FOR years he has been one of the quiet achievers of the A-League, a no-frills defender whose calmness under fire has been valued by a series of coaches.

Now deploying that calmness in the service of Sydney FC, Alex Wilkinson has been a major part of the Sky Blues’ outstanding start to the season - their record of five wins in five underpinned by a defensive parsimony in conceding only one goal in those five games.

Wilkinson will be to the fore against Perth on Sunday, as Sydney look to extend their lead at the top of the A-League ladder and pursue Melbourne Victory’s record from 2006 of seven straight wins to start the season.

All of which makes the fact he hasn’t played for the Socceroos for a year perhaps more surprising, having been trusted by Ange Postecoglou to play at the World Cup in Brazil. Wilkinson has been in national squads since but not since the game against England in May, a victim of the A-League’s lengthy off-season and possibly of the ankle injury he played through for several weeks this season.

Sydney FC defender Alex Wilkinson. Source: News Limited

“I’d love to be back in, of course - it’s something I’ve loved doing since Ange first called me up,” said Wilkinson. “To be involved in camps and in games has undoubtedly been the highlight of my career. But it’s not up to me whether I’m selected and it’s not something I’m thinking too much about.

“If I concentrate on doing well for Sydney, and playing at the best of my ability, then I know I’ll be considered for the national team and that’s all you can ask.”

Wilkinson only made his debut in 2014 aged 29, overlooked by both Pim Verbeek and Holger Osieck despite his consistent performances in both the A-League and then the K-League. It’s that consistency which appealed to Graham Arnold when the Sydney coach was looking to reinforce his side for this season - convincing Wilkinson to leave Melbourne City in the process.

“I guess I pride myself on my leadership qualities - I’m quite experienced now and I’ve been around a fair bit,” Wilkinson said. “I try hard to do a lot of talking on the pitch and help those around me. We worked pretty hard on the defensive side of our game in pre-season, and the back line has had a few changes with me, Michael Zullo and Danny Vukovic all coming in.

“I think we’ve adapted pretty well, and to be honest I’m loving life here, I feel really comfortable in this environment. I knew a lot of the players and the coaching staff so it’s been fairly smooth. What helps is the way the team is set up under Arnie.

“We take a lot of pride in the whole team defending, and the boys upfront have been doing an incredible amout of pressing. The result is teams don’t get the chance to get on the ball and hurt us. What balls do come forward tend not to be of the highest quality, so it’s been quite straightforward.”