Brisbane Roar star midfielder Jay O’Shea is in contention for 100 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances this Saturday in the Roar’s clash against Central Coast Mariners at Industree Group Stadium.
Before moving to Brisbane, O’Shea enjoyed stints with clubs such as Sheffield United, Birmingham City and Middlesbrough, and won both the EFL League One and EFL League Two titles.
He made the switch to the A-League in 2019 when he first signed for the Roar and made the decision to move to Australia, in what was a big change for his family and three kids.
“It’s a proud milestone for me and my family, obviously it was a big risk coming to the other side of the world with three young kids not really knowing what to expect, but to come here and play that many games, obviously it’s a proud moment for me and hopefully many more to come for the Roar,” O’Shea said.
O’Shea hopes to bounce back from last year’s results to top off a stellar four years at the club as he celebrates 100 Isuzu UTE A-League games this weekend.
“Obviously the first two years, we made finals, so that was the goal. Last year, obviously we didn’t make finals so not so good,” he said.
“And it’s in our own hands now to try and bounce back from last season and try sneak in the back door this year, that would make it a successful four years to be honest.”
O’Shea considers himself fortunate to not have experienced serious injuries or setbacks in his career and is thankful he has gotten to play so many games for the Roar because of this.
“I’ve been quite lucky, I think in the whole time I’ve been here I’ve only missed two games: one through suspension, and one through a broken toe,” O’Shea said.
“I’ve been quite lucky to reach that milestone so quickly, things have been quite lucky in that way since I got here,” he added.
The Irishman plans to play out his career at the club and hopes to one day step into a coaching role to assist the younger generation coming through the system.
“I said after a couple of years here that I would love to play out the rest of my career at Brisbane Roar,” O’Shea said.
“I’d like to retire at the club and hopefully move into a coaching role at the club and help the younger generation coming through. That’s the main goal to be honest.”
