“It’s everyone’s dream, it’s my dream.”
That was Jason Cummings’ response when asked what it would mean to represent Australia at the FIFA Men’s World Cup, just moments after enjoying a goalscoring Socceroos debut in September.
Now, the dream has become reality for the Scotland-born striker who has became a cult figure with Central Coast Mariners in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
The eccentric frontman had captured people’s attention as soon as he touched down in Australia in January, and he had laid out his mission – to wear the Green and Gold.
“That would be a dream come true if I could get a call-up and play for the Socceroos. Similar to my old mate Martin Boyle, who I played with at Hibs and done a similar route to me,” Cummings had said upon his Mariners arrival.
“That’s part of the reason I came out here, so I can do well, score goals and catch the eye of the national team.“
Mariners fans and Socceroos supporters have been on the journey with Cummings, riding the wave to see if the 27-year-old could book his spot on the plane to Qatar this month.
Less than a year ago, when the former Rangers and Hibernian striker had landed Down Under, it seemed outlandish to think Cummings would be anywhere near a Socceroos call-up, let alone FIFA’s showpiece tournament in the Middle East.
Now, Cummings completed the job he set out to do amid his colourful football journey.
“My confidence right now is through the roof,” Cummings said after Central Coast’s comprehensive 3-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
“I’m proper enjoying it – on the pitch, off the pitch, living in Australia, living the dream. Everything right now is amazing. I feel like I’ve done well. We only had these four games to show Arnie, to show everyone, show Australia that we should be there, me and Garang.
“I’ve done everything that I could. I can look in the mirror and say, ‘If I’m not in the squad, I’ve tried my best’. Hopefully, fingers crossed, I’m in there because I feel like I can bring a lot to the team, I can bring goals. I’d just be buzzing about if I was in that squad, it’d be a dream come true. I’ll find out next week.”
The man behind the mask
Cummings and his journey has made him a fan favourite.
But it’s a journey not even he thought was possible.
“Coming from being a gardener when I was 16, 17, I didn’t think I was going to be a footballer in the first place. Everything after that has been a bonus,” Cummings said in January.
I used to cut the grass at Wembley, used to be beautiful, honestly. I done it for a good year or so – cut the grass, pick up the weeds. I used to get the criss-cross, the squares, whatever. I did some fencing, labouring, slabbing, you name it. It’s been a while, but I think I still got it in my locker.
“Playing against Liverpool and Newcastle and scoring a couple of goals at each, and playing in big stadiums.
“Looking back on my career, it’s been good so far. I feel like this is the next chapter for me.”
A new chapter it is.
The flamboyant striker swapped Scottish Premiership strugglers Dundee for Mariners and Gosford in the New Year.
Central Coast initially landed the maverick on an 18-month deal before tying down the A-Leagues All Star until 2024, such has been his impact on the coast.
A two-time Scotland international, Cummings entered the league as a renowned joker.
He likes impersonating Batman villain ‘The Joker’, so much so he even even has the character’s smile tattooed on his hands, while Cummings did the famous “why so serious” speech in a viral social media video in 2016.
“It’s all about having a good laugh isn’t it? This isn’t a dress rehearsal; it’s life – Paul Heffernan just taught me that one,” Cummings said previously.
“You have just got to try to enjoy life and that’s what I am doing.
“I take my football very seriously. I try to eat well and not go out and drink at the weekend, I want to do those things right. I go to the gym and all that but after the game I like to have a laugh.”
Cummings, who was overlooked by Scottish giants Celtic in his youth, enjoyed success with boyhood club Hibernian, where he won the Scottish Cup (2015-16) and Scottish Championship (2016-17).
He went on to spend a brief loan spell at Scottish powerhouse Rangers in 2018 but prior to his temporary move to Ibrox, he helped take down the Gers four years earlier.
After stints at Nottingham Forest, Peterborough United and Luton Town, Cummings went mainstream with Shrewsbury Town.
In January 2020, Cummings came off the bench and scored twice in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round.
“It was amazing, great experience. Liverpool came to Shrewbsury, didn’t start that game, but was warming up with Mo Salah and seen all the big players and thought ‘this is amazing’,” he said.
