Ellie Taylor, @ellie_btaylor

Golec Praises ‘Brotherly’ Relationship with Alan Baro

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Antony Golec & Alan Baro have formed a formidable centre-back pairing this season and Antony says that Alan is like a brother to him. Their partnership will be crucial to shutting down the Brisbane Roar attack at Central Coast Stadium this Saturday night.

There were plenty of encouraging signs to take from the Mariners’ performance last week against first-placed Sydney FC, and Golec says the Mariners head into crucial back-to-back home games against Brisbane and Western Sydney, full of confidence.

“The boys are looking forward to this weekend,” Golec said. ”It will be a tough game for us, we need to win.

“We had a positive showing against Sydney FC, and although we are disappointed we didn’t get all three points, there were positives to take from that. We’re looking forward to the game, three points is on the agenda for us and hopefully we can get the job done and move forward,” Golec said.

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Despite an even score line, Saturday night’s game came achingly close to turning in the Central Coast’s favour, and the Mariners will take confidence from a strong performance against the competition leaders.

“We were disappointed, we went there for three points.” Golec said. “We had beaten them once before and we knew we could do it again. That’s not taking away that Sydney is a good side, they’re well-structured with great players, there is a reason they are at the top – so for us it was a good competition to beat them.

“We are disappointed that we didn’t get the three points, we showed a lot of positives, we definitely played the game and set them on their back foot. So, for us it is a bit disappointing but there are positives out of it, we played some good football, decent football, but for us now we’ve just got to move on and use that performance against Brisbane, work on the things we need to and hopefully we get those three points.” Golec said.

This Saturday will see Brisbane Roar travel to Central Coast Stadium, straight off the back of a 3-1 loss to Filipino club Ceres-Negros in their AFC Champions League playoff. The loss will be an extra incentive for the Roar this week, but Golec maintains that the Central Coast’s hard work and preparation will keep them ready for whatever happens.

 “I guess it was disappointing for them, bowing out to the team from the Philippines – that’s no disrespect to them, that team was a great team who played good football – but it’s disappointing for Brisbane, so they’re going to want to bounce back from that to prove a point this week, so it is going to be a tough game for us,” Golec said. “We’ll look over the game and assess it and see where we can hurt them, but that’s by no means saying that they’re going to come here and play exactly like they did that game. It’s going to be tough, but we’re prepared.”

“All season we’ve been playing well and we’ve just been a bit unlucky, but that doesn’t take away the effort that’s been put in by the boys, week in, week out. They’re constantly doing what the coaching staff is asking of them. It’s not perfect every time but we stick to what we’re good at, and we’ll do the same against Brisbane. We’ll work hard, play to our strengths. We’ll assess how they went in their Champions League qualifier last night and their previous games and we’ll take notes and take it from there.”

It’s no secret that Golec has formed a very close bond with Captain Alan Baro this season, and after Baro received his second Man of the Match accolade in a row last week, Golec didn’t miss an opportunity to praise him – and take a good-natured jab at his teammate!

“It’s frustrating. They must be blind if they’re giving it to Alan really. My back is hurting from carrying him on my shoulders all season, but it’s always good to have Alan there, just for that bit of protection I guess.” Golec laughed.

“All jokes aside he’s a great player and we’re happy to have him.

“It’s been fantastic [to play with Alan]. He’s got a lot of experience, coming from overseas and from Victory. He’s a fantastic player, I really enjoy playing with him,” Golec said. “I learn a lot from him, he’s always got my back. We’re like brothers; we say to each other that we’re like family, so it’s important for us that we’re like that.

“We have a strong partnership, a good understanding, and although there are some games where we’re disappointed, especially as defenders conceding goals, the good thing is we always speak with one another, and we’re always trying to improve our game and improve each other. He is fantastic to have there, I really enjoy it, and I’m looking forward to the ten remaining games with him,” Golec said.

Of those final ten games, the upcoming two will be crucial to the Central Coast. A home advantage could well prove the edge the Mariners need to claim victory, and Golec urged the fans to come along to Central Coast stadium and support their team.

 “I think it’s important that the fans come down. We’ve got two home games coming, we need all the fans we can get – they’re our 12th man on the field,” Golec said. “It’s very important that everyone can come down and enjoy the day with us, and hopefully we can send everyone home with three points,” Golec said.

“It’s important these two home games against Brisbane and Wanderers, for us they’re must win games,” Golec said. “We have goals and ambitions to be in the final six. There’s only ten games to go, so these next two games are very important for us. We’ve got to work hard, we’ve got to play to our strengths, we’ve got to have belief, which all the boys do, and we have to be selfless, which we all are. If we continue to do what we’re good at, with the belief of the coaching staff and one another, we can achieve that,” Golec said.

Match Details
Saturday, 27 January 2018
Hyundai A-League Round 18
Match: Central Coast Mariners vs. Brisbane Roar
Venue: Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Kick-off: 7:50pm (AEDT)
Tickets: CLICK HERE
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA 501 & One HD
Hash-tag: Join the match conversation using #CCMvBRI & #CCMFC

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