Mooy's brave decision pays off

Mooy, now 22, has taken the A-League by storm in his first season in the competition after joining the new club from St Mirren in Scotland.

He has raised a few eyebrows with his polished performances for a player so young.

Mooy, who grew up in Blacktown in Sydney's west, was a junior on the books of Bolton Wanderers two years ago when he was offered a contract by the then-Premier League club.

But he knocked it back.

"I wanted to play regular first-team football,” Mooy said.

"I thought that if I stayed with Bolton I would have been only a reserve.

"It was a hard decision at the time but I wanted to try my luck and get out of my comfort zone (by being a starter).

"That's why I went to St Mirren.

"I'm happy I took that decision.”

Mooy spent two seasons at the Scottish club from Paisley before becoming one of the first players to sign for the A-League's newest club in the off-season.

Coach Tony Popovic's Wanderers have left a fine impression in their first four games of the season and bookies have installed them as favourites to beat Melbourne Heart on Friday night.

Mooy's marauders surprised many people with a 1-0 victory over champion Brisbane Roar at the weekend.

What was more remarkable than the result was the fact that the Wanderers accomplished the rare feat of outplaying Roar at its Suncorp fortress.

Young Mooy stole the show with his commanding performance in midfield, an area where Brisbane usually excels.

"I thought we deserved the win because we stuck to our game plan and to be honest we should have scored more goals," he said.

"We've had a good start to the season and and we're glad that we got our first win.

"When I hit the two posts from one shot early on I briefly thought that this was not going to be our day.

"But we kept believing and we ended up getting a goal through Mark Bridge.

"The pressure to get our first goal and first win is off us.

"It is now a matter of sticking to what we know and what we have been doing since pre-season.

"That's all we can do really.

"As far as I'm concerned I'm enjoying it in the Wanderers' midfield because things come naturally for me.

"I keep training and trying to get better every day."