Faty to miss Mariners' Roar clash
Dec 16, 2016 - 4:22 AM Jacques Faty will make his return from injury for Central Coast's youth team instead of facing Brisbane Roar in Sunday's home A-League clash.The 32-year-old defender hasn't played for the Mariners in over a month because of a knee issue and will be eased back into action, starting with Saturday's National Youth League match against the FFA Centre of Excellence.
With a busy schedule coming up, including matches against Melbourne Victory (away) and Melbourne City (home) within the space of three days, coach Paul Okon has opted to err on the side of caution.
"The Roar's a very fit team, you can't have people who are lacking match fitness out there," Okon told AAP.
"We've got to get him back up to speed. We don't play again until after Christmas, and we want to give him a game because there's no NYL game in between."
Skipper Nick Montgomery (hamstring), however, has been cleared to face the Roar, while midfielder Mickael Tavares (ankle) could be ready to take on Melbourne Victory on December 28.
Tavares is currently in Europe seeking treatment from a specialist in a bid to avoid surgery, which would have put him out for the long term, and is expected to be back in Gosford by the middle of next week.
"The feedback we've had is positive, and that he's improved," Okon said.
"But we'll probably really only know exactly once he's back, and how much training he can do and if he's ready to get back into first-team training."
Tavares, Montgomery and Faty are crucial to Central Coast's season as they are among the few players in the current squad with experience.
Montgomery has missed the Mariners' last two matches and his young teammates have been overrun in midfield without him, succumbing to heavy defeats against Western Sydney (4-1) and Wellington (3-0).
Central Coast conceded early goals in both of those matches and despite dominating possession, rarely looked threatening in attack - two things that will have to change against the rampant Roar, who are undefeated in their last five, and coming off a 4-0 thumping of Adelaide United.
"The only way we can do that is by showing more determination in key moments where you just need to defend," Okon said.
Source: AAP
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