Features
Written off after Sydney United exit, an NPL great had a point to prove
By Sacha Pisani9 September 2026
Patrick Antelmi knew people had written him off.
After years of goals, silverware, memorable moments and a place among the greats at iconic Australian club Sydney United, his departure at the conclusion of 2025 brought an emotional end to a significant chapter of his career.
But if anyone thought the move to Mounties Wanderers represented the beginning of the end, Antelmi had other ideas.
"Yeah, a lot of people did (wrote me off) and I did take that to heart a little, as I know what I can do and give," Antelmi told HIGHPRESS.
“It was extra motivation to tell everyone I'm not done. I came in to win as I'm super competitive. And secondly to do what I love, and that's scoring goals.”
The 32-year-old’s response came on the pitch.
In his first season with Mounties in the New South Wales third tier, Antelmi spearheaded a dominant campaign that ended with the League Two premiership and promotion, while rediscovering the consistency that has made him one of the most prolific forwards in NSW football.
Mounties finished 14 points clear atop the table, scoring 101 goals.
Of those 101 goals, Antelmi contributed 33 in his Golden Boot-winning season.
"I felt great throughout the whole season," he said. "My main key was to get fit and help my team as much as possible to achieve what we did.
"Credit to our strength and conditioning coach Cristian, who worked hard with us. Kept me on the pitch and [it was the] first season I didn't miss a game.
"Scoring goals is my job and the boys behind me put in some shift every week, so I had my opportunities."
"Mounties did a great job in recruiting the right players for the project and ambitions that they have," he added.
"Everyone bought into the plan and collectively we all moved in the same direction to achieve that. We created a great culture and hope it continues to do so."
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The fresh start came after a departure that Antelmi admits was difficult to process.
Sydney United had become much more than another stop in his career. Antelmi had won silverware, scored goals on some of the club's biggest stages - from NPL NSW to the 2022 Australia Cup final.
The NPL great - who an NPL championship with Sydney United and Blacktown City - built relationships he expects to carry long after his playing days are over. More than that, he had expected to finish his career there.
"It was really tough for me to leave," said Antelmi - third on Sydney United’s all-time goalscorers list. "It hurt a lot as I saw myself retiring there, but that's life and football.
"I loved everything about the club and still go support them when I can. The community, the people, but mostly the changeroom. I met incredible people and created lifelong friends.
“That club will always be a part of me. We share the same passion and love for the game. It did feel like home.”
Antelmi's football journey, however, has rarely followed a straightforward path.
Long before establishing himself in NSW football, he left Australia as a 15-year-old to pursue his professional ambitions in England, spending time in the systems of Portsmouth, Leeds United, Wolves and Wigan Athletic.
Long before establishing himself in NSW football, he left Australia as a 15-year-old to pursue his professional ambitions in England, spending time in the systems of Portsmouth, Leeds United, Wolves and Wigan Athletic.
"I pretty much had to grow up overnight on a plane," Antelmi said. "Those experiences that I had really taught me a lot in life and football.
"With so many good moments and far more bad ones, it made me resilient in anything I do and it helped me as my career and life went on."
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The experience also gave Antelmi an early understanding of what was required to survive in professional football.
"I loved the professional environment of being a footballer and seeing what it takes to get there," he said, having also spent time with Wollongong Wolves. "I came across fantastic players and people. Winning titles with Wigan and did what I always do, scoring goals.
“To be around first-team players you watch on TV and get to train and get a real feel of what they are like, it was all so special. It's something I'll take with me for the rest of my life.”
Another taste of the professional game came years later with Western United.
Antelmi spent three months back in a full-time environment, where the opportunity to work alongside Italian icon Alessandro Diamanti and A-League legend Besart Berisha left a lasting impression.
"I enjoyed Western a lot. It's a shame they have folded," he said. "The club were really good to me and having Berisha and Diamanti to learn from every day was eye-opening.
“Berisha for me was unreal. Watching what he did and how he prepared for games really taught me a lot and I used that and continue to do so since I've left.”
These days, Antelmi's football routine looks considerably different.
He is a painter by trade and works in the family business, juggling the demands of work with training and playing at Mounties.
On training days, his alarm goes off at 4:30am. He might not walk back through the door until 9:30 or 10 that night.
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"It's definitely not for the weak," he said.
"It takes a while to adjust, but then your body gets used to it. But of course you need to have the drive and willingness to separate both things and get on with your duty."
It is the reality facing many footballers operating below Australia's professional game, and one Antelmi admits has become more challenging as he gets older.
But that has also changed the way he looks at football.
"You have your moments and I sure do now I'm older," he said. "But I remind myself to enjoy what I have left."
