Central Coast Mariners are back on their travels as they make the trip to Perth Glory for a Friday night fixture in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
The Mariners have lost just one of their last seven matches, coming into this game after back-to-back 2-2 draws against Western United and Newcastle Jets last week.
Perth sit 12th on the ladder with only two wins to their name this season, but a trip out West is not easy for anybody, as proven last month as league leaders Auckland fell to a 1-0 defeat at HBF Park.
⏮ Previously vs Perth
Our last visit to Perth saw us defeated 2-0 in the early stages of the 23/24 season. The most recent meeting between the two teams was a 0-0 draw in Round Three, with the Mariners just unable to add the finishing touch after dominating possession at Our Paradise.
The Mariners do have the better of the overall head-to-head record with 25 wins to Perth’s 19, but HBF Park has proved a difficult place to go with just seven wins there for the Mariners, whilst the home side have won 12 times.
A fond memory for the Mariners in Perth is our first ever A-League match which ended with a 1-0 win, thanks to this wonder goal from our first club captain, Noel Spencer.
☝️ The first goal in Mariners A-League history
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) February 7, 2025
🤔 The 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 goal in Mariners history?
Almost 20 years since Noel Spencer hit this 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐓 against Perth in Round One of the inaugural @aleaguemen season 🚀#CCMFC #RideTheWave🌊 pic.twitter.com/qbWc9QkiIS
🔎 Perth Glory
It has been a baptism of fire for David Zrillic after leaving Sydney FC to take his first Professional Head Coach role, but he will be expecting an improved second half of the season after refreshing his squad in January.
After parting ways with international signings Luis Canga and Cristian Caicedo, Glory acted early in the window to bring in experienced Japanese defensive duo Yuto Misao and Takuya Okamoto.
Perth’s next addition was former Mariners Academy graduate Lachie Wales, who chose Western Australia as his next destination after returning from a stint in South Korea. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle.
Zrillic then tapped in to his Sydney FC connections to bring in striker Patrick Wood on loan to partner their talisman Adam Taggart up front.
Most recently, Glory brought in defender Tass Mourdoukoutas who made his debut last time out against Melbourne Victory.
👀 Players to Watch
Great news for the Mariners this week saw Mark Jackson able include Miguel Di Pizio and Lucas Mauragis in his squad for Perth after their recoveries from injury.
Di Pizio is yet to kick a ball in the A-League this term after a fabulous breakthrough in our 23/24 campaign, whilst Mauragis has been missing for over a month after being one of our strongest performers in the first half of the season.
Abdul Faisal goes up against his former club in his fourth game for the Mariners. The 19-year-old winger has made a great first impression to the Mariners Family, with two lively substitute appearances before marking his first start with an F3 Derby goal last time out.
🗣 Storm Roux
Our right-back heads back to where it all started for him in the Isuzu UTE A-League on Friday. An experienced head in the dressing room, he spoke about recovering after an intense run of fixtures and what the focus is ahead of Perth.
🗣 Mark Jackson
Our Head Coach reflects on a draw which ‘felt like a defeat’ last time out, but spoke about the positives that can be taken into a tough trip to Perth.
