Barnsley FC: Australian international on his Socceroos inspiration and rival, stepping out of comfort zone and his little brother following in his shoes

The likes of Mark Schwarzer - who made his name in England at Bradford City before being an integral part of Middlesbrough’s ‘Riverside Revolution' under Bryan Robson - Mark Bosnich, Mat Ryan, Adam Federici and John Filan all earned their stripes at the top level in this country and Barnsley loanee Joe Gauci is aiming to follow in their footsteps and continue that laudable tradition.

In goalkeeping terms, Gauci is still a comparative ‘baby’ at 24, with keepers often peaking in their early to mid 30s - with the best ones continuing past it.

The Aston Villa loanee has still ticked a fair bit off, having made seven senior appearances for the Australian national team already after making his debut in March 2023 against Ecuador. Three have arrived in World Cup games this term.

It just so happens that one of his main competitors happens to be one of his biggest inspirations is current Socceroos captain Ryan, who now plays in France for Ligue 1 side Lens.

The pair are again set to battle for the Socceroos’ first-choice goalkeeper spot in March when Australia meets Indonesia and China in World Cup qualifying matches.

Gauci, who kept a clean sheet on his Reds bow against Burton last weekend, said: "One who I speak about quite a lot and am fortunate enough to share a changing room with right now with the international team is Mat Ryan.

"He started playing A League very young and progressed overseas when he was very young and the start of his career was phenomenal and he has really continued the tradition of great Australian goalkeepers - Bosnich, Schwarzer, Maty.

"They have set the bar really high for us Australian goalkeepers. It's a tough line to follow, but Maty has been someone who I have looked up to for a long time and I have followed his career very closely - his work ethic and the way he goes about things is very inspirational for the players who share the changing room with him now.

"We have competed in previous camps for the number one shirt with the national team. It's a pleasure to share the changing room with him."

Brought in by Barnsley just a week ago, Gauci, who made two EFL Cup appearances for Villa earlier this term, was immediately handed a confidence-booster when Reds head coach Darrell Clarke declared that he would be his number one straightaway.

Previous incumbent Ben Killip was sold to Portsmouth on deadline day.

Clarke’s faith in Gauci also says plenty about not just his aptitude but mentality regarding new challenges. It’s part of the ticket for aspiring, ambitious Aussies like him. Handling pressure is engrained in that nation's revered sporting psyche.

Gauci, who joined Villa from Adelaide United last February, added: "You have to step outside your comfort zone and take a bit of risk in football if you are ambitious and want to progress yourself.

"Going from Adelaide to Villa was a big step for me initially and going into an environment where I was not sure where I was going to fit and I knew the level would be a big step up and development would have to be made in that regard.

"Now again, it's stepping into a different environment and football challenge in a physical and demanding league at a club with sights on getting back where they belong. It's a different challenge and one I am looking forward to."

Like many professional sportspeople from Australia, Gauci is from a sporting family.

His younger brother Jed plays State League 2 in South Australia and like many, the elder sibling also tried his hand in other sports before settling on ‘soccer’.

In his case, it was rugby union, having lived in New Zealand when he was young.

After returning across the Tasman Sea at the age of 11, Adelaide-born Gauci settled on the round ball.

Gauci, who has also been on the books in Australia with the likes of Central Coast Mariners, Adelaide City and Melbourne City, continued: "Since I moved back to Australia, it was always football.

"I lived in New Zealand for seven years where I actually played rugby before football.

"I did not grow until late so I was a little bit smaller. Some of the big kids I was coming up against at eight or nine years old, I didn't really fancy going into tackle with them, so I very politely asked if I could play what they called ‘soccer’ over there! It was a transition to playing football.

"My brother plays semi-pro back home. He’s a goalkeeper as well - a little brother takes after big brother sort of thing.

"He enjoys it. He is always getting stick for being my brother, but he gives it back as well. He’s a good little keeper and he’s at Cove, a local team in South Australia at the minute."