City Insider - City v Mariners - Saturday 22 May

CITY INSIDER

MELBOURNE CITY FC vs CENTRAL COAST MARINERS SATURDAY 22 MAY, 2021 KICK-OFF 7.10PM

MELBOURNE CITY v CENTRAL COAST MARINERS

CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 22 MAY

CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE IT’S DEFINITELY BEEN A BUSY SCHEDULE OF LATE, WITH PLENTY OF GAMES PLAYED AND PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO LEARN ABOUT WHERE WE NEED TO IMPROVE BUT WE’RE GLAD TO HAVE BEEN BOOSTED BY YOUR SUPPORT IN THE STANDS SO OFTEN. We’ve put together some solid performances against difficult opposition in that time, and that run was extended with a solid recovery after half-time from the boys against Wellington last weekend.

It was a strange feeling for me to watch that one from the subs bench but I knew the team had what it takes to turn things around after half-time and that’s what we did, although obviously we would’ve much preferred to take all three points.

Congratulations have to be given to Naoki who’s been working hard behind the scenes and was deserving of that starting opportunity on Sunday, scoring his first goal for the club at an important time for the team – hopefully the first of many more over the coming weeks.

As a playing squad, our focus is now entirely on tonight’s game against the Central Coast Mariners and we’re glad to be returning to the pitch at AAMI Park in front of you all once again.

The team’s hard work on and off the pitch has brought us to where we find ourselves today with four games left to play. We’re proud to be playing good football and that our performances have brought us within touching distance of claiming an A-League Premiership for the first time in this Club’s history.

Winning silverware was a goal established by the team at the beginning of the season, and whilst there’s nothing more we’d love to achieve as a unit, we’re far from getting ahead of ourselves and know that tonight’s game will still be a matter of being the better team over 90 minutes.

The boys continue to raise their game week-in, weekout, and tonight it’ll take another huge team effort – we’re determined to make it our best one yet and hope that will extend to the noise and support from you all in the stands.

C’mon City!

Scott Jamieson Melbourne City FC captain

Together We Move

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MELBOURNE CITY v CENTRAL COAST MARINERS

CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 22 MAY

THE PLATE IS JUST A WIN AWAY GET READY, CITY FANS! TONIGHT IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO CLAIM THE MASSIVE THREE POINTS THAT WOULD ALLOW THE BOYS TO MATHEMATICALLY WRAP UP THE 2020/21 A-LEAGUE PREMIERSHIP AND LIFT THE PREMIERS PLATE ON THE PITCH POST-MATCH! It’ll be no small feat however, with a huge 90 minutes to come against the Central Coast Mariners who we played here at AAMI Park in our very first A-League fixture back in August 2010.

Last time out, the boys were able to secure the vital point that would eventually set up tonight’s opportunity, but it was certainly a rollercoaster experience overall.

We went behind initially via a penalty converted by Tomer Hemed, before Patrick Kisnorbo rung the changes at half-time and got the improvement he was looking for, with Naoki Tsubaki and Jamie Maclaren scoring to see City to a 2-1 lead.

With just minutes remaining in the

encounter, and the game almost looking like it was wrapped up, Wellington were able to capitalise on a turnover just outside their area, with David Ball whipping in a cross for Hemed to toe into the back of the net, ensuring a point for his side.

Whilst settling for a point may have been a frustrating outcome for all of us given how the game was poised with just minutes remaining, a pleasing aspect of the performance will have been the spirit shown by City’s young brigade, with our front three consisting of under-21’s and Connor Metcalfe taking the captain’s armband for the night.

Tonight’s opposition, the Central

Coast Mariners, are in the midst of their best season in years and will be desperate to fortify their grip on second place.

Their recent 1-0 victory over local rivals Newcastle Jets snapped a run of six games without a win, with Matt Simon’s 54th minute penalty proving the difference between the sides.

The record between the teams is split evenly this season, with our boys taking out the last encounter 2-0 at home but suffering a 3-2 defeat in Gosford earlier in the campaign.

DANGER PLAYER

SEASON STATS - CENTRAL COAST

A-LEAGUE PREVIEW

MATT SIMON One of the most imposing figures in the A-League, Simon has been one of the main driving forces in seeing Central Coast rise from wooden spooners last season, right up to the other end of the table in the 2020/21 campaign.

Simon has netted 10 times this season and also has given off a couple of assists while his physical presence on the pitch fills his teammates with confidence week in, week out.

