Yorke keen to retain title after resuming training

Sydney FC captain Dwight Yorke returned to training this morning and immediately set his sights on defending the Hyundai A-League title, citing the opening match against the Central Coast Mariners on August 27 as his primary target.

Yorke admitted to feeling sluggish after a three week break following the World Cup but said his batteries had been recharged and he was keen to hit the ground running to be in top condition for the August 27 clash with the Mariners at Aussie Stadium.

Looking relaxed and refreshed, Yorke went through his paces alongside his Sydney FC team mates on a cold and drizzly afternoon at Parklea in Sydney’s outer north-west.

“It’s good to be back in Sydney,” Yorke said. “I need to work hard in the next few weeks to be ready for the start of the A-League and at the moment that is my goal. I don’t think so (play against New Zealand this weekend in the Pre Season Cup) because I’ll need a few weeks to get back to the level that I expect of myself and that I set last year.

“It was tremendous last year to win the Grand Final and we enjoyed the feeling of winning but from previous experience it is harder to defend a title than win one. You would expect that as Champions we will be in the sights of every team we play.”

The 34-year-old returned to Australian on Wednesday after a well-deserved break following the 2006 World Cup, which capped off a big year for the former Manchester United striker.

The World Cup was the icing on a cake that started with re-discovering his love for football with Sydney FC following a tough time at Blackburn and Birmingham City in the English Premier League.

Not only did he help Sydney FC win the inaugural A-League title but he also took the team to the Club World Championships in Japan and then skippered Trinidad & Tobago through the World Cup qualifiers and then onto Germany.

His season included seven return long haul flights to destinations like the Caribbean, Central America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East with Sydney FC and Trinidad and then a two month training stint with Manchester United to stay fit for the World Cup.

“I needed a break after the World Cup and the manager (Sydney FC coach Terry Butcher) gave me some time to re-charge the batteries, which I was grateful for,” Yorke said. “I had a big year, including a lot of traveling, and I needed to relax for a while. I have done that and I am ready to go for Sydney FC.”

While he was keen to defend the A-League title, Yorke refused to look further than the end of the 2006/07 season and laughed off a suggestion he would still be playing come the 2010 World Cup.

“No way, I’ll be almost 40 then (2010 World Cup),” he said. “At this stage of my career I am only looking one year at a time and this year that is with Sydney FC. One year is a long time in football so you never know what I’ll be doing (after the 2006/07 season) but for now I am looking forward to retaining the A-League title.”