Central Coast Mariners midfielder Pedj Bojic was born and raised in the heart of enemy territory, but come Saturday afternoon the roles will be reversed as Sydney FC face the prospect of the Mariners on their home turf.
Central Coast Mariners midfielder Pedj Bojic was born and raised in the heart of enemy territory, but come Saturday afternoon the roles will be reversed as Sydney FC face the prospect of the Mariners on their home turf.
Despite still living in the Harbour city, Bojic would love nothing more than to taste victory in front of the Central Coast faithful at Bluetongue Stadium.
“They are the glamour club, and you always want to get one over them. Coming from Sydney as well makes it interesting, and last year there were a few good battles against them, so hopefully this will be one again.
“Against Sydney you could say it-s another local rivalry in that sense, and it has been good to get off to a good start.
“(We have) four points (from the first two matches), we haven-t lost yet, and hopefully we can capitalise on that and get a win at home again,” Bojic said.
Used in a defensive role in his first season at the club, Bojic has this season been pushed forward into the midfield by Lawrie McKinna, a spot where the former Sutherland Sharks and Northampton Town man feels right at home.
“So far, so good. Hopefully I-m doing the right thing by the gaffer and by the rest of the team, and hopefully I can keep putting in some good, solid performances and keep my spot there,” said Bojic.
At the Sharks, Bojic played alongside Brendan Gan in the club-s 2008 premiership winning season before the pair both moved to the Hyundai A-League, where they-ll line up on opposing sides this weekend.
Bojic plans to put friendships to one side for 90 minutes at least.
“(I played with him) at Sutherland, he-s a good young player and is doing well there. It will be interesting to come up against him again. I-ll give him a few little hits here and there, just to say hi!” joked Bojic.
Fans of both clubs would remember some epic clashes involving the two sides, including the first ever Hyundai A-League Grand Final and a match considered arguably the greatest in the competition-s history, where the lead swapped four times at Bluetongue stadium before Sydney eventually ran out 5-4 winners in December 2007.
Another memorable meeting between the two came last season at the Sydney Football Stadium, when Matt Simon scored twice and Nik Mrdja got the Mariners third, to complete a remarkable recovery from 3-nil down to secure a point.
The Mariners weren-t the only ones to complete a remarkable recovery that day, Bojic and Sydney defender Beau Busch fought on to complete the match, following a sickening head-clash.
“The game was getting a bit boring, so we thought we-d spice it up and have a bit of a head clash!” laughed Bojic.
“It happens, and luckily enough we both got back up and played on, so it was all good.”
And the Central Coast heads into the contest having conceded just one goal in its opening two Hyundai A-League 2009/10 matches, with confidence high a new defensive revolution is in full swing.
“The fact that we-ve only conceded one (goal), and we-re scoring more is a positive thing. Hopefully we can keep a clean sheet and get our first win on the board at home,” Bojic said.
The Mariners next home match of the Hyundai A-League 2009/10 season against local rival Sydney FC is this Saturday, 22 August. Kick-off is at 3pm. Tickets are available online here or by phoning 132 849.
Mariners Memberships for the Hyundai A-League 2009/10 season are now available online by clicking here or by phoning 1300 767 442.
