BOBBY Burns came to the Newcastle Jets to develop as a player and push for a place in the Northern Ireland senior national team.
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But is was a lesson he learned at Hearts in Scotland that ensured the 20-year-old livewire was ready for his starting debut.
After a playing 83 minutes in four appearances off the bench, Burns was pitched into the XI at left back and produced a solid shift in the 1-all draw with Brisbane.
He contained Roar wingback Jack Hingert and was dangerous when he pushed forward in attack.
With a bit of luck, he could have had an assist after whipping a series of balls into the box and releasing the forwards with diagonal passes.
"Coming out on loan, I wanted to get games and play," Burns said. "It has been really frustrating at times but I have had to bide my time, keep training well and try to make the most of any sub appearances. To actually get a start was great.
"Last year at Hearts I was in a similar position where I was playing some weeks and not others and I let it get to me and annoy me. When I did get my chance, I wasn't as prepared for it as I could have been.
"That was a lesson for me. Then I got another chance and I was ready for it and had a good run of about six or seven games.
"That was the thing here, I was trying to stay positive and not let my standards drop.
"Hopefully that will allow me now to get a good run in the team."
Coach Ernie Merrick was happy with the Northern Ireland under-21 international.
"Bobby had a good debut. He ran out of legs after 60 to 70 minutes but he did a good job," Merrick said.
Burns said "keeping myself busy" was key to staying positive.
"I am doing a university degree in business management, playing a bit of golf and making sure I am not sitting in the house. That is when you can get really frustrated," he said.
"I have a really good support network both here and at home. I FaceTime family back home most days and my dad is coming out in March. The coaches here are always very encouraging and the fans. I have had loads of messages to keep going.
"It helps when it is sunny and there is a beach. The lifestyle here is great. It is very much an outdoor lifestyle. Matty Millar, Kaine Sheppard, Patty Langlois and I get around to each other's houses. Patty lives two doors down the street."
Burns and Millar, who plays right back, have also been pushing each other on the training pitch.
"We have been staying behind after training and really working on our crossing," Burns said. "That is one of the best assets of my game. I over hit one or two of them tonight. If I can get to the by-line and get crosses in it will be a good asset for our team. Naturally being left footed it is easy to whip it around."
The Jets had enough chances to beat Roar and in the end were denied three points by two brilliant saves from keeper Jamie Young and a wonder strike by replacement Bradden Inman.
"I thought we dominated the game," Burns said. "We limited them to few chances and stopped them from crossing which was one of our main targets.
"To be fair the keeper has made a couple of fantastic saves. At the end, we were a little bit disappointed but at least we got a point and were much more solid at the back after conceding so many goals in the last few games.
"We are down towards the bottom of the league, but if you look at the points, it is still very tight."
