
“Giving youngsters a go.”
With the Wanderers continuing to play youngsters and develop the next generation of Red & Black stars through the Wanderers Academy, there’s no doubt that this is only the start of Wilmering’s senior career and his dreams becoming a reality.
