Former Preston North End defender Bailey Wright helped Australia qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time since 2006 on Wednesday.
In a competitive group, they finished second behind France, after a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Denmark. Australia needed that win in the end as Tunisia also beat France 1-0 and would have gone through in second had Australia just drawn their game. Last year’s Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark finished bottom of the group, with just one goal and one point. Perhaps they should have taken Emil Riis?
Australia have qualified for the last five World Cups after a 32-year absence between 1974 and 2006. Bailey Wright was in the 2014 squad, whilst still playing for Preston in League One and would have been just 21 at the time. He didn’t make it onto the pitch in that tournament though.
Heartbreak followed in 2018 when the defender wasn’t named in their squad for the tournament in Russia, whilst Wright was playing for Bristol City. Now with Sunderland, the 30-year-old made it into the squad for the 2022 edition, and was given the number 8 shirt number.
He remained on the bench for their opening two games against France on Tunisia, but as they were looking to shut up shop in their final group game, he came on for the final 16 minutes. It meant a first World Cup appearance for Wright over eight years after his first call up to the competition. He helped contribute to a clean sheet and a 1-0 win, and they now await a first last 16 tie, since they cruelly lost to a 95th minute Luca Toni goal in a 1-0 defeat to eventual winners Italy in 2006.
Whilst Wright left Preston nearly six years ago now, his 205 games for the club live long in the memory. The centre-back captained us on numerous occasions and after seeing him develop at the club from a very young age he always felt like ‘one of our own’. He saw the club relegated to League One in 2011, and win promotion back into the Championship in 2015.
He’s only managed four starts for Sunderland in the Championship this season, but his World Cup appearance will have brought great joy to him.