He scored from the spot against City earlier this season, although he and his teammates were shutout at AAMI Park in Round 13.

LAST RESULT

2

10

LEAGUE POSITION

GAMES WON

31

27

GOALS SCORED

GOALS CONCEDED

A-LEAGUE LADDER

LAST TIME WE MET

NEWCASTLE

0

MELBOURNE CITY

2

CENTRAL COAST

1

CENTRAL COAST

0

A-League 2020/21 - Match Week 23 Saturday 15 May, 2021 McDonald Jones Stadium

VIDEO HIGLIGHTS

A-League 2019/20 - Match Week 13 Monday 22 March, 2021 AAMI Park

VIDEO HIGLIGHTS

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MELBOURNE CITY v CENTRAL COAST MARINERS

CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 22 MAY

THE CUP WILL SOON HAVE COMPANY MELBOURNE CITY FC’S 11-SEASON HISTORY IS A PROUD ONE, WITH SOME REMARKABLE PLAYERS, UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS AND NOSTALGIA-INDUCING CAMPAIGNS OVER THAT TIME. WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT OUR ONLY PIECE OF SENIOR MEN’S SILVERWARE TO DATE. The achievements of our W-League side have been particularly bright spots within the annals of City history, with our incredible Women’s teams having achieved unprecedented feats, like securing three consecutive Championships between 2015/16 and 2017/18. All this backed up by a second Premiership and fourth – a record at the time – Championship in 2019/20.

On the senior Men’s side of things, the success has still been there at several points of our 11 campaigns, but less-so with regard to the tangible outcome of trophies – and here lies one of our most memorable achievements as a Club: winning the 2016 FFA Cup. Our 2016 Cup campaign began on August 2nd, when the team travelled to Western Australia to face Floreat Athena in the Round of 32.

With a local crowd of 1,408 people in attendance, City were able to take the first-half lead through Nick Fitzgerald in the 32nd minute, but any notion of an easy win would be swiftly put to bed over the ensuing 60 minutes.

Athena came out firing after halftime, equalising in the 59th minute through Kris Gate but City’s class would shine through, Anthony

Caceres netting just six minutes later to seal the 1-2 away win for his side.

City had to travel interstate again later in the month for the Round of 16, and again faced a spirited NPL outfit in the form of Brisbane Strikers.

A crowd of 3,571 turned out to watch their local side face up against its A-League opposition, and this time it would be City who’d concede first with Greig Henslee netting in the 34th minute.

Bruno Fornaroli stepped up twice to rescue his side with two crucial penalties in the 37th and 78th minutes, the final scoreline again reading 1-2 in favour of the visitors.

Western Sydney Wanderers lay in wait as our first A-League opposition of the campaign, travelling to Melbourne for our clash in the quarter-finals.

The game will be remembered for Michael Jakobsen’s incredible bicycle kick just two minutes in, whilst Tim Cahill and Fernando Brandán also netted goals on debut. Bruno Fornaroli also scored, whilst Dimas Delgado netted one in the 73rd minute for a final scoreline of 4-1 in City’s favour.

A huge semi-final Melbourne Derby was the next obstacle between us and a maiden Cup Final appearance, 15,791 in

attendance at AAMI Park for the Victory home fixture.

In the competition’s first Melbourne Derby, Luke Brattan got the ‘visiting’ City off to a flying start, netting within nine minutes to put his side one goal ahead.

The game hung in the balance for the next hour before Fernando Brandán again popped up to score his second winning goal of the campaign, sending City through to the Final.

A crowd of 18,751 packed both levels of AAMI Park as Melbourne City and Sydney FC contested the competition’s third Final.

Memories of Tim Cahill’s 53rd minute goal will remain forever entrenched in City fans’ minds, with recollections of Ivan Franjic’s cross into the box and the Socceroos legend’s impeccable header likely still as vivid now as the morning after that special night.

Whether the City boys are able to secure an inaugural Premiers Plate tonight against the Mariners or later in the season, we’ve got no doubts that the memories of this campaign and the decisive moment will similarly live on forever.

