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Bolt fulfils childhood dream in football debut Down Under

The fastest man in the world made his much-anticipated football debut to huge fanfare on Friday but tired quickly in a 20-minute cameo for Australia's Central Coast Mariners.

Central Coast Mariners' Usain Bolt during a pre-season practice match in Gosford
Central Coast Mariners' Usain Bolt during a pre-season practice match in Gosford Andrew Murray / AFP
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Bolt has been handed a chance to train with the A-League side for an indefinite period in a bid to prove he has what it takes to earn a professional playing contract.

His arrival has generated a massive buzz at the club's base in Gosford, near Sydney, and some 10,000 people packed the Central Coast Stadium - an unprecedented turnout for a pre-season game.

After only a handful of training sessions since arriving last week, Bolt watched from the bench as the Mariners began dismantling the Central Coast select side.

He didn't have long to wait to celebrate with his team getting on the scoresheet barely 20 seconds after kick-off, thanks to a strike by Jack Clisby from the edge of the box.

They were 5-0 up at a half-time and a massacre seemed imminent but the part-timers battled hard in the second half.

Wearing the number 95 shirt in a nod to his 100m world record time, he made his entrance after 71 minutes to huge cheers from the crowd and fireworks.

Starting on the left wing, he fluffed his first touch, making a run on the inside only for the through ball to hit him on the heel.

His best touch came 10 minutes after coming on when he controlled a bobbling ball with his right foot, rode a challenge and laid it off with his left foot.

Before the game Bolt admitted he was not match-fit and he tired quickly before a late flurry, narrowly failing to get on the end of a low cross after a sprint into the box, and then having a shot blocked.

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