Some forty years ago a best friend and I used to troop regularly to the old Sydney Sports Ground to watch the Socceroos play home games. The Australian team at the time comprised a collection of mostly journeyman footballers from the UK, with some notable home-grown players in the mix. They were part-timers in what were then largely ethnic-dominated Australian leagues. The team played a largely defensive game, with a lot of players behind the ball.

How different today, with a strong national A-League, and a Socceroos side full of native-born footballers who play a decidedly attacking game. The win over an excellent South Korean team last night to claim the Asian Cup presents another milestone for the Socceroos. Qualification for World Cups (starting with Rale Rasic's trail-blazing 1974 side) has been achieved 3 times now. The Asian Cup puts the first major trophy on the shelf. The game can only develop from here. In one direction, methinks.



The 1974 team vs West Germany. Muller scores.



Contemporary legend Tim Cahill bicycle-kicks vs China in a modern iteration of the Socceroos. Asian Cup Quarter Finals 2015