On arrival in Canberra, Central Coast Mariners’ skipper Nick Montgomery said that his side are taking the season just one game at a time.
After the club’s first win under Head Coach Paul Okon, Montgomery credited the team’s spirit since ‘Paolo’s’ arrival which has only lifted thanks to the three points taken from Adelaide United.
“We’ve always had great team spirit here and after the win in Adelaide it gives us that lift and belief that we can go anywhere in the A-League and be competitive,” Montgomery said.
“Wellington are a good side so this game has all of the ingredients to be a good game and we definitely won’t be taking them lightly.
“Wellington have plenty of danger men and this team will be fighting to prove to Ernie that they can retain their spot when their players from international duty return the following week. We will be concentrating on our game and on ourselves so if we do things the right way we will be full of confidence,” Montgomery said.
As the team arrived in the nation’s capital, Montgomery thanked the Canberrans for their support and was looking forward to putting on a show for them at GIO Stadium.
“We’ve got a great rapport with the Canberra public and they’ve been fantastic to us during our pre-season visits over the last few years so we hope the support can come out and we can really put on a show for the Canberra people,” Montgomery said.
Five games into the new campaign, Montgomery said the Mariners’ full focus is on the future and last season has been put behind them.
“We’re five games in and people are still talking about last season, we’ve got a new manager and new players so that’s in the past and if we play the way we know we can play we can be a match for anybody.
“Every manager and every coach has a different method and Paolo has done a fantastic job in getting the team organised and playing the way he wants to play. We keep possession and the stats have shown that but we want to put points on the board and that’s what we’re building towards,” Montgomery said.
Nick Montgomery also praised young midfielder Adam Berry on his start to Hyundai A-League season 12.
“Bezza is a great lad and a fantastic pro, he served his apprenticeship at Leeds United so we’ve got similarities there and when he scored at Western Sydney I almost went through the window because I was so delighted for him,” Montgomery said.
“This club is renowned for bringing young players through and I don’t think that will ever stop,” Montgomery said.
Match details
Saturday 12 November 2016
Matches:
Canberra United vs. Melbourne City (Westfield W-League)
Central Coast Mariners vs. Wellington Phoenix (Hyundai A-League)
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
Kick-offs: 3:00pm & 5:35pm (local time)
Tickets: CLICK HERE
Official hash-tags: #CCMvWEL & #CCMFC
TV Broadcast: Fox Sports 505
Radio Broadcast: 96.3 Coast FM
