As the Mariners head into the second half of the 2019/20 Hyundai A-League season, Kye Rowles emphasised the importance of grabbing all three points in Sunday’s home clash with the Western Sydney Wanderers.
“This is massive. It’s starting to get to the pointy end of the year now, into the second half.” Rowles said.
“We need to get as many three points as we can on the board, and try to give the top 6 a crack, and especially to get momentum going into the derby, so it’s massive.”
The 20-man squad is in for Sunday's home meeting with the Wanderers. #CCMFC #CCMvWSW
Read ?? https://t.co/lV4AruSRo3 pic.twitter.com/UP1kbx0eFG— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) January 30, 2020
The Yellow and Navy haven’t squared up with the Wanderers since the very first round of the season, when the Central Coast took the fight to Bankwest Stadium and were unlucky to walk away without points.
A late VAR penalty secured a 2-1 win for Western Sydney, despite the Mariners dominating the majority of the match.
Rowles and the rest of the squad are hoping to recapture the energy from that game for this weekend, but this time, to take all three points in front of a home crowd.
“If we can replicate that performance from earlier this season, and be tighter defensively, that will be a big bonus in the game.” Rowles said.
“Just hopefully we play like that, like round one, and hopefully the bounce of the ball on the day is for us.”
“It feels like there is a bit more resilience in the team this year, and there is a lot more fight and heart. The boys are just giving it everything, every week, and I think it’s showing.” He said.
Rowles resilience is visibly on display: the young defender is sporting stitches in his forehead after a collision at last week’s game. Despite that, he’s focussed on the task ahead, and has a clear game plan in mind.
“[We need] to be a bit more creative in the front third, and definitely need to lock up and not give away as many chances in the back third.”
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