It was a tough night for the previously undefeated Central Coast Mariners as a late goal to Nicolai Muller was enough to claim all three points.
The Mariners seemed to have the better of the chances with Josh Nisbet hitting the bar and Matt Simon forcing an excellent save out of Daniel Margush.
But it was the Wanderers who were able to put the ball in the back of the net thanks to a good finish from Muller after a deflected cross landed at his feet.
When asked how he felt after the game, Stajcic wasn’t happy.
“Very disappointed, I think we left a point or even three points out there tonight”.
“I think our chances were better than theirs, particularly in the first half. They controlled the game a bit better in the second half, but I think we were well worth a result tonight”.
The Mariners were unable to turn their early dominance into a lead.
“I thought we came out well, we were on top for the first 15 minutes but unfortunately we just couldn’t get ahead on the scoreboard”.
Although they conceded a goal the Mariner’s defence looks to be a lot more structured and capable compared to previous seasons. Stajcic was proud of his team.
“I think our whole team are a bunch of fighters, I think we’ve shown that in every game so far”.
“I’m really proud of everyone’s effort, the way they commit to the game and to tackles. I’m really happy with the whole group”.
“The fact we’ve only conceded one goal in three games is a testament to how hard we are working and how collected and unified the group actually is”.
In a positive for the Mariners, new visa signing Marco Urena was able to make his debut. Coming off the bench for the last few minutes of the game.
The Mariners also have Michal Janota and Stefan Jankovic who have begun training with the squad after they completed their mandatory quarantine period.
“We just have to be patient and ease them into the team at the right time” said stajcic.
The Mariners must now regroup and prepare for their game with Sydney FC on Friday.
Featured image credit: Glenn Pokorny / Central Coast Mariners
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