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Robert Cornthwaite Signs Three Year Deal With Adelaide United

The Socceroo will stay at the club until the end of the 2012/13 season.

Oct 30, 2009 6:44:05 AM

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Robert Cornthwaite

Adelaide United defender Robert Cornthwaite has committed his future to The Reds after signing a new year three year deal with the club.

The contract will keep the 24 year old in Adelaide until the end of the 2012/13 season, and in the process see him become one of the longest standing servants of the club since start of the A-League back in 2005.

Despite being born in England, Cornthwaite has resided in Adelaide since a young age and is proud to declare his allegiance as a South Australian, and he could not be more pleased to have extended his tenure with The Reds.

“I’m an Adelaide boy so there’s no other team I want to play for, and I’m really happy to be staying at Adelaide United,” Cornthwaite said.

“As soon as I heard that the club wanted to re-sign me I was really happy and we went through the negotiations, which went really smoothly, so I’m very happy to be staying here.”

Capped for the Socceroos after making his senior national debut in an AFC Asian Cup 2011 Qualifier earlier this year, Cornthwaite joined United as a raw 19 year old prior to the start of the inaugural A-League season, gradually developing his game and establishing himself in the team as each season has gone by.

Now in his fifth season at the club with 69 A-League appearances to his name and two games shy of making his 100th appearance for Adelaide United in all competitions, Cornthwaite’s new three year deal will make him an eight year player at The Reds.

He is grateful for the opportunity to continue wearing the red shirt and representing South Australia’s team in the A-League, his devotion to the team no more evident than when he won United’s Best Team Man award in 2006/07.

“Obviously Viddie and the club have shown a lot of faith in me giving me a three year deal.

"I think over the five seasons that I’ve been here I have proven that I have improved each year and have been willing to learn and become a better player.

“I’m always going to make mistakes but as long as I limit those and learn from them, in three years time hopefully I’ll be a very strong leader at the club.”

Reds Captain Travis Dodd and midfielder Lucas Pantelis are the only other two players still at the club from the first season of the A-League, and with the high number of players that get turned over at every club at the end of each season, Cornthwaite is proud to become part of the Adelaide United landscape.

“It’s a bit of an honour for me to still be here as one of only three players still here from the first season, and by the time this contract expires, I would have been here for eight years so it’s a pretty big honour," the defender said.

“Not a lot of players in the A-League have stuck around at one club as long as me so I’m really proud of my achievement.

"To play at one club for your whole career would be something special and this is a club that I love and is close to my heart, so it would be an honour to stay here for as long as possible.”

His time at The Reds has seen him be part of the club’s A-League Premiers squad in 2005/06, as well as the 2006 and 2007 Pre-Season Cup winning squads.

But arguably his greatest moment came during the AFC Champions League Knockout Stage last year.

After conceding an own goal in the away leg of the Quarter Final against powerhouse Japanese club Kashima, Cornthwaite turned from villain to hero as he scored a goal in the second leg to help The Reds through to the semi finals, the goal now remembered for sparking his infamous super hero celebration.

Cornthwaite’s re-signing goes a way to sure up United’s defence for the following two seasons, with Adelaide born former Sydney FC defender Iain Fyfe also contracted until 2012.

With that illusive championship still missing from United’s trophy cabinet, Cornthwaite hopes he can help bring the prize to Adelaide in the near distant future and share in further success at the Reds in years to come.

“I’m still relatively young and inexperienced for a centre half so my best years are definitely still to come, there is still a lot of improvement I need to make in my game and with the help of Viddie (Aurelio Vidmar) and Phil (Stubbins) and the other coaching staff, I’m sure I can become a much better player than I am now,” Cornthwaite said.

“The club has had a lot of success without winning a championship so that’s something all of the players at the club are striving towards.”

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