Central Coast Mariners Head Coach Phil Moss will hand some of his squad members who did not play in the yellow and navy’s opening round Hyundai A-League win over Newcastle Jets the opportunity to impress when the Club battles Palm Beach Sharks in its Westfield FFA Cup 2014 quarter-final in Queensland on Tuesday evening.
Although Moss’s squad on the Gold Coast features eight players that saw time in Saturday’s dramatic triumph over the Jets on the banks of the Brisbane Water, several fresh men will feature against the PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland Champions at Cbus Super Stadium.
Indeed, the likes of Hungarian attacker Richi Vernes, Isaka Cernak, Nick Fitzgerald, and Anthony Caceres are set to turn out for the Mariners against the Sharks in a game that Central Coast are treating like any other.
“I’ve got a squad of 24 players who are all pushing to play first team and we’ve got a Cup quarter-final, so the team that I have in Queensland is the team that’s selected to win the game,” Moss said.
“It doesn’t really matter what the title is for the game, whether it’s [Westfield] FFA Cup or [Hyundai] A-League, it’s a game of football, there’s something to play for, and it’s a competitive game so we’re going in to win the game.”
“We’ve got our process and structures that we stick to, and it’s is all about going up there and getting the result.”
“I had 13 disappointed players on the weekend because they didn’t get in the first eleven, so it’s an opportunity for them to put their hand up and put some pressure on me to pick them for the weekend’s game [against Wellington Phoenix],” he said.
Together with his astute and thorough assistants Wayne O’Sullivan and John Crawley, Moss has dissected plenty of vision of Palm Beach Sharks since Saturday’s triumph over the Club’s primary rivals, Newcastle.
Giving Grae Piddick’s team the respect that they undoubtedly deserve, Moss and company have identified Palm Beach’s strengths and weaknesses, and devised a game plan designed to take the Mariners through to the semi-finals of the inaugural Westfield FFA Cup.
“They have got some real quality, and they’ve got some experience at the back in (Kristian) Rees and (Karl) Dodd who have played Hyundai A-League football,” he explained. “They’ve got some pace upfront as well, so we’ve done all our analysis on them and we’ll be going into the game like we do any other game.”
“They’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Obviously they’ll be the sentimental favourites for the game because everybody likes to see David beat Goliath, so we have to make sure that the mentality is strong, the attitude is right, and get the result.”
“We’re a quality side, and I don’t think we get the respect that we deserve. Again last week everyone was writing us off before round 1 to miss out on the finals, and one result doesn’t make a season but certainly if you can get off to a good start in the league and then you get through the Cup quarter-final and into the semi-final then that’s a fantastic start from the point of view of confidence, so that’s what we’re aiming for,” he concluded.
Kick-off between Palm Beach Sharks and Central Coast Mariners in the Westfield FFA Cup 2014 quarter-final from Cbus Super Stadium in Robina, Queensland is at 6:30pm local time (7:30pm AEDT) tonight.
Central Coast Mariners Squad vs. Palm Beach Sharks: Beyhan IRMARKO (Gk), Zac ANDERSON, John HUTCHINSON (C), Anthony CACERES, Nick FITZGERALD, Liam REDDY (Gk), Hayden MORTON, Matt SIM, Richi VERNES, Glen TRIFIRO, Anthony KALIK, Michael NEILL, Tom SLATER, Isaka CERNAK, Eddy BOSNAR, Josh BINGHAM
Palm Beach Sharks vs. Central Coast Mariners (#PBSvCCM) – Westfield FFA Cup 2014 Quarter-Final
Where: Cbus Super Stadium, Robina, Queensland
When: Tuesday 14 October 2014
Kick-off: 6:30pm (local), 7:30pm (AEDT)
Coverage: LIVE on FOX SPORTS
Twitter: @CCMariners #PBSvCCM
