A-League turnaround no excuse: Mariners
Nov 23, 2016 - 3:14 AM Central Coast coach Paul Okon insists his team won't be using their four-day turnaround as an excuse in Thursday's A-League encounter with Perth.Okon on Wednesday hinted at possible changes to his starting line-up to counter the extra two days' preparation the Glory had enjoyed for the fixture in Gosford.
"Maybe there is a little bit of fatigue but it's part and parcel of it," Okon said.
"We'll maybe look to freshen things up where we can and make sure our energy levels are high because Perth have had a couple of days extra to prepare for this.
"We won't be using that as an excuse. I'm sure the boys will be up for the game."
The Mariners have already been forced into one change following the automatic one-match ban for defender Liam Rose's red card in Sunday's derby draw with Newcastle.
Harry Ascroft is expected to line up in central defence, while Scott Galloway returns from injury and rookie Reece Papadimitrios is added to the bench.
The Mariners are second last on the table with just one win, but Okon is hopeful of using back-to-back home games at Central Coast Stadium to kickstart his team's lagging campaign.
They first need to break a drought of seven straight defeats in Gosford.
"It's a really important game for us, most of all because we're back home and we want to win our home games," Okon said.
"We have back-to-back home games - we have the Wanderers in 10 days' time. It's important these two games we try and get as many points as we can."
Perth are likely to keep the same match-day squad who consolidated fourth spot with a strong 3-1 win over defending champions Adelaide that included a brace from Andy Keogh.
"They would have anything up to $2 million worth of talent in their front third. We're aware of that. They had a good win at home, and they're a good side," Okon said.
"They're physical; they know how to win football games. It's a tough game, but there's no easy games in the A-League, especially after a four-day turnaround."
STATS THAT MATTER:
* There have been 18 goals scored in the past four games between these two teams, including six in their most-recent encounter, with only one clean sheet in that span
* Central Coast have attempted more than 200 additional passes within their own half than any other team this season, including a 90 per cent passing accuracy second only to Melbourne City
* Central Coast are yet to concede a goal from outside the 18-yard box this season, though they've conceded a joint league-high 13 goals from within it
Source: AAP
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