Wellington Phoenix teenager Logan Rogerson revealed that his Hyundai A-League debut went far smoother than he ever anticipated and that’s made him hungry for even more.
Rogerson was brought on in the 75th minute against Melbourne City at Westpac Stadium and the 18-year-old made an immediate impact, coming agonisingly close to scoring an equaliser.
On Tuesday he revealed that his first A-League appearance was far less intimidating than he thought it would be.
“It was pretty proud for me and my family, I’ve been waiting quite a while for it. When I got out there it wasn’t quite as scary as what I thought it would be, it was just another game of football in the end and I really enjoyed it,” Rogerson said.
Head Coach Ernie Merrick provided the teenager with some sound advice as he prepared to come on.
“He just said do my thing – take players on, dribble, don’t be scared, get the ball and don’t hide. I was pretty happy to get a first touch quite early so my nerves settled.
 “I think the team did pretty well in the second half and the send off made things easier. I think we were a little bit fitter than them so we kept going and going and we were pretty unlucky not to get a goal in the end.”
Rogerson is one of New Zealand’s promising football talents and has already played for the All Whites. After getting his first taste of senior football with the Phoenix, the midfielder is now eager for more.
“It makes me a bit more hungry. It wasn’t that hard and I wasn’t as scared as I thought it would be so I’m pretty hungry to get back out there soon.”