“I just wanted to get on the pitch – I knew if I got on I was gonna score. I feel like every game I play I’m gonna score to be fair.
The gaffer got us on, and we got a penalty, I thought I defo taking the pen. Got the ball, slotted that. Managed to get the second goal as well, I (nut)megged (Dejan) Lovren, sent him for a hot dog, then slotted it.
“The pitch invasion, I was wearing a crown at the end, Mo Salah’s crown. My dad was there and a few mates, so it was a great night. Loved it, personally the best game I’ve been a part of, to score two goals against Liverpool, best team in the world at the time.”
One of all-time great A-Leagues interviews
Last season, Cummings was on a hat-trick in second-half stoppage time.
Cummings had the ball on the penalty spot with the chance to give Central Coast all three points from Western United on the road.
Instead, the Mariners striker found the gloves of Western keeper Jamie Young, letting two crucial points slip in an enthralling contest which ended 2-2 in April.
Just minutes after the full-time whistle, Cummings fronted up to the Paramount+ cameras to deliver “one of the great A-League Men’s interviews,” as described by commentator Ben Homer in the aftermath.
“It was a shocker,” Cummings said when reviewing his spot-kick. “It was a terrible penalty man, I’m fuming.
“The boys (did) well today as well, we bring it back to 2-2 there and I’ve got a chance to score from the penalty spot, and I should score there. I’m gutted.
“That’s my bread and butter, that. I’m just gutted I missed.
“It should have been three points… I’m not going to sleep tonight.”
Agent Cummings: The All Star
Cummings bagged 10 goals in his first season in the Isuzu UTE A-League and his maiden campaign Down Under was capped with an All Stars appearance against non other than LaLiga powerhouse Barcelona in May.
He tested himself against some of the best Barcelona have to offer – Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Ousmane Dembele, Jordi Alba, Ansu Fati and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has since departed Camp Nou.
Cummings impressed on the big stage in Sydney, but it was his Mariners team-mate Garang Kuol who lit up Accor Stadium in front of Barca legend Xavi.
“Oh, the Garangski! Garangski, honestly, he is the wonderkid I’m telling you! I say that I’m gonna be his agent from now on. He’s got the world at his feet, he’s 17 year old, when I was 17 I was a landscape gardener, I was cutting grass for a living,” Cummings said at the time, with Kuol now preparing to join Newcastle United in January.
“This guy’s playing, ripping up Barcelona, and every time I see him in training and he comes on he’s just a brilliant, top player and a great lad as well. Very excited about his future.”
Cummings’ has been one of Kuol’s biggest fans since the two attackers teamed up in Gosford.
As the two Mariners prepared for their Socceroos bows in September, Cummings made it clear who he thought was the best player in the world.
“He is a beast man. What a player Haaland is man,” Cummings said light-heartedly during an Instagram Live via the Socceroos account when asked to pick between Haaland and Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez.
“He has come in and he has just smashed it. I think he is probably one of the best players in the world right now.
He is probably the best player in the world behind Garang Kuol. He is probably number one, Garanski.
One fan asked Cummings if Kuol was the man for the Ballon d’Or.
Cummings’ response was swift.
“Absolutely,” the fellow All Star said jokingly. “100%.”
‘It should’ve been my show, where’s my show?’
Kuol was the face of last week’s A-Leagues All Access episode.
Fans got an inside look at the Newcastle-bound Mariners sensation in the fourth episode of KEEPUPs ground-breaking docu-series, which premiered via 10 Play, KEEPUP.COM.AU, the KEEPUP app and KEEPUP on YouTube.
The A-Leagues All Access cameras were at Central Coast Stadium to watch the drama unfold as Kuol helped inspire an incredible comeback against Western United – the Mariners overturning a two-goal deficit to stun the 10-man defending Isuzu UTE A-League champions 4-2 on Saturday.
Cummings was asked if he was looking forward to that All Access episode centred on his teenage team-mate.
“It should’ve been my show, where’s my show?,” Cummings jokingly asked reporters.
“It was good. I was having a laugh with him as well. We saw him before the game and the cameras were following him about. I think he loved that a wee bit.
“It was a good game. I am looking forward to watching it myself. We were 2-0 down and we came back. Garang played his part when he came on in the second half.”
