South Korean attacking recruit Kim Seung-yong is set to start his first match for the Central Coast Mariners when the Club takes on Wellington Phoenix in Gosford on Friday night.
South Korean attacking recruit Kim Seung-yong is set to start his first match for the Central Coast Mariners when the Club takes on Wellington Phoenix in Gosford on Friday night.
Kim made his Mariners bow against Adelaide United last round, coming off the bench in the 57th minute as the yellow and navy lost 2-0 in the city of churches.
Having settled in well to his new Club after arriving at the Mariners from Ulsan Hyundai in early February, Kim is excited by the prospect of playing in front of his new supporters, before travelling to his homeland to face FC Seoul in the AFC Champions League next Tuesday.
“I really like everything here and the team is like a family,” Kim said through an interpreter on Wednesday. “Everyone in the team is helping me, and I have adjusted to the team really well.”
“Last week against Adelaide was difficult, so I am very eager to play with my teammates now. This Friday I really want to have a win for the home fans and show a really good game to the home fans.”
“I am happy to be going back to Korea to see my family and friends next week. But now my team is Central Coast Mariners I will be focussing on the match only against FC Seoul,” he said.
Kim said that he has enjoyed training with his teammates so far, and said that his new boss, Phil Moss, displays plenty of passion in his work.
The former Gamba Osaka and FC Seoul ace added that midfielder Anthony Caceres has impressed him in training, and described the Mariners- number 17 at player of great intelligence.
“Mr Moss has a really good program of training and he shows a lot of passion for the team,” Kim said. “I like the training right now.”
“(Anthony) Caceres, he-s a really smart player. He is training hard. (Matt) Simon was playing for Chunnam Dragons, so he is helping me, too. I think we can form a good combination on the pitch.”
Of the lifestyle on the Central Coast, Kim said: “I like the beach and it-s good for refreshing myself after a match or training.”
Meanwhile, Central Coast Mariners Head Coach Moss confirmed one of his key signing will start against Ernie Merrick-s ‘Nix.
“I can tell you Kim will start on Friday,” Moss said. “He-s looked good in training, he got his 30 minutes off the bench last week and I thought he had a great impact for us when he came on in difficult circumstances.”
“He-s convinced me that he-s ready to go from the start, and he-s fitted in very well on and off the field here — his quality is there for all to see.”
“You can see him stepping up his personal preparations a notch each day as the game gets closer, so I am really looking forward to seeing him in action from the start and I think Mariners fans will like what they see,” he said.
Central Coast Mariners FC vs. Wellington Phoenix FC – Hyundai A-League 2013/14 round 20
Friday 21 February 2014
Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Kick-off: 7:30pm
Tickets: Please CLICK HERE to purchase tickets to the match
Twitter: Join the match conversation on Twitter! The official match hashtag is #CCMvWEL
Television: Live on Fox Sports 1 & 1HD, Live on SBS TWO
Radio: Listen on ABC Grandstand or Coast FM
