That’s what head coach Ufuk Talay thinks as he addressed the media from the Nix’s training ground ahead of the fixture on Sunday.
Central Coast have only got 13 points from 19 games but they can still hurt anyone on their day, insisted Talay: “Central Coast are still a decent side, there’s no easy team in this competition. Central Coast are unpredictable and they have players that can hurt you.”
Unpredictable
The Mariners will be playing in front of their own fans, and despite being the worst attackers and defenders in the competition, Ufuk Talay refuses to let that go to his player’s heads.
He added: “At the end of the day its another opposition, they’ll set up at home they’ve got nothing to lose.”
Wellington Phoenix forward David Ball has just been named the Player of the Month for February, but despite an attacker winning the crown the Nix haven’t been the most prolific outfit in the league.
No Goals No Problem
Their last two games have yielded just three goals and a host of missed chances, but despite that slight issue the head coach isn’t too concerned.“The game plan is to get three points, whether we do that with one goal or three goals or five goals is irrelevant at this stage,” he said.
“I think we create enough chances to win games, in most games. But that’s how it goes sometimes and the opposition set up in a certain way to stop us and nullify us from scoring goals.”
The Phoenix are certainly in with a shout of being one of the surprise acts of the A-League so far, and they should be beating the Mariners without too much concern. A healthy win on Sunday will enhance their top four credentials and send another warning that they are not to be underestimated.