BALLARAT Red Devils goalkeeper Jordan Franken is heading west to pursue his A-league dream.
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Franken, 19, was this week announced as one of two goalkeepers on the Perth Glory youth squad in the National Youth League.
The gloveman will pull on the purple kit of the Perth squad in its season opener next weekend and would love nothing more than to be standing between the posts at the opening whistle.
However, he faces a challenge to be the number one choice as goalkeeper, with the position expected to be held by Jordan Thurtell.
Franken came to Ballarat with the sole intention of getting more game time, having previously been on the Perth youth squad.
He started in six senior games for the McDonalds Reds, plus a further 20 in the under-20s.
“The whole reason I came to Ballarat was to get back in the youth league system,” Franken said.
“If I didn’t spend the season in Ballarat I would not have got anywhere near as much game time as I did, so I’m extremely thankful.
“I think I played 26 games in total.”
In a tough season for the Ballarat under-20s, they finished last on the National Premier League Victoria table.
However, in an impressive statistic, they conceded less goals than any of the bottom eight sides, much of which could be put down to Franken’s works on the last line.
“A lot of the time goalkeepers have their best games when they have a lot of balls coming at them,” he said.
“It was good for me as a goalkeeper because there was always a lot to do and I learned a lot.
“I have a lot of hard work ahead of me now but it’s the best spot to be in.”
Perth Glory starts its campaign against the FFS Centre of Excellence side in Perth next Saturday.