When you’re in the infancy of what’s expected to be a long football career, having a Socceroos great in your corner certainly helps.

That’s the luxury currently being afforded to Newcastle Jets teen sensation Will Dobson.

Now in his second A-League Men’s (ALM) season with his hometown club, the 18-year-old is relishing life on and off the paddock under the watchful eye of coach Mark Milligan, an Australian icon who represented the “green and gold” on more than 80 occasions.

“Obviously, I’m new to all of this,” Dobson said.

“But, Millsy’s (Milligan) arrival has been huge.

“He’s put a lot of confidence in me as a young player.

“Clearly, he boasts a ton of experience in and around professional football, so it’s been really good to learn off him.

“Plus, when a coach puts their faith in you like that, it allows you to go out and be yourself.

“It’s probably the same for the other guys in the squad.

“It means the world to all of us that Millsy trusts us.”

Dobson, who recently signed a contract extension until the end of 2027/28, scored his maiden ALM goal in the Jets’ stunning 2-1 victory over Auckland FC in atrocious conditions less than a week ago.

The win ended a three-match losing streak and lifted the Hunter outfit to within two points of the top six.

“It’s the moment you look forward to when you first get into this environment,” he told the Newcastle Weekly.

“Going away to Auckland, it’s not an easy place… and there was a great atmosphere from their fans.

“So, I’m happy to have scored my first goal.

“Sure, it would’ve been great to do it at McDonald Jones Stadium.

“But, three points is three points.

“That’s the main goal every week.

“However, I want to keep scoring now and help the team get results.

“There’s a positive vibe in the camp.

“We knew in the lead-up that we wanted to go there, bring home three points and build momentum for the rest of the season.

“Obviously, a few results haven’t gone our way over the past month.

“But, before the game, we focused on our accountability, taking responsibility for our actions and holding each other to account.

“I think that showed, especially late when the weather made things more difficult.”

Dobson, who played a critical role in Newcastle’s Australia Cup winning campaign, is keen to see a repeat performance against Melbourne City at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday 6 December.

“They’re a good side,” he said.

“However, I don’t think anything really changes for us.

“We’ll just try and play our football.

“We believe if we do that, we’ll get the result.

“We’ve also enjoyed a good week at training.

“So, we’re going into this match very confident.

“It’s hugely important for the boys to win, especially at home.

“We’d love to create a fortress at McDonald Jones Stadium.

“While we dropped two games earlier in the season, I think we’ve built a good base since then.

“And, we’re ready to start building on what we did at the weekend.”

As for his burgeoning partnership with Lachlan Rose?

“Rosie and I are quite close,” Dobson said.

“We’ve built a good connection on the pitch.

“I look for him, he looks for me.

“Hopefully, it delivers more success for the Jets.”

The clash kicks off at 5pm.

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