Milestone man Schwarzer keeping on

Australia’s Asian Cup semi-final clash with Uzbekistan on Tuesday holds a special significance for goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

It is because as well as attempting to keep the Uzbek side at bay and drive his country to a first-ever Asian Cup final, Schwarzer will equal Alex Tobin’s record of 87 caps for the Socceroos.

Schwarzer, 38, made his debut in 1993 as a substitute in a World Cup qualifier against Canada in Edmonton, coming on just 17 minutes into the match after the sending off of first-choice goalkeeper Robert Zabica.

Then 20, he made an impression during the second leg in Sydney, saving two penalties to send Australia into the final qualifying phase against Argentina.

Tobin’s own international career spanned 10 years between 1988 and 1998, including 30 caps as Socceroos captain.

The defender played the majority of his club football for Adelaide City, before short spells with Parramatta Power and Northern Spirit.

In 2008, the Australian Professional Footballers Association inaugurated the Tobin Medal, awarded to current or former players representing the values his showed throughout his distinguished career.

Fulham custodian Schwarzer will be honoured to equal the record set by Tobin, a man he played alongside during his debut in Canada.

”Whenever you accomplish any sort of milestone, it’s huge and hopefully it’ll happen, touch wood,” Schwarzer said.

‘It’ll be a fantastic honour to match him. He is a fantastic servant still to the game today. He was a great player for the Socceroos and I made my debut in the national team when he was playing, so there’s a bit of history there as well between the two of us. He’s such a gentleman and it’ll be an honour to be on the same amount of games as him.”

If Australia can overcome Uzbekistan in Doha, Schwarzer may yet break Tobin’s record in the final of the Asian Cup or in the playoff for third and fourth place.

But first they must overcome a team that Schwarzer rates as perhaps the most impressive in the competition.

”Uzbekistan is probably the most in-form team in the tournament,” he said.

”They are where they are because they deserve to be and they’ve probably played the most attractive football, they’ve scored some spectacular goals and they’ve scored goals from all over the field.”

After four years with Marconi Stallions and short stints with Dynamo Dresden, Kaiserslautern and Bradford City, Schwarzer finally won a regular place in the English Premier League with Middlesbrough, making 367 appearances for the club between 1997 and 2008.

He moved to London side Fulham at the beginning of the 2008/09 season and was linked with heavyweights Arsenal at the beginning of this campaign.