Lewis Miller will at all times maintain hard-tackling Socceroos legend Lucas Neill as his first position mannequin in soccer. And contemplating each gamers got here by the ranks at a Sydney-based membership known as Manly United maybe their fondness for the bodily facet of the sport must be no shock.
However whereas former West Ham and Blackburn ace Neill was the Hibs defender’s prime idol it’s a participant with Sheffield metal combined with Scottish blood flowing by his veins who gave him the power to strive mixing it in Europe. Miller reckons the day former Scotland U21 worldwide and Sheffield United icon Nick Montgomery took on the highest job at Central Coast Mariners was the second his personal profession powered onto a brand new stage.
As a youngster he had made his A-League breakthrough beneath Alen Stajcic. Nevertheless it was Montgomery’s religion and steering after shifting into the highest job final season after a spell teaching within the membership’s academy which made Miller a standout.
These performances caught the attention of Hibs scouts and after u-turning on a transfer to Macarthur FC in favour of becoming a member of the Lee Johnson revolution in Leith in the summertime Miller admits he owes a debt of gratitude to his former boss.
Miller mentioned: “Nick was at Sheffield United and was a legend there as properly. When he took the job at Mariners I knew I used to be going to be in for an excellent season as a result of he was with me within the academy and he at all times believed in me and trusted me.
"The second he bought that gig I began enjoying extra video games, I used to be extra constant and simply getting higher and higher beneath his affect. To play beneath somebody together with his expertise, you look as much as him and take heed to what he has to say and also you simply preserve getting higher."
Miller has needed to be affected person in his bid to change into first selection proper again at Easter Highway with Chris Cadden the popular possibility on the correct to this point. The 22-year-old has needed to accept two sub appearances within the prime flight after beginning two League Cup video games in July.
He encountered Johnson’s wrath in final month’s defeat at St Mirren with the supervisor branding him “naive” for not being able to go on as a sub because the clock ticked down. However Miller insists he's greater than able to struggle for his place within the beginning line-up with a dedication born from his early days watching 96-times capped Socceroo ace Neill.
He mentioned: “I first began at Manly United they usually have the Lucas Neill Stadium. He’s clearly an Australian legend. He was a tough tackler, at all times gave it 110 per cent and I was a centre-back so transitioning from centre-back to right-back, I nonetheless regarded as much as a participant like that.
"If I might be half the participant he was then I will be on the correct path. His dad runs a couple of tournaments in that space, he got here by the youth groups at Manly. There is a Lucas Neill Award on the finish of the season.
"Sadly I wasn't ok to win it on the time, and it might have been an important honour to get that award. However he was a prime participant when it comes to perspective and management - he had all of it."
Miller is one in every of eight Aussies presently enjoying within the Scottish prime flight. And he admits shifting to Edinburgh was essential if he needed to take his recreation into the subsequent stage.
He mentioned: “It’s at all times been soccer for me. I have never carried out the rest since I began as a 12-year-old. I simply began getting higher and higher and fortunately I bought the European transfer.
"Sydney, the place I grew up, is an efficient place for soccer; I used to be round household and pals, it was protected, so I may simply play in my native league and it was very easy. However if you wish to enhance, you may't sit nonetheless.”
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