Sydney FC goalkeeper Clint Bolton has backed Mark Bosnich to make a successful return to professional football, but has warned of potholes on the comeback trail.
Central Coast Mariners will give Bosnich a start against Sydney in Sunday's A-League Pre-Season Cup clash at Bluetongue Stadium, ending a six-year exile from the game following a well-publicised drug battle.
While welcoming one of Australian football's most colourful characters back to the goalkeeping brethren, Bolton had words of caution for the 36-year-old ex-Socceroos shot-stopper.
"He's not getting any younger and it's always harder to get yourself going again once you've hit your 30s, mid-30s," Bolton warned.
But the Sydney custodian conceded: "Mark's been a good 'keeper in the past and I'm sure those instincts are still there."
"Obviously it's just a matter of getting on the pitch and getting a bit of game time which it looks like he might get at the Central Coast."
"If he goes well, good on him."
"I'm sure he can make it back if he gets a few games under his belt. He was good enough before."
Sydney FC's pre-season campaign began with a rusty 2-1 win over Queensland at Campbelltown Stadium.
While happy with the result, Bolton admitted there was plenty of room for improvement against the Mariners.
"It was a good start because of the result," Bolton pointed out.
"It's good to get into a winning mentality early on but certainly there's a lot of improvement to be had on the park and in the way we're playing, so we'll look to improve against Central Coast."
Asked how much importance Sydney was placing on the pre-season tournament, Bolton said: "There's not a big emphasis on winning but it's a good lead-in to the season because it's such a short season you have to start strong and this is a link to that."
"If we can start winning now and take it into the new season, that's a good thing."