Socceroos goalkeeper Joe Gauci bounced back from one of the most harrowing results of his career on Wednesday morning AEDT, keeping a clean sheet as Port Vale beat Rotherham 1-0 in League One.
Gauci conceded seven goals as his side were demolished 7-0 by Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup over the weekend.
Australian coach Jon Brady stuck with the 25-year-old, who is on loan from Premier League side Aston Villa, and he was rewarded with a strong performance as the former Adelaide United keeper made five saves to be named Man of the Match by Sofascore.
“For him to get a clean sheet, it shows great character to bounce back,” Brady told Port Vale’s official website.
“He’s always got full belief in himself. We’ve got full belief in him.
“So overall, I’m pleased for him.”
This is an important period for Gauci, who will still have designs on making the Socceroos’ squad for the upcoming World Cup.
The goalkeeper has eight caps for Australia, but has not been picked in either of Tony Popovic’s last two squads, with Melbourne City shot-stopper Patrick Beach preferred, alongside the likes of Paul Izzo and captain Maty Ryan.
Interestingly, that 7-0 loss to Chelsea creates a parallel to Ryan, who suffered a humiliating defeat to Barcelona by the same score line in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey back in 2016 when he was on the books of Valencia.
Where Gauci was powerless to stop the likes of Joao Pedro, Estevao, Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto, Ryan was up against Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, with the latter two each bagging a hat-trick.
The Socceroos captain has spoken in the years since about the hurt of that night, bouncing back and how it helped him lift his game. Perhaps it will do the same for the 25-year-old.
Gauci has been entrusted as Port Vale’s No. 1 by Brady, starting each of the club’s last 15 league matches as they attempt to pull off an unlikely escape from relegation.
Vale sit last in League One, still 12 points away from jumping out of the drop zone, but have three games in hand on Exeter City, who sit 21st, one on Rotherham who sit 22nd and two on Northampton Town who sit 23rd.
Since taking over in January, Brady has overseen four wins in 16 matches and also engineered that run to the last eight in the FA Cup.
“In the situation they were in, I knew it would be extremely tough,” Brady told [football360.com.au](http://football360.com.au)’s Simon Hill recently.
“But there’s a future to it… what I’m good at is building structures, building teams, and we’ve got the resources to do that.
“The Chair, Carol Shanahan, has had two promotions and two relegations – she wants to steady the ship. She’s from the area, wants to invest and it’s a family club – those values align with mine. I really connected with her, and she to me.
“That’s why we both took on this project. We’re in it together.”