While most of the Coventry City players were taking time out from football over the summer break, striker John Aloisi was playing in one of the biggest games of his career.

The 23-year-old was selected to play for his native Australia in a match against a world select to mark the opening of the new Olympic Stadium in Sydney.

The game was watched by 88,000, the largest crowd Aloisi has ever played in front of, but the player who joined City from Portsmouth last season enjoyed the occasion.

He said:

"There was a good atmosphere in the ground and we won the match 3-2 which was good because the opposition had Christian Vieri, Jurgen Klinsmann and other players of that calibre.

"The only disappointment for me was that I didn’t score, but it was a good game anyway."

The striker – who has just been given a huge boost after boss Gordon Strachan handed him squad number 9 - now aims to tie down a regular first team place at City, but he is under no illusions as to what he must do to achieve that.

"To get a regular place I have to score goals - that’s my aim and that’s why I am a forward, I am there to score goals.

"My season was a bit interrupted last season by the sending off against Charlton but I scored a few goals and hopefully I can show the fans a bit more this season."

Aloisi also believes that the fixtures computer may have presented the Sky Blues with an ideal opportunity to get the 1999/00 campaign off to a flying start.

He said:

"I heard that Coventry really haven’t had easy starts through the years but this one looks a bit better with Southampton at home, we have to win that first and then see how the others go.

"I think we have got a good enough squad to finish in the middle of the table and if we get off to a good start that will make things a lot easier."