Mariners urged not to waste treble chance
Central Coast Mariners coach Mark Jackson has urged his players to make the most of a treble opportunity that “might never come around again”.
Fresh from sealing the A-League premiership on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Adelaide United in Gosford, the Mariners were scheduled to leave for Oman on Thursday night in pursuit of another piece of silverware – the AFC Cup.
Jackson’s men meet Lebanese outfit Al-Ahed in the Cup final on Monday morning (AEST).
Should they win the decider, the Mariners will then have the chance to finish their season with three trophies by successfully defending their A-League championship in this month’s finals series.
“We said to the players a while back that opportunities don’t often come around in professional football where you can win a trophy, and to be in a position where we can win the treble might never come around again, so we’re going to do everything we can to take that opportunity and leave it all out on the table,” Jackson said.
“If we fall at the next hurdle we’ll do it by trying to play our way, doing our thing, and doing it in a way we want to do it – that’s the mentality.
“It’s well-deserved the season that we’ve had.”
The Mariners’ effort to top the A-League ladder and win the Premier’s Plate is all the more remarkable considering they lost their first four games of the season.
It was a rocky start for Englishman Jackson, who took over in the off-season from title-winning mentor Nick Montgomery.
“I can’t do anything by myself,” Jackson said on reflecting on the Mariners having overcome their early woes.
“You have to have strong staff around me who are willing to work and believe in what we want to achieve, and you’ve got to have strong-willed players as well to want to take on-board the information.
“We’ve managed to come through that and finish top of the league, and we’ve still got games and trophies to play for.”
Jackson also paid credit to second-placed Wellington Phoenix and their coach Giancarlo Italiano, who has also been in his first season in charge of an A-League club.
“They’d been sitting top of the league for a long time as well, so all credit to them,” Jackson said.
“They’ve got a new manager in there as well and he’s done an extremely good job.
“Every time we’ve asked them a question, they’ve answered it, every time they’ve asked us a question, we’ve answered it, so we’ve gone toe-to-toe, so full congratulations to them for the position they’ve finished in.
“They’ve had a terrific season, and I’m sure they’ll be ready to go for finals football as well.”
