NEIL WILL BOUNCE BACK SAYS COACH

Born in 1990, Etheridge made his debut for the Philippines in the AFC Challenge Cup and has performed remarkably since. In the group stage of the AFF Suzuki in Hanoi, Etheridge kept a clean sheet in two matches including against the defending champions Vietnam and Myanmar. He conceded only one goal against Singapore.

Yesterday, he conceded his second goal but this time the Philippines lost. Coach Simon McMenemy said that the player had saved his team many times in the past.

“Unfortunately, people only remember the mistakes.”
McMenemy said that for his age, the 20-year-old player had delivered outstanding performances. “I remember when I was 20 and how many mistakes I used to make, but he’s just fantastic.”

In the second leg semifinal, Etheridge will have to be at his very best to stop the shots from Indonesian strikers Christian Gonzalez and Irfan Bachdim. He will also have to keep an eye out for Bambang Pamungkas and speedy flanker Oktavianus Maniani.

“He was very disappointed but he will be back for the next game.”