Midgley focused on comeback with Manly United

Journeyman English striker Craig Midgley spent over a decade in the English lower leagues with Scarborough and Halifax Town as well as a stint at former Premier League team Bradford City as a trainee.
He relocated to Australia in 2007 and with a full pre-season behind him was looking to make every post a winner in this years Telechoice Premier League.
His timing couldn?t have been worse after straining his calf just three days ahead of MUFC?s 3-0 season opening win against Bankstown City.
?I couldn?t believe it, I had put in all this work over the past few months and was happy with how I was going, I was banging in a few goals,? he said.
?I turned sharply in a warm-up and felt like I had been shot in the calf, the pain was incredible.
?My immediate thought was ?oh no there goes the season? but thankfully I will be back in two to three weeks.
?But going on how well the boys looked in our first game it may be difficult to get a spot.?
Midgley then went onto reveal exactly how he ended up at Cromer Park.
?I am good mates with (former MUFC utility player)Andy Lee who raved about the club so I thought it was worth a look at when I came to Sydney last year for a holiday,? Midgley recalled.
?Phil Moss told me the spots were almost full after we spoke via email.
?He told me I had to get down to training in a hurry if he was to have a good look at me as the transfer window was almost closed.
?I told him to hold a spot for me as he wouldn?t regret it and that must have stuck out in his mind because after I came down and trained with the lads we agreed to terms.
?Originally I came to Australia for a lifestyle change and to see my brother who is based in Cairns but as soon as I settled on the Northern Beaches up at Collaroy I fell in love with the place.
?The professionalism at the club is obvious and Mossy gave me no guarantees so I came in with a fair bit to prove.
?I was happy with my impact last year but I am looking to have a bigger role this season.?
Midgley believes Manly?s potent strike force of Dusan Mihajlovic and Robbie Cattanach alongside himelf will cause plenty of headaches for opposing sides this winter.
?It is early days but we are gelling at training and went well in our first couple of games.
?Both those guys are great to play with, Dusan is strong and holds the ball up well and ?Catto? is comfortable on the ball and always looking to play me in.
?Mossy wanted to see how we went together up front and we looked good so fingers crossed when I come back we can cause some more damage.?
Midgley has his sights set on a fulltime coaching career once he hangs up his boots and recently completed a scuba diving course to supplement his income over summer.
?I have made a career out of football and for me the logical step once I finish playing would be to get into coaching,? he said.
?Mossy has guided me in the right direction when it comes to getting my required qualifications and I will spend some time down at the AIS later this year getting those badges.
?The scuba diving is a bit of fun, I had a go last year and it was just magic and thought it would be a good idea to keep the money rolling in during our off season.
?Unlike in England where you only get a six week break each year it?s a lot longer in Australia so it looks like it will be a good way to look after myself financially.
?There is a great bunch of lads down at Manly and I look forward to being a part of their success.?
By Andrew Hurrell