Shimizu’s Brosque makes most of Socceroos call-up

Alex Brosque was happy he could make a contribution in Australia’s lacklustre victory over Thailand on Friday night.

The Shimizu S-Pulse striker was brought into Holger Osieck’s squad to replace the injured Scott McDonald in the week leading up to the opening 2014 World Cup qualifier in Brisbane and came off the bench to produce the winning goal as the Socceroos overcame a tardy start to win 2-1.

Brosque said it was nice to just get a run let alone contribute so heavily to the crucial win and added that it will certainly do his national team chances no harm.

"This helps repay the faith (Socceroos coach) Holger Osieck has shown in me," Brosque said.

"I have to give him reason to keep picking me."

As for life in Japan, Brosque says dropping back to central midfield from striker has helped him settle at his new club.

"It does take that pressure off of being a foreigner over there and having to score goals. Playing in midfield allows me to concentrate on playing football," he added.

"It's made me more aware. Being in the midfield you've got to be a bit quicker with your speed of thought and just knowing what you're going to do before the ball comes.

"It's definitely helped me in that regard. It's sped up my game."