Kyah Simon – Sparkles on The Comeback Trail
Quakers Hills football star Kyah Simon is relishing her comeback in the A-League Women at Central Coast Mariners, 16 years after lacing her boots for the same club.
After more than a year on the sidelines with a series of injuries, Simon, 32, has a golden chance of finishing this season as part of a champion outfit as the Mariners take on Melbourne Victory on Sunday, April 14, in an elimination final.
Simon’s resurgence coincides with the second coming of the Mariners, a team she made her first-class debut way back in 2008. Her rich experience – she has netted 29 goals in 111 matches for Australia and also played in the UK, US and the Netherlands – makes her an integral part of this Mariners side.
“Victory are a quality side, they showed that against the almost premiers Sydney FC,” Kyah said. “They are a great team on paper and when we’ve faced them, it’s been really competitive.
“When we first came in as a group, there wasn’t a lot of us that had played together. It was a completely new squad, players from different teams and parts of the world but one consistent theme is we have a great group of people. That makes it so easy when you come into work, getting along with the girls in the dressing room and being able to work together on the pitch.
“It’s just a really great group of girls who want to learn and buy into what (coach) Emily Husband wants to do. For me, it has been so enjoyable to be a part of this group and share the dressing room with that group.”
National women’s coach Tony Gustavsson must be pleased with Simon’s resilience, having picked the injured forward for last year’s World Cup historic campaign. Simon, however, did not play a single game in the World Cup.
“Mariners being my first A-League club in the inaugural season, they’ve always held a special place in my heart and it’s a real full circle moment for me,” said Simon, when she was announced as their key signing last October.