MATCH SQUADS

HEAD COACH: PATRICK KISNORBO

A-LEAGUE

1. TOM GLOVER

2. SCOTT GALLOWAY

3. SCOTT JAMIESON

4. NUNO REIS

5. DANIEL GEORGIEVSKI

7. ROSTYN GRIFFITHS

8. AIDEN O’NEILL

9. JAMIE MACLAREN

10. FLORIN BERENGUER

11. CRAIG NOONE

13. NATHANIEL ATKINSON

14. NAOKI TSUBAKI

15. ANDREW NABBOUT

16. TARAS GOMULKA

17. STEFAN COLACOVSKI

18. CONNOR METCALFE

19. BEN GARUCCIO

20. ADRIAN LUNA

22. CURTIS GOOD

23. MARCO TILIO

33. MATT SUTTON

35. RAPHAEL BORGES RODRIGUES

36. KERRIN STOKES

38. JORDAN BOS

42. AHMED TALEB

1 12

MARK BIRIGHITTI ADAM PEARCE

3 5 15 21 23 25 27 32

JACK CLISBY STEFAN NIGRO KYE ROLES RUON TONGYIK DANIEL HALL MATTHEW HATCH LEWIS MILLER MAXIMILIEN BALARD

7 8 11 14 18 22 26

STEFAN JANKOVIC OLIVER BOZANIC DANIEL DE SILVA DANIEL BOUMAN GIANNI STENSNESS MICHAL JANOTA JOSHUA NISBET

12 19 29 30 31

MARCO URENA MATT SIMON ALOU KUOL JORDAN SMYLIE DAMIEN TESKENIS

HEAD COACH: ALEN STAJCIC

CENTRAL COAST MARINERS

MELBOURNE CITY v CENTRAL COAST MARINERS

CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 22 MAY

YOUTH MOVE TO SECOND IN NPL3 OUR NPL3 BOYS WILL BE HOPING TO SECURE THEIR SECOND-PLACE POSITION WITH A THREE-POINT PERFORMANCE WHEN WE HOST BALLARAT CITY THIS SUNDAY AT CASEY FIELDS. The boys were recently able to record a second-consecutive win in the competition when they secured a 0-1 win on the road against Geelong SC, with Lucas Byrns scoring the late winner.

Ahmad Taleb’s heroics in goal were the outstanding theme of the first half which ended 0-0, the City keeper making several incredible saves to keep his side in the game early on.

However, chances tended to come at a premium in the first period aside from this, with Geelong’s few good opportunities happening to arrive in great scoring areas, hence the need for some massive saves from Taleb.

Having struggled to make inroads

into the opposition penalty area in the first half, our boys made a much stronger start following the break with Jordan Bos and Raphael Borges Rodrigues coming close with their efforts in the 48th and 58th minutes respectively.

The crowd rose to its feet in the 70th minute when Geelong’s Trajkoski had a huge chance to put his side ahead, but the unmarked midfielder’s off-balance volley from inside the box skimmed narrowly past the outside of the post.

The game’s big moment came in the 84th minute when City were interplaying well around the boundaries of the penalty area and were eventually able to work the ball wide to Byrns, who cut

inside and buried his curling effort into the top-right corner, the match ending 0-1 to the visiting City side.

The boys will now be looking ahead to their Round 9 clash with 12thplace Ballarat City eagerly as we look to continue our solid start to the season with a third-consecutive win.

Ballarat have won just one game this campaign, beating Whittlesea Ranges 2-0 and most recently received a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Melbourne Victory.

This weekend’s opposition have netted seven times in their eight games to date with Nelson Salvatore being his side’s only multiple-goalscorer.

SEASON STATS - MELBOURNE CITY NPL

ONES TO WATCH

NPL PREVIEW

CENTRE BACKS One of the strongest areas on the pitch for our senior NPL side in the early stages of this season has been the heart of defence.

While it hasn’t been deployed every match due to A-League selection, Petr Kratky’s favored centre-back pairing of Alec Mills and Kerrin Stokes is perhaps the strongest in the competition.

At 21 and 18 respectively, Mills and Stokes have continued to show the quality that has seen them both receive chunks of A-League minutes at stages this season.

Expect another strong performance from the pair this weekend when they come up against the lowest scoring team so far this season.

LAST RESULT

2

5

LEAGUE POSITION

GAMES WON

22

10

GOALS SCORED

GOALS CONCEDED

NPL 3 LADDER

NEXT MATCH

GEELONG

0

MELBOURNE CITY

MELBOURNE CITY

0

BALLARAT

NPL 3 Victoria 2021 - Round 8 Saturday 15 May, 2021 Stead Park

VIDEO HIGLIGHTS

NPL 3 Victoria 2021 - Round 9 Sunday 23 May, 2021 KO: 6.00pm Casey Fields

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MELBOURNE CITY v CENTRAL COAST MARINERS

KID’S ZONE

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CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 22 MAY

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