18-year-old Coastie, Trent Buhagiar scored his maiden Hyundai A-League goal last night against Melbourne Victory after coming off the bench as a second half substitute.
The goal resulted from a pin point Nick Montgomery long ball that fell to the feet of Buhagiar on the edge of the 18-yard-box giving the lightning fast attacker still plenty to do. The former International Football School Student took a touch before lobbing the head of Lawrence Thomas to feature on a Hyundai A-League scoresheet for the first time.
Speaking to Fox Sports’ Michael Zappone post game, the fan favourite said it was a sigh of relief to bag a goal.
“This is a dream come true for me, playing in the A-League,” Buhagiar said. “Now that I’ve scored my first goal it’s a huge relief and now I can focus on the rest of my football.
“It’s unfortunate for the loss, we’ve got another tough game coming up on New Year’s Eve so we need to recover and move on with it.
“Tonight we conceded some sloppy goals and we will need to tighten up against City,” Buhagiar said.
Okon credited the Umina Eagles junior and touted him as an important player for the future of the Central Coast Mariners.
“Trent’s an exciting young player, he’s got plenty of speed and he took his finish magnificently,” Okon said.
“I’m happy for the boy. It’s his first A-League goal, it would be nice for him if it won us a game or salvage a point but he’s certainly a player the club will look to in the future,” Okon said.
The Central Coast Mariners have the perfect opportunity to turn their season around on Saturday night for a New Year’s Eve Blockbuster at Central Coast Stadium.
Match Details
Hyundai A-League 2016/17 – Round 13
Saturday 31 December 2016
Central Coast Mariners vs. Melbourne City
Venue: Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Tickets: CLICK HERE
kick-off: 7:00pm (AEDT)
Official hash-tags: #CCMvMCY & #CCMFC
TV Broadcast: Fox Sports 505
Radio Broadcast: 96.3 Coast FM
