CENTRAL Coast Mariners head west over the Nullarbor to challenge Perth Glory in Hyundai A-League round 21 this Saturday
CENTRAL Coast Mariners head west over the Nullarbor to challenge Perth Glory in Hyundai A-League round 21 this Saturday.
The match at Perth-s nib Stadium pits the table-topping Mariners against the table-propping Glory, however despite the points differential currently separating the two teams on the competition ladder, Graham Arnold-s team won-t be taking Alistair Edwards- men lightly.
Indeed, while the Mariners hold a dominant all-time record over the purple-whites, Glory did win the last contest played between the two sides in the West Australian capital 1-0.
And, with the likes of Shane Smeltz, Michael Thwaite and Ryo Nagai on their roster, the Mariners must take a professional attitude to WA to ensure they consolidate their place atop the Hyundai A-League table.
Glory experienced change mid-week with former Mariners assistant Ian Ferguson being removed from the top job. Qantas Joeys coach Edwards has signed on as caretaker until the end of the current campaign.
Here are a few interesting facts to get you in the mood for Saturday-s match:
• Saturday-s match will be the 25th head-to-head clash between Mariners and Glory. In 24 previous matches, the Mariners have won 15 games, the points have been shared on six occasions, while Perth have claimed maximum points just three times.
• All of Glory-s wins against the Mariners have come at nib Stadium. That said, the Mariners still hold the upper hand in the west, with four wins and four draws from 11 matches.
• The Mariners possess a number of former Glory boys on their books. Daniel McBreen, Mile Sterjovski, Trent Sainsbury, Brent Griffiths and Adriano Pellegrino have all played for the purple-whites. Meanwhile, Perth custodian Danny Vukovic is a member of the Mariners- 100 club, while Dean Heffernan was a foundation Central Coast Mariner.
• Daniel McBreen leads the competition in goals scored this season with 15. Glory-s top marksman at the moment is Shane Smeltz with five.
• Should Perth Glory fail to find the back of the net against the Mariners they will equal an unwanted club record of five games without scoring.
• Central Coast Mariners have not lost this season when they have scored first in a match.
• Perth Glory have lost nine of 11 matches this season when they have conceded the first goal of the match.
• Mariners custodian Mat Ryan and Wanderers goalkeeper Ante Covic have kept the most clean sheets this season (9).
Perth Glory vs. Central Coast Mariners – Hyundai A-League Round 21
Saturday 16 February, 2013
nib Stadium, Perth
Kick-off: 6:45pm (local), 9:45pm AEST
Twitter: Join the match conversation on Twitter! The official match hash-tag is #PGvCCM
Television: LIVE on Fox Sports 1 & 1HD
Radio: LIVE on Coast FM (96.3FM locally or streamed online at www.coastfm.org.au). LIVE on selected ABC frequencies and online.
