England move helped Socceroos star wright take is chance
EXCLUSIVE: Preston North End and Australia defender Bailey Wright was gearing up for a career in construction before some good advice changed the course of his life.
A career knee-deep in cement and concrete beckoned for Preston North End’s Australia defender Bailey Wright before his parents encouraged him to follow his football dream to England after the doors had slammed shut in his homeland.
It was a long-shot that has come up trumps for Wright, who at 16 years of age was overlooked by A-League clubs and the Australian Institute of Sport and seemed destined for a life in the family drainage and construction business, with a part-time football for his local Melbourne club, Langwarrin, on the side.
“My mum and dad were behind me and knew what it meant to me to try and build a future in the game and helped me come over to England to trial with Preston,” recalled Wright, who has emerged as a rock at the back for the Lilywhites in their return to Championship this season as a well as establishing himself for his country.
“So I came over and luckily Preston liked what they saw and offered me a contract. I shared a house with 19 other boys from the youth team back then and it was a bit different to what I was used to.
"But I embraced it, and it gave me a chance to follow my dream. I’d always wanted to play in England ever since watching the highlights packages of the big games growing up on Monday nights.
“That’s what fuelled my ambition and my family (parents Andy and Jeanette) as are massive part of helping me make my dream a reality. They made a lot sacrifices but without ever trying to push me too hard, and I owe them everything really.”
At just 23, Wright is already the Lancashire club’s longest serving player having arrived at Deepdale in 2009, and is walking billboard for persistence and self-belief:
“If it wasn't for taking a bit of a punt on myself, I would have probably just gone on with life working for my dad," Wright said. “When I left school I went straight into concreting and digging business with him, and it was really hard graft.
“The A-League was only new back then, there was no youth league and none of the clubs showed any interest in me."
In his fledgling years, Wright was a stereotypical no-frills stopper whose game was all about pace, power and an uncompromising streak.
But his elevation to Championship with the Lilywhites and his breakthrough for the Socceroos, which has seen him come to the fore in recent World Cup qualifiers, have highlighted a new finesse and polish to his performances.
“I like to think I’ve added a fair bit to my game over the past couple of seasons and being part of the Australian squad now and in the Championship playing against better players has also helped a lot," he said. “For me, it’s all about self-improvement and never standing still. I am still learning with every game.
"I think I am at the right club. They have shown a lot of faith in me and I think I’ve repaid it (Wright has signed a contract extension until 2017). I’d love nothing better to get promoted again with them at some stage.”
With Preston sitting seventeenth after 17 games, and struggling to turn draws into wins, this shapes as more a year of survival, with Wright explaining: “The championship is such a tough division.
“Anyone can beat anyone and we just have to try and find that consistency and finish as high up the ladder as possible. We’re not looking beyond that right now.”
Wright is also continuing an Australian tradition at Preston, where the great Joe Marston, who played in the 1954 FA Cup final, remains a club legend whose deeds are faithfully passed from one generation of fans to the next.
Wright met the 89 year-old, with whom he shares the same position, for the first time last year in Australia and admits to being awestruck.
"I was actually a bit starry-eyed to meet the great man, who still means so much to fans at Preston and Australia," Wright said.
"He was a funny guy and it was great to see what he is about. Having met him, it was no surprise to me why he achieved so much in his career and is still held in such high esteem."
They're big shoes to full, but Wright is making some smooth moves.