At the ripe old age of 26 years old Dimitra Tsiliaskopoulos was done with football.

Better known as Dimi Poulos, the then Sydney FC goalkeeper had just finished a season where the Sky Blues had claimed the premiership and finished runners up in the Championship.

Nonetheless Poulos pulled the plug on a football career that had taken her around the world including to college in the United States and Sporting Club de Huelva in Spain.

"You have to make a choice at some point in your life," said Poulos of a decision to quit the highest level of the sport.

"That's the problem with women's football. You eventually have to think about the financials."

"You can keep going and struggle to support yourself or you can get some stability."

Happily working in and finally enjoying life on the south coast, she was unexpectedly pulled back to the game by a phone call from Western Sydney Wanderers coach Stephen Roche.

A freak accident had rendered the Wanderers starting goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold unavailable for the first portion of the season.  As fast as that the 29 year old was back in the football action.

[More: Mackenzie Arnold to miss first half of W-League]

"It is exciting and not something I thought would happen again for me," said Poulos.  "I really thought that was it."

"That I had had my time and I was done but it was a nice surprise and a bit of a shock."

Having not played and trained with a W-League team for close to three years, the first couple weeks back at training were a sharp reminder of all it encompassed to be at the top.  Despite the aches and pains, to her surprise, the game has naturally come back to the custodian.

"It hasn't taken long for me to pick it [goalkeeping] up again and everything is coming back quite quickly."

"I am getting there slowly with the help of Jimmy Fraser (former Socceroos goalkeeper).  They have done some extra work with me on the side so they have been really good."

"Hopefully by the end of the season I've got everything back but the body doesn't recover as quickly as it used to!"

The Wanderers were lucky to find an experienced goalkeeper on relatively short notice.   That has been about the only piece of luck the Western Sydney side has had this season.

Injuries to key players in crucial areas on the pitch have gutted the team and for Poulos it has meant from the very first game she has been called on to lead a makeshift defence.  While the Wanderers are feeling the pressure of a slow start to the season, Poulos personally has found the pressures of football easier the second time round.

"Being out for a while there are no expectations so in a strange way it has made me feel calmer about it all."

"As you get older you don't hold so much on your shoulders. You can let a lot more go than when you are younger."

The past couple of games has seen the shot stopper one of the Wanderers best performers in the face of constant attack.  While it hasn't been the fairytale return, Dimi Poulos is still happy to took the call.