The Central Coast Mariners have come a long way since they were linked to Usain Bolt and became famous quickly five years ago. On Saturday, the “David vs. Goliath” A-League final will be the culmination of all their hard work.
In Sydney, the last game of the season, the youngest team in the Australian league plays a strong team called Melbourne City. Melbourne City is the sister team of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
It’s a long way from 2018, when the struggling Mariners, who are based north of Sydney, gave retiring sprinting superstar Usain Bolt a “indefinite” tryout to get more attention.
His appearance was seen as a gimmick, and the then-32-year-old man left without becoming a professional football player because he couldn’t agree on terms.
The Mariners went on to get their fourth wooden spoon in five years. Graham Arnold, who is now the coach of the Socceroos, was one of the first people to lead the Mariners.
But under Leeds-born coach Nick Montgomery, they have used young ability to pull themselves out of a rut and into the A-League final for the first time in ten years.
“We can’t wait to get out there, and no matter what happens, we’ll give it our best shot,” said Montgomery, who joined the club as a player after his long career at Sheffield United finished in 2012.
He then became a young coach, and in 2021, he became the head coach of the Mariners.
“We know we can beat anyone, so we’ll go into the game against a very good Melbourne City team full of confidence and try to win.
“It will be a little bit like David fighting Goliath, but we’re looking forward to it,” he said.
They will have to work hard to beat City, who easily won the regular season and are in their fourth straight final. The year before, Western United beat them.
This season, City has played two games against the Mariners. The first was a close 1-0 win at home, and the second was a 1-1 draw away last month.
Their success has been built again on the goals scored by Socceroo Jamie Maclaren, who has scored 24 goals.
But they have also relied a lot on young players, like left-back Jordan Bos, who is going to play in Europe, and forward Marco Tilio.
Scott Jamieson, who has been the captain of City for a long time, will retire after the game and would love to go out on a winning note.
“I’m not fooling myself into thinking that just because it’s my last game, it gives us an edge or an advantage,” he said.
“It would be a dream if it ended the way I want it to, but Saturday night stays the same.”
mp/pst
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