THERE was a time when Matt Millar was starting to wonder if his A-League career was over and done with, before he had even celebrated his 21st birthday.
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After debuting for Melbourne City as a teenager during the 2015-16 campaign, the wholehearted right back featured in only four games before he unexpectedly found himself surplus to requirements.
That prompted him to join South Melbourne in the Victorian Premier League, enrol to study osteopathy at university and, to make ends meet, accept a job in a factory that produced covers for spa pools.
"It was a tough situation to be in," Millar recalled.
"I was sort of waiting for a call to come from a club, but it's important to have a back-up plan in place ...
"I never gave up the dream, but I was preparing for the worst case, of not being able to get another opportunity."
Miller's lucky break was his appearance for South Melbourne in a 2017-18 FFA Cup quarter-final against Sydney FC, which earned him a month-long trial at Central Coast, and eventually an A-League contract.
He wasn't about to waste his second chance, playing in 24 games for the Mariners last season, 23 of them consecutively.
Midway through that campaign, he earned the ire of Mariners coach Mike Mulvey by signing a two-year deal with Newcastle, for whom he has appeared in every game this season, scoring three goals, including the equaliser in last week's 1-all draw against Western Sydney.
It was a timely contribution, given that it was the first match in which Newcastle's new coach, Carl Robinson, had been in charge since replacing the sacked Ernie Merrick.
"Coming to a new club, you want to come in and impress and lock down a position," Millar said. "I was lucky enough to be well-liked under Ernie, and that helped with establishing my spot.
"It's never easy with a new coach. You never know if he likes you or not.
"So it's definitely motivation for me to kick on and play out the rest of the year, and not only play, but put in some good performances and contribute as well."
Judging by Millar's effort against against the Wanderers, there seems little doubt that Robinson, like Merrick, will soon be an admirer of the 23-year-old.
The competition point Millar helped salvage last week lifted the Jets off the bottom of the ladder, and they are unbeaten in their past three games, heading into Saturday's clash with Melbourne Victory at McDonald Jones Stadium.
"We probably still haven't been getting the results that we really want in terms of three points and wins, but I think the performances are there," Millar said.
"We're showing really good signs, signs that we can build on, not only for this year, but also for next year ... there's still mathematically a chance for us to play finals, and I think that's what we've got to aim for."