PANIONIOS midfielder Travis Dodd will complete something of a bizarre journey this evening when he plays against Newcastle United because, at the start of his career in Australia, he played for a team with the same name, writes Scott Wilson.

England's Newcastle United are one of the most famous club sides in the world, but their Australian equivalent do not have quite the same allure.

Part-timers, the Australian side do not even have a league to play in at the moment as the authorities look for a domestic set-up to replace the National Soccer League that folded in April.

The uncertainty forced Dodd, and many others like him, to move abroad in search of employment and after a brief spell in the Malaysian League, the utility player found himself plying his trade in Athens.

"What did I have to lose by going to Greece for a trial? I had to bite the bullet and give it a try," said Dodd, who scored one of the goals as Panionios knocked out Italian side Udinese in the UEFA Cup first round.

"I caught up with the team in Italy and played a friendly against Bologna.

"Obviously, the coach liked what he saw and I have been playing regularly on the wide right since.

"I had always wanted to come over to play in Europe but the break, while nothing was happening with the Australian Premier League, forced my hand."

The 24-year-old has represented Australia at both Under-17 and Under-21 level and is one of the few capped players in a Panionios squad devoid of star names.

Managed by Slovakian Karol Pecze, the Athenian side finished sixth in the Greek league last season, although things have not been going so well this term.

Panionios have won just one of their first four league games, with last weekend's 2-0 defeat to OFI Crete leaving them stranded in the bottom half of the table.

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