Published: Monday, 1st September, 2008 09:00
Fed stakes Royals claim
By Anthony Smith
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Under pressure: Marcus Hahnemann's place in the Reading team is under threat from Adam Federici.
ADAM Federici is confident his experience of the Olympic Games will help his bid to dislodge Marcus Hahnemann from the no.1 spot at Reading.
The Australian keeper faced some of the top players in the world during the Beijing Games and his a performances against the likes of gold medallists Argentina won him high praise in football circles.
Now he wants to channel that into becoming the Royals’ first-choice stopper.
“I played five games over there in all and I took a lot out of them,” said the 23-year-old.
“We played some tough opponents like Argentina, Ivory Coast and Serbia, as well as Japan and Korea.
“In fact they were the hardest I’ve ever played. The opposition were excellent and they took place in 40 degree heat and 95% humidity.
“It wasn’t fun, especially with those Adidas balls which moved all over the place.
“I know we didn’t do well but we kept the score down and our defence performed well. I got the experience of performing against the likes of Lionel Messi and I got a lot of exposure back in Australia.
“We didn’t do too well as a country but we gained a lot from it in terms of experience.”
Federici had a much quieter night on Tuesday in Reading’s 5-1 victory over Luton Town in the Carling Cup.
“I feel great with a Reading shirt on and I hope for more games this year,” he revealed. “I know I’ve got one more at least in the next round and I don’t care who we get. I just want to play again and give the manager something to think about.
“It’s a long season. We wanted to go out, prove a point and make up for the loss at Charlton at the weekend and give the crowd something to cheer. That defeat was very disappointing and the boys have been down about it.
“But I often play in the reserves with these guys and I’m not surprised how well they played – they do it all of the time. I think any one of them could slot into the team and it was a great perfomance.
“Hopefully the result will also lift the boys who will play against Crystal Palace on Saturday.”
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