Simon says....

A stellar season for Simon | (Credit: Cam Wheeler)

From a very young age it was clear that Sydney FC and Matildas’ striker Kyah Simon was a very special player.  The NSWIS graduate appeared to have it all; technical ability, electrifying pace and that all important eye for goal.

However, many a young player has struggled under the weight of expectation and been unable to make the transition from ‘the next best thing’ to a headline striker for club and country.  But that was never going to happen for Simon.

Since her debut in for the Westfield Matildas in 2007, she has racked up games for the Matildas regularly and already become part of Australian football history with her penalty handing Australia their first football silverware; the 2010 Women’s Asian Cup.

Now, in this third season of the Westfield W-League, we seem to be witnessing a glimpse of just how good this still young striker can be.  Heading into the final week of the season, Simon sits on top of the W-League goal scoring table with 10 goals and is odds on favourite to take out the League’s Golden Boot.

We caught up with Kyah to chat about her introduction to the sport, handling expectations and football’s challenges.

How did you get introduced to football Kyah?

I actually played tackle football first.  My older brother Aaron played and, like every young girl, I wanted to play with my older siblings.

My next-door neighbour invited me down to my local soccer club and said “give it a go you might like it”.  At Under 8s I went down, had a go and enjoyed kicking a football.

There are not many indigenous players at the top end of football.  How do you feel being a pioneer alongside Perth’s Tanya Oxtoby and Canberra’s Lydia Wiliams?

Yeah its great to be a role model but to have only a few indigenous girls [in the sport] is not great.

Speaking on behalf of Lydia and Tanya as well, I am sure we would love to see more indigenous girls playing the sport.  Hopefully that comes in time.

You were highlighted as a player to watch at such a young age.  How was it dealing with those expectations?

I started off young in the Matildas at 16 years of age but I was up for the challenge.  Playing for the Matildas was one of my goals when I was little so to finally fulfil that goal was great.

Any expectations, well I try to fulfil them to the best of my abilities.  I just have to give it my all and hopefully it’s a performance that Tom is looking for and the performance that the team needs from me.

It hasn’t always been a smooth ride for you.  In your first season at Sydney FC you found yourself moved from your traditional striker role.  What was that like for you?

There were a few girls in the same boat as myself.  We had Danielle Brogan, one our main defenders, do her ACL and we had to rearrange the squad.

So it was myself moving to right-back and Servet Uzunlar moving too and now she is a starting Matilda.

You just have to do what the team needs you to do and be a utility player.  It worked pretty well.

It’s a different mindset from attacking to defending.  How did you approach that change?

Alen [Stajcic] gives us a few pointers and doesn’t throw us in the deep end!  Everything we do at training goes over each position.

So if you stay focused and listen to all the information given out for each individual position, you do have a lot of background on all the areas on the park.

It was good to have the experience at the back last season but it’s also really good to back up front this season.

You always play like you really enjoy your football.  What makes the sport so special for you?

I just love travelling with some of your best mates.  Football just gives you so many opportunities.  You can experience different cultures, travel overseas and play a sport that you love.

Well you are playing great football at a crucial time in relation to the World Cup squad.

Yeah, there is a bit of pressure on each girl that is in the Matildas mix.  Every girl knows what’s at stake with the World Cup just around the corner.

I believe Tommy [Sermanni] will pick the best 21 players in form and hopefully my form can stay up there and get me in that squad and a definite ticket over there.