News
McMASTER RETURNS FOR SHOT AT GLORY
Saturday December 9th, 2006
The Central Coast Mariners have been boosted by the return of midfield playmaker Jamie McMaster for Sunday’s match up against the Perth Glory at Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium.
McMaster missed last Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Sydney FC after accumulating his fourth yellow card of the season the week previous, but, having served his automatic one-match suspension has been included in the Mariners’ extended 16-man squad for Sunday’s fixture.
The Mariners are otherwise unchanged for their third encounter against the Perth Glory this season, with Nik Mrdja and Tony Vidmar shaking off heel and calf concerns throughout the week that had threatened to keep the pair sidelined.
Following the Newcastle Jets’ 3-0 triumph over the Queensland Roar last night, the Mariners will need three points to hold on to their place in the Hyundai A-League top four and continue to apply pressure to second placed Sydney FC.
"Having Jamie back is a tremendous boost for us, as he’s been one of our most consistent players all season," said Mariners Football Manager Lawrie McKinna.
"He, along with all of our squad, realise the importance of a win on Sunday, especially in light of last night’s result in Brisbane.
"If we’re serious about keeping touch with the top two, we’ll need to produce the performance of a top two team at the weekend against a Perth Glory side that is as desperate as we are for three points."
The Mariners’ 0-0 draw with Sydney FC last week continued their impressive record at their Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium home, where they have now gone eleven Hyundai A-League matches without defeat.
The Mariners’ last Hyundai A-League defeat at their idyllic bayside home was on 13 November, 2005, when they lost 2-1 to Adelaide United.
The Mariners are three matches shy of matching the record currently set by southern rivals Sydney FC, who did not suffer a home defeat in fourteen consecutive matches between October 2005 and October 2006.
The Mariners’ impressive defensive record was also extended upon last Sunday, with McKinna’s charges recording their third consecutive clean sheet.
Never before have the Mariners achieved such a feat, with their streak of 281 minutes without conceding a goal the longest in their 54-match history.
Should the Mariners keep the Perth Glory scoreless on Sunday, they will become the first Hyundai A-League side to record four consecutive clean sheets and will also eclipse the current Hyundai A-League record of 358 minutes played without conceding a goal – set by the Mariners’ northern rivals the Newcastle Jets between November and December 2005.
Sunday’s match up will be the eighth meeting between the Mariners and the Glory in all competitions.
As it stands, the Mariners have recorded five wins from seven attempts against Perth, drawing one match and losing one.
The Mariners have scored twelve goals, five of which have been from the boot or head of Stewart Petrie, and conceded six.
"In recent weeks, the Glory have been dealt a hand similar to what we were dealt earlier in the season with injuries and suspensions forcing them to reshuffle their lineup, but I believe they’ve responded to their problems very well," said McKinna.
"They’re not out of the finals race by any stretch and Ron Smith (Perth Glory coach) has stated this week that Sunday’s match is like a Grand Final for his side and we’ll need to match their desperation to come away with the win."
CENTRAL COAST MARINERS SQUAD VERSUS PERTH GLORY
BLUETONGUE CENTRAL COAST STADIUM
SUNDAY, 10 DECEMBER 2006 – KICK OFF 5PM
2 Wayne O’Sullivan
5 Bradley Porter
6 Andre Gumprecht
7 John Hutchinson
8 Jamie McMaster
9 Nik Mrdja
10 Tom Pondeljak
11 Damien Brown
12 Stewart Petrie
13 Tony Vidmar
15 Andrew Clark
18 Alex Wilkinson
19 Adam Kwasnik
20 Danny Vukovic (gk)
23 Mile Jedinak
30 Matthew Trott (gk)
The Mariners return to their Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium home this Sunday, 10 December, when they take on fellow top four hopefuls the Perth Glory. Kick off is at 5pm
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