Daniel Wilmering keen to get career back on track at Newcastle

And after playing an hour in a 4-1 trial win over Central Coast, the left-back will be pushing his case for more minutes this season when the Jets take on Sydney FC on Wednesday in another behind-closed-doors hit-out.

Wilmering, 22, came through the Wanderers academy and was a ball boy in the club's first A-League match.

But after breaking through for a debut in 2019, Wilmering made only 33 more appearances in the A-League for the club across the next four seasons.

A major knee injury late in 2019 restricted him to just nine games that season. He didn't feature in 2021-22 and made 10 appearances last season, eight of which came off the bench.

He was a substitute for Newcastle in their two Australia Cup matches, and after "a good hit out" against the Mariners a week ago, Wilmering will be hoping for another chance to showcase his talents on Wednesday.

"Obviously there's a lot of competition for spots," Wilmering said.

"In every position I think there's more than two boys capable of playing there, so that's good for the team.

"Obviously the goal is to start as many games as I can and get as many minutes as I can, so hopefully get back on track."

He said the move was a change he needed on and off the field.

"I had a couple of opportunities, but I thought this one was the best one for me for both football and personal life," he said.

"I'd had a tough couple of years with injuries and not being able to play, so I think it was important for me to have a change, not just for football but for personal as well.

"It's my first time moving out of home so the parents are buzzing that I've finally left, so just overall for football and for life, I needed a change and I'm happy with it."

He said he was enjoying the move to Newcastle, where he was staying with former Wanderers teammate Kosta Grozos.

"He's helped me a lot settling in," he said. "I know a couple of the boys and obviously when I signed up, I knew Dila, [Arthur Diles] the assistant coach. I had him at Wanderers Youth team, and he's moved on now.

"But I knew a couple of the boys before I came and everything I heard about the club and Newcastle is it's a great place to be, a great place to live, so it sold me."

Meanwhile, French recruit Jason Berthomier is set to arrive in Australia this week.

The 33-year-old midfielder, who has played Ligue 1, was announced as a Jets signing last Tuesday but the club has been waiting for a visa clearance.

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