Sydney FC left short in attack

FOOTBALL: Sydney FC will be without three of their most important figures of recent years when they begin the defence of their FFA Cup title tonight.

New coach Steve Corica will take charge of the Sky Blues for the first time in an official fixture for their clash with NPL NSW outfit Rockdale City Suns.

He succeeds Graham Arnold, who has departed the club to take charge of the Socceroos.

But Corica will be without Bobo and Adrian Mierzejewski, two of the biggest reasons Arnold’s Sydney FC outfit has been so successful.

Bobo banged in 52 goals in his two seasons with Sydney and Mierzejewski took out the Johnny Warren Medal last season after scoring 15 goals and laying on nine assists. The loan signing of Daniel De Silva (pictured) from Central Coast helps fill the void they have left in the final third, but Corica has his work cut out on the recruitment front.

“We’ve lost a lot of goals between the two of them but that’s football,” he said yesterday. “They do well, they move on. It’s my job now to replace them ... but it takes time, you can’t rush into decisions.”

The Sky Blues will be one of three A-League teams in FFA Cup action tonight. Adelaide United and Central Coast play against each other.

Photo: AAP