Central Coast Mariners Football Manager Mark Jackson has won the April Coach of the Month award.
Jacko also claimed December, January, February and March awards as the team climbed their way up to top spot.
He now closes out the regular season with his fifth in a row, and the final Coach of the Month award for the 23/24 season.
Mark Jackson wins his 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐇 consecutive Coach of the Month award 🎖️🤯 Yes, his fifth!
— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) May 8, 2024
Details: https://t.co/TxQb13wfjX pic.twitter.com/LZrjvEZ8DQ
A perfect, Premiers April
The team achieved a perfect record in April, winning five from five as we stormed to our first Premiers Plate in 12 years.
A blockbuster month began with a huge week at home and the Mariners took six points from six as Melbourne City and Wellington Phoenix visited Our Paradise.
The Mariners left it late in both games but secured back-to-back 2-1 victories thanks to stoppage time winners from Max Balard and Mikael Doka.
A week later, the Mariners were back on the road for a trip to Western United, where Christian Theoharous’ Goal of the Season-winning strike helped us take all three points.
From Melbourne, the team jetted off to Kyrgyzstan for our AFC Cup clash with Abdysh-Ata, returning over a week later after travel delays, facing Abdysh again at Our Paradise and progressing to the Final with a 3-0 win, the rest of our AFC Cup journey, as they say, is history.
READ MORE: Alou Kuol writes Mariners history with AFC Cup Final winner
AFC success is of course separate to any voting for A-League’s Coach of the Month, although Jacko has to be credited for the management of the squad, balancing more fixtures and travel than any other A-League club this season and still coming out on top.
The Mariners returned to A-League action with an F3 Derby, defeating Newcastle 3-1 away from home, with Jacko’s substitutions coming up trumps as Harry Steele and Ryan Edmondson both came off the bench to score decisive goals.
April drew to a close and the final day of the season saw us clinch the Premiers Plate in front of our home fans. Over 7000 braved the torrential rain at Our Paradise and it was worth it as goals from Jacob Farrell and Max Balard earned us a memorable 2-0 win.
