Alen Stajcic believes that the Central Coast Mariners can overturn the odds to qualify and play in the AFC Champions League next season.
The Mariners have begun the season brightly with victories over Newcastle Jets and Macarthur FC, putting in a particularly gritty display against the latter. The latest result takes their unbeaten run up to five games in the league extending from last season, prior to which they had a miserable 11 consecutive defeats.
Yet the former Matildas boss remains positive but pragmatic with regard to the club’s ambition for the season.
“I said at the beginning we want to make the Asian Champions League and that objective stands,” Stajcic told the press.
“It’s a tremendous effort but it’s two games down and 24 to go.”
Macarthur are a new club playing their first season in the A-League, but are generally seen as a strong side as they have significant experience in their ranks in the form of players like Markel Susaeta, Benat Etxebarria, Adam Federici and skipper Mark Milligan. All four players contributed towards a strong 1-0 showing against Western Sydney Wanderers in their first ever game in the league.
Yet the men from Gosford managed to overcome their opponents away from home to secure three points through goals from Daniel De Silva and Jordan Smylie.
The Mariners’ gaffer added: “There’s so much hard work that’s gone on for such a small cub with limited resources. To be able to come up against a heavyweight like the Bulls, even though they’re new.
“And for us to be able to fight and scrap and show the resilience we did and the heart and spirit just shows what a football group can do to overcome the odds.”
“My assistant coach and I were having a bit of a joke on the bus down counting how many matches [Markel] Susaeta has played in La Liga and the Champions League and between him and Benat [Etxebarria] it was 1000 top flight matches in Europe.
“Just to think that [there is] that much value and experience on the pitch is incredible.”
Central Coast are currently at the top of the table after winning both their games so far in the A-League, and will clash with Western Sydney Wanderers in Parramatta on January 19.
