Special Feature: Hoping to make amends for lost time – Marton Vass

It seems that he has been around forever ? from when as a teenager he embarked on the Viareggio Tour of Italy with A.P.I.A. Leichhardt in 2005 and appeared to have the world at his feet, to the time he became the first player signed by the North Queensland Fury as they entered the A-League.
Subsequently, his move to the Fury in the A-League was short lived and he found himself back at his beloved A.P.I.A. Leichhardt.
In fact, A.P.I.A. Leichhardt has definitely been home to Vass over the years for it is here that he returned after a couple of years in the professional football ranks in Germany.
Vass?s curse has definitely been injury and it was for this reason that his playing days in Germany were curtailed. 
Now, as he embarks on his third straight season in the NSW Premier League, he once again finds that he is beginning the year on the sidelines.
?Hopefully, I?ll be back as soon as possible,? he stated recently.
Vass, ironically, suffered his latest injury in a friendly game against Sydney FC at Lambert Park a couple of weeks ago.
?That game was a good experience for us and, at that point, it was our fifth game in two weeks.
?Considering the workload we put in a good performance against Sydney FC and we were disappointed not to have at least gotten a draw.?
When asked about his expectations and ambitions for 2011, Vass was certainly not giving too much away especially in light of his injuries over the years.
?My personal goal is to stay injury free and play as well as I can for A.P.I.A. Leichhardt. I think we should definitely be in the top five, perhaps even in the top two teams, so that?s my immediate goal for 2011.?
And, what about longer term goals? Does Vass think that the A-League is a bridge too far at this stage of his career or does he still have ambitions to get there?
?I went to North Queensland and I don?t have anything at all against the club ? it was a personal issue with the then coach ? the boys were great up there and it is was disappointing to see them as a club end up like they did,? he said
?It will be a lot harder now to get back into the A-League for me because I am 26, and it?s getting a bit old.
?The best I can do is play as well as I can for A.P.I.A. Leichhardt in the NSW Premier League this year and see how I go from there.?
-By Joe Russo