A fractured foot brought a halt to Andrew Hoole’s promising pre-season but after completing a 10-week road to recovery, the young attacker is back and eager for his side’s trip to Perth.
Presser: Andrew Hoole completes road to recovery
Coming off the bench in the Yellow & Navy’s last two games against Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory, Hoole is confident that the Mariners can turn their fortunes around against the Glory this Sunday at nib Stadium.
In addition to Hoole’s 45 and 31 minute stints in our last two Hyundai A-League fixtures, the returning speedster earned invaluable game time in the club’s Foxtel Y-League hit out against the Newcastle Jets on Saturday.
After a gruelling session at Pluim Park, Hoole said the Yellow & Navy are ready for the long-haul trip to Western Australia.
Returning from the international break…
“We’ve re-grouped well after a week off [from the A-League],” Hoole said. “We had a great session today and really look forward to this trip to Perth. Obviously, they are at the top of the league and a completely different team to what they’ve been the last few seasons.
“Under Tony Popovic, they look very strong but it’s a match we’re really looking forward to. If we go there confident and eradicate our mistakes from our previous two games then we can do a good job.
“If there are changes to the team – whoever comes in, is ready to do a great job as we have competition for places across the board,” Hoole said.
Hoole’s road to recovery…
“For me it’s been really good to be back and playing,” Hoole said. “My seven-week injury ended up turning into 10 weeks – I can still feel it a bit but I’ve got to push through and make sure I’m ready to play, which I am, it’s been a long time out for me so it’s really good to be back out there,” Hoole said.
Back at it, ahead of this week’s trip to Perth. #CCMFC #PERvCCM pic.twitter.com/J7Kl0yZXzF
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) November 19, 2018
Owning our mistakes…
“Reflecting on our last game against Victory, there were patches where we played really well and took the game to them,” Hoole said. “Then we had some mistakes which cost us goals and if you do that against the big teams, you’re not going to get results,” Hoole said.
Thoughts on the Glory…
“You can’t focus on the opposition too much, even though they are at the top of the table,” Hoole said. “It’s one of those games where if you focus too much on them, it can be a downfall so we need to make sure we are focused on ourselves, which we’re doing and we’re looking forward to the trip.
“I scored a nice one there last year, I enjoy playing there, but it’s a team sport and as a team this is a trip we are all looking forward to,” Hoole said.
Service up front…
“We need to make sure that the service to the guys up top is there,” Hoole said. “Guys like Ross McCormack and Matt Simon have shown in the past that if you put the ball into good areas that they will be there to score. We know we need to get that front third firing but it’s only early days so I am confident we will find our feet,” Hoole said.
The beautiful game! ? Thanks to everyone who helped us raise funds and awareness for @CCNewSouthWales. ? #CCMFC #ALeague pic.twitter.com/9hdlXs8Gr2
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) November 5, 2018
Self confidence amongst the Mariners…
“We’re 100 percent confident that we can go to Perth and get a result – it’s only early days,” Hoole said. “We’ve got plenty of games left, there’s plenty of confidence amongst the boys even though the last two weeks haven’t gone to plan. We’re focused and taking things game by game,” Hoole said.
Match Details
Sunday, 25 November 2018
Hyundai A-League Round 5
Match: Perth Glory vs. Central Coast Mariners
Venue: nib Stadium, Perth
Kick-off: 7:00pm (AEDT)
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA
Hash-tag: Join the match conversation using #PERvCCM & #CCMFC
