Jon Brady

Twice promoted from the Conference with Rushden and Chester City, Jon Brady joined the U's at the beginning of January and he believes U's fans have yet to see the best of him.

Rob Newman certainly knew what he had added to his squad when United took over the 31-year-old's contract to the end of the season, telling the club's official website: "He's won the Conference twice, he's been involved with a successful Hereford side this season, and he's an experienced player who has been around the Conference for a few years.

"He's of an age that he can help our youngsters, plus we've watched him a few times this season and they've all been very positive performances.

"He's an attacking midfielder who gets great crosses in, but he's told us he can play anywhere along the right hand side, from right back all the way through to right wing, so in all respects he's a good player to get on board.

"We've taken over his contract for the rest of the season and we're already tentatively looking towards next season," the U's boss told cambridgeunited.com

Opting for football instead of rugby as a youngster, Jon Brady first came to England on tour with the Australia Under-17 team when he was 15 and took part in friendly warm-up games against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur before playing an international in Denmark.

"Brentford liked the look of me and wanted to take me on, but I had to go back and do my schooling and came back when I was 17," he recalls of his early career.

He failed to break into the first team at Brentford and then at Swansea, but after a brief spell in Norway he launched a long career in Conference football at Hayes. After three seasons there, he joined Rushden & Diamonds in 1998 and his four seasons there included promotion from the Conference in the same team as Ritchie Hanlon and U's captain Mark Peters.

After a season in League football, including defeat in the final of the Division Three play offs when they lost to Cheltenham, he began the 2002/03 season with Woking then in October 2002 moved to Chester City, where he was part of another successful promotion campaign.

From there he joined Stevenage Borough in December 2003 and set up an equalising goal in the play-off semi-final last May, but was released at the end of the season when Stevenage signed Hereford's Danny Williams.

Brady made the opposite move to Hereford and was a regular in their squad in the New Year, but travelling from his home in Northamptonshire every day proved to be a problem and in January he joined United for the rest of the season.

"I was travelling five hours a day doing a round trip and it wasn't healthy for me, so this move has allowed me to get my life back," says Jon. "There have been a few ups and downs but overall it's been quite good.
"We're aiming to go on an unbeaten run to the end of the season and we've proved that defensively we're starting to become quite strong, but I think we need to give a bit more attacking-wise.

"If we can do that and maybe get more than one goal a game, then I think we'll start winning games and take a good momentum into next season."

On the defensive improvement in recent months, Jon reveals that it is the result of work on the training ground: "We've really worked hard on our defensive shape and on having two banks of four, so the back four and the midfield four are working together as a unit.

"As a result we've been a lot more solid and now we need to be a bit better going forward and with our use of the ball, and hopefully that will come very soon."

Usually employed as a winger, the Australian admitted that he has had to curb his attacking instincts to fit into the more disciplined team shape and added, "I've been asked to be more defensive and to be fair I hate it, and Courtney's probably the same at the moment, but I've been asked to do a job for the team.

"I think we could get a bit higher up the pitch as soon as we win the ball and hopefully that will happen and we'll be a lot better going forward. But it's one thing at a time and the defence has started to work well and we've been picking up points and a win away from home, and hopefully we can start to use our attacking options as well."

Although his contract runs out at the end of the season (Jon has since signed a one year deal for next season), Jon says he does not let that distract him from concentrating on success on the pitch.

"Like everyone else out there, I'm hoping to prove I'm worth a contract for next season and that will only come with hard work on the pitch. I hope it works out for me because I'm really enjoying it here and I think there's more to come from me," he says.

"The last month has been frustrating for myself and Courtney because we've felt held back a little bit and we've not been getting the ball higher up the pitch where you can actually attack a full back and take them on.

"When I was first here there was a bit more freedom to do that but now we're concentrating a bit more on defence and we've had to sit back a bit. If we do get the ball higher up the pitch then my and Courtney's quality will show through as it did when I was first here."

Having spent 13 years in England Jon has not decided whether he will return to Australia when he finishes playing, explaining, "I have a girlfriend who's English so I don't know yet, but I like the idea of living on a beach somewhere!"

Before then, he is concentrating firmly on doing his best for Cambridge United and earning a deal for next season; "Contracts are running out and people are playing for their futures, but if you're a winner then you always want to win anyway and the Gaffer and Spearo and the fans will see that.

"My attitude is to do the best I can at all costs and I think most people should have that attitude, and if you haven't then you shouldn't be here," he concluded.

Andrea Thrussell

*This interview was first published in the programme for the match against Exeter on 4th April, 2006.

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