Archie Goodwin looked up to both James Virgili and Ben Kantarovski when coming through the junior ranks at the Newcastle Jets.
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The striker now surpasses each of them and becomes the club's youngest debutant.
All three players made their first A-League appearance aged 16, but Goodwin has eclipsed the previous record holders by over two months after getting onto the field late in the Jets' 1-0 win against the Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday.
He was 16 years and 106 days on February 21, beating Virgili (16 years, 180 days) from 2009 and Kantarovski (16 years, 208 days) in 2008.
This also puts Goodwin, who is studying year 11 at Newcastle High School, seventh on the A-League's overall list of youngest debutants.
"Yeah for sure [looking up to Vigili and Kantarovski] and definitely Kanta being at the club still, he's a great role model for me as he came in when he was a young lad too," Goodwin said.
"Same as Hoffy [Jason Hoffman] and they've been really good for me coming into the squad."
After training at Ray Watt Oval on Wednesday the teenager was still coming to terms with an unexpected call up to the Jets' game-day squad, "the rush of energy" from being told he was getting substituted off the bench in the 85th minute and reckons "it just didn't real real out there, it felt like a dream".
Having got that first taste of the national competition, Goodwin now wants to do it all over again starting against the Wellington Phoenix at McDonald Jones Stadium this Sunday.
"I've just got to work hard at training and put the hard yards in and hopefully get selected for this weekend," he said.
"That's what I'm aiming for. Hopefully if I put the hard work in [coach Craig Deans] Deansy recognises that and I get my opportunity again."
Long term, the Cooks Hill United product who lives at Hamilton East, is keen to make a career out of the sport.
"I want to push for the starting squad in the next months to years. That's my goal," he said.
Newcastle teammate and fellow Jets academy graduate Angus Thurgate, who scored the winner in his 50th A-League game, feels like Goodwin has a future.
"He works hard every day at training and his attitude is great for a young kid ... He's got plenty of games in him," Thurgate said.
Thurgate, 21, said "it would have been nice to see him score a goal", with the Novocastrian rookie having a shot saved in the closing stages.
Goodwin said "it's a good learning experience and next time if I get an opportunity like that I'll definitely put it away".
He is now full-time with the Jets after joining the senior squad last year.
"That photo was actually in the paper when I was seven as well. I remember that photo quite clearly and it was good to see it on the back page of the paper and compare it to now," he said.
Teeboy Kamara is the youngest player to make his A-League debut aged 15 years and 212 days, playing for Adelaide in 2011. Vigili and Kantarovski have previously held the A-League record.
YOUNGEST A-LEAGUE DEBUTANTS: Teeboy Kamara (Adelaide) 15 years, 212 days; Idrus Abdulahi (Melbourne City) 15 years, 216 days; Mohamed Toure (Adelaide) 15 years, 288 days; Daniel De Silva (Perth) 15 years, 361 days; Alusine Fofanah (Western Sydney) 16 years, 59 days; Gabriel Popovic (Perth) 16 years, 104 days; Archie Goodwin (Newcastle) 16 years, 106 days.
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