Melbourne Victory youngster Brandon Lauton is relishing every opportunity he takes to the park – with or without the crowd on his side.
After starting for the second time this season against Sydney FC in front of a hostile crowd, Lauton found himself being motivated by the pressure and noise that aimed to quash his impact on the game.
“If I’m honest, I find that motivating,” said Lauton in regard to playing in front of a boisterous opposition crowd.
“When they’re screaming 6-1 and all those things in the stands, it pumps me up because I don’t want to let that happen again. It helps put me in the game.
“It’s always good to play in front of a crowd – even if it’s a hostile one – I love playing in front of great atmospheres.”
It’s a big change in environment both on and off the field for Lauton who before this year had plied his trade for Victory in the Foxtel Y-League and National Premier League.
However, with the support of his teammates, Lauton is starting to feel at home at Hyundai A-League level.
“It’s a tough transition coming from the youth system, but the boys are helping me out,” said Lauton.
“I’ve been getting a lot of mentoring from the older boys especially, who all contribute in different ways, like Broxie (Leigh Broxham) is very vocal.
“They help me tactically, emotionally and mentally – they’re all there to help me out and as every game goes past, I feel more comfortable at this level.
“Sydney was a tough game, but they’re probably the best team on paper in the competition so the fact that I was competitive, I was pretty happy with that.”
Lauton is happy to play anywhere under Head Coach Marco Kurz if it means representing Victory at the highest level.
Better still, he knows what he and the team are capable of and is confident the club can turn its early season misfortunes around.
“I’m happy to fulfil any role that the boss sees me fit for. I’m more naturally a midfielder, but I can also play other positions as you’ve seen.
“We’ve got a very experienced team, so we just have to keep working hard, putting everything into each session, and it’ll click.
“When it does click, we’ll be back.”
Melbourne Victory travels to Adelaide to take on the Reds at Coopers Stadium on Saturday, November 23 from 7:30pm AEDT.
