Coach wants goals to rain down again
MARINERS coach Paul Okon has called for more ruthlessness from his players as they attempt to break their goal drought.
Central Coast are winless and goalless in their past four games heading into tonight’s A-League match against a rejuvenated Melbourne Victory side.
While Okon insisted he was not too worried by his team’s lack of killer instinct, he said his players did need to turn it around quickly.
“It is not too concerning because we’re getting there on a number of occasions into real dangerous areas,’’ Okon said. “It is a question of having that sharpness to finish the chances.
‘‘The quicker that happens, the better for us.
“It hasn’t been a question of us not having opportunities to score. That has probably been the most disappointing thing in the last four games.
“Only we can change that. “We know we need to be more ruthless in front of goal to be better.”
The ninth-placed Mariners have three games in a week, with away matches against the in-form Newcastle Jets and Melbourne City to follow tonight’s clash at Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium.
While Okon was confident his squad could handle it, he would look to rotate players to keep everyone as fresh as possible.
“We have everyone available to select from at the moment – everyone is fit and healthy, so from that perspective we’re quite confident,” he said.
“With so many games in such a short space of time everyone’s going to get an opportunity and hopefully everyone plays their part.”
First up are the usual powerhouse Victory, who have hit form and are unbeaten in their past 13 matches against the Mariners.
“Victory is an example of many teams who have managed to put some results together, find some form and consistency and the ladder speaks for itself,” Okon said. “We know whichever team Victory put out, they can win.”