The Central Coast Mariners can today confirm that Roy O’Donovan and Paul Izzo have accepted opportunities to play elsewhere within the Hyundai A-League next season.
Izzo, who has 48 Hyundai A-League appearances to his name (42 with the Mariners) and O’Donovan who has appeared 45 times in Yellow & Navy will depart the Central Coast upon the expiration of their contracts which run until May 31, 2017.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper arrived at the Central Coast Mariners from Adelaide United in July 2015 on a two-year-contract. O’Donovan also signed with the Mariners in the lead up to the Hyundai A-League 2015/16 season.
O’Donovan looked back on his time at the Mariners with fond memories.
“This wasn’t the situation that I set out to achieve at the start of the season but this is the industry of professional sport,” O’Donovan said. “I’ve got a young family and this is an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.
“I can’t thank everyone involved with the Mariners enough, I do not have a bad word to say about the Central Coast Mariners. The people here that I’ve been lucky enough to encounter from the club to the supporters have been nothing short of extraordinary, I’ve loved my time here. It’s a shame we couldn’t have experienced more success but I wish the club every success moving forward and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
Izzo thanked the Mariners for his past two seasons at the club.
“It’s very tough for me to leave the Mariners,” Izzo said. “This season we’ve seen how good things can get at this club and how good they can be so it was a hard decision [to leave].
“Matt Nash [Mariners Goalkeeping Coach] has done so much for me, he never gave up on me and has put so much time and hard work into me. “I want to say a huge thanks to the Central Coast Mariners who took a big gamble on me, it took time for me to put in a strong season. They were very patient and showed a lot of faith in me,” Izzo said.
Head Coach Paul Okon wished O’Donovan & Izzo all the best.
“Having already worked with Paul at Young Socceroo level I knew what he was capable of,” Okon said. “Last season was a tough year but credit to Paul he responded in the right way, working hard in pre-season and got his reward.
“Roy has been an important player for us this season and although it’s disappointing to see him join our closest rival, it will certainly add fire to the #F3Derby next season. The hard work has already commenced and we are confident that with smart recruitment in the coming months the Central Coast Mariners can attract the right players to become a better football club and increase the opportunity to play finals football next season,” Okon said.
