Josh Kennedy cements place in Aussie team

October 16, 2008

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Josh Kennedy said Thursday his performance in Australia's crushing victory over Qatar had helped him cement the place he took from injured Mark Viduka.

The 1.94 metre (6 foot, 4 inch) Karlsruhe target man, who is thriving under coach Pim Verbeek, scored one goal and had a hand in two others in his team's 4-0 drubbing of Qatar.

The victory means Australia top their World Cup qualifying group.

Kennedy came into the squad after an Achilles tendon injury put Newcastle United striker Viduka out of action.

Hitting the back of the net against Qatar in Brisbane means the 26-year-old has now scored five goals in just nine games for the Socceroos.

“Every game I play in the Aussie team is a big step in consolidating that striker position for me and obviously the better performances and more goals can only help me in the future,” Kennedy said Thursday.

“Not every game we're going to play the same formation or same tactics and Pim up to date has been pretty spot on with that and we've got the results.

“We'll see in the next couple of games what formation we go with and if I play, I play. If not I'll be on the bench.”

Kennedy said he had been pleased with his performance with his feet, not just with his head during Wednesday's game.

“I think as well as things in the air I proved I can play football,” he said.

“That aerial tag obviously comes with being tall and in the air we are a threat and I think that's a tactic we can definitely use in the coming games against the Asian teams.”

Viduka, who hasn't played for the Socceroos since last year's Asian Cup, is in Australia to consult national team medical staff about his Achilles tendon injury.

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