Jake McGing has cemented his future on the Central Coast with a two-year contract extension, and the young right-back is thrilled that his hard work has secured his spot on the Central Coast squad until at least the end of the 2019/2020 season.
“I’m very pleased,” McGing said. “You work hard as a player, and it’s great to be recognised by signing a new deal.
“I’m loving it up here, I live right near the water so it’s a great place to live,” McGing said.
McGing has been with the Mariners since 2014, playing for the youth team before transitioning to the senior team in October 2015, and he is grateful for the club’s positive energy, and the opportunities they have provided him.
“My time at the Mariners so far has been great,” McGing said. “It’s been good to see all the young boys coming through. Not many people my age get as many chances as we have and I’m glad – it’s a great club to be at.
“The change room is great, the boys that have come in have been phenomenal around the changeroom, we have good laughs together and there’s plenty of team chemistry,” McGing said.
McGing began his football career as a midfielder, and has worked hard to transition to the defensive position that Mariners’ fans now recognise him as. This season, he’s excelled as a right-back, staying strong in defence and offering attacking opportunities along the right wing. McGing credits his improvement to the mentorship of Alan Baró, and a healthy competition for the position with Kiwi international Storm Roux.
“I started playing at right-back this year, and it’s good that the fans have shown their support,” McGing said. “Alan particularly on the right-hand side, he’s been looking after me, showing me what to do around the field. It’s great to have someone like that standing next to you.
“[Roux and I] both push each other every day at training and it’s been great to have that kind of competition.
“We’ve been working hard, it’s great to have competition, and we just take each week as it comes,” McGing said.
Jake McGing will remain in Yellow & Navy until 2020. Congrats, Jake! ✍️
Hear from Jake ?️ https://t.co/t154LQQSZj #CCMFC #ALeague pic.twitter.com/JhoTJjkb2K
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) January 30, 2018
Despite a disappointing result against Brisbane, McGing praised the attacking efforts of Blake Powell who scored an impressive goal on Saturday night.
“It was a good goal,” McGing said. “He took it very well, and it was good for him to get his confidence up with another goal. And it was his weak foot too! He did very well to get that one,” McGing said.
Two soft goals to Brisbane decided the final result, and the Mariners will be focusing on tightening up in time for a battle against Western Sydney this Sunday at home.
“It was a tough one. A couple of mistakes killed us in the end, we just have to bounce back for the Wanderers game this week,” McGing said.
“[We want to improve] the overall performance, trying to get back to where we were the week before against Sydney – the way we moved the ball around and the way we pressed them, just to get back to that kind of style,” McGing said. “Overall, we just try to improve ourselves every week, and we assess how we went on the weekend and then go from there,” McGing said.
This Sunday, the @wswanderersfc are coming to town:
✅ Families on the field
✅ Family PassBring your family for ? https://t.co/ldVPBzHMVC #ALeague #CCMvWSW pic.twitter.com/C85QIl7dol
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) January 29, 2018
With his future secured, McGing can focus purely on football, and he wants to ensure the Mariners will find consistent success.
“It’s always good having security, and now I’m going to keep putting my head down and continue the hard work,” McGing said. “I just want to keep playing football, and for the team to do well, and that is a main priority for the club as a whole.
“I just want to keep playing well and contribute to a successful couple of seasons. I owe a lot to Paul Okon and I really want to repay the faith that he’s shown in me.
“It’s been great playing under Paul Okon, I’m learning every day and every training session, he was a defender when he played so it’s always good to take things from him,” McGing said.
Match Details
Sunday, 4 February 2018
Hyundai A-League Round 19
Match: Central Coast Mariners vs. Western Sydney Wanderers
Venue: Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Kick-off: 5:00pm (AEDT)
Tickets: CLICK HERE
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA 501
Hash-tag: Join the match conversation using #CCMvWSW & #CCMFC
