Nathan Burns returns to his old stomping ground

Western NSW players were treated to a special guest during the week with the appearance of former favourite son and Socceroo star Nathan Burns.

Fresh from his recent Hyundai A-League stint with the Wellington Phoenix, Burns, an ex-Western NSW product attended the Development Training Session at Orange where he provided a spark to the local players who appreciated the 30-year-old from being there.

Born and bred in Orange, Burns has thus far had a decorated football career which has seen him play in the top domestic leagues in Greece, Korea as well as Japan.

In addition to Burns’ appearance, Aaron Downes was out and about at Glen Willow Sport Complex, Mudgee last weekend watching small sided football as well as the Western NSW Mariners NPL Youth in action.

The Mudgee born defender, another Western NSW product, is enjoying a small off-season after playing out a tough season with English League Two outfit Cheltenham Town.

The visits have capped a busy few weeks where the professional football off-season has seen a number of ex-local footballers return home to support local association football.

Western Branch’s Coaching and Development Manager Andrew Fearnley expressed his delight upon seeing some of the regional players return home, further giving back to the game.

“These visits have been great as its shown to our current crop of grassroots footballers that anything is possible.

“Seeing the likes of Nathan and Aaron visit certainly gave each of the players an all mighty buzz as they had the opportunity to meet and greet their idols in their local football environment.

“Both these players have gone on to professional careers, but they both played on the same turf as youngsters as they started their careers”.