Central Coast Mariners attacker Connor Pain says the team isn’t getting carried away with Sunday’s win over Adelaide United, after a 281-day drought between victories for the Yellow & Navy.
“The mood is good – we’re not getting carried away. We’re up to five points now, that’s five from five games and four of those on the road, so not too bad,” Pain said.
Netting the match winning goal in the 2-1 victory over the Hyundai A-League champions, Pain admitted there was a sense of relief in the camp, and praised head coach Paul Okon and the football staff.
“It’s definitely been coming. It’s not like it was the first game we played well – it’s been a culmination of plenty of hard work on the training track, adhering to everything in the structure Paolo and Ivan [Jolic, assistant coach] have set in stone for us.
“It was a great reward for the work we’ve put in so far. It’s been hard getting so close to those three points, but yet so far – so it was a relief to finally get that.”
Pain maintains the side have always been confident despite mixed results in the opening month of the competition.
“We’ve always been confident in what we’re doing, no matter what people on the outside are saying. We believe in ourselves and we’ll continue to do things that way,” said Pain.
“Winning on Sunday was a real monkey off our backs – we probably could have grabbed the three points the week before, I probably should have helped us win that one and there was a controversial handball too,” Pain lamented. “We’re getting closer every week to where we want to be, and getting the three points now gives us a bit of momentum coming into the next game.”
The Mariners’ number 11 also reitereated the importance of Saturday’s contest in honouring our Defence Services, with the Hyundai A-League’s Remembrance Round. The Mariners jersey for the match will feature a poppy on the front in support of the Poppy Appeal.
“It’s really important to remember the men and women who have served this country,” said Pain. “It’s because of them we live the life we do today.”
Pain remains cautious about getting carried away with the result though, driving home the point that putting in the performances they want to is the most important element.
“We haven’t spoken about getting ‘back-to-back’ wins, just about putting performances in the way we have been. If we can do that, I think we’ll be in a good position to get the three points again this weekend.”
The Mariners host Wellington Phoenix at Canbera’s GIO Stadium this Saturday 12 November, with the Hyundai A-League fixture kick-off scheduled for 5:35pm.
Click here to book tickets, or click here for more information on our supporter buses to the match.
