Striker Adam Le Fondre has praised Head Coach Steve Corica’s leadership qualities ahead of this week’s home clash with Central Coast Mariners.
Le Fondre is impressed with Corica’s ability to ensure some frustrating results this season have not weighed on the players’ mind.
The Englishman, who recently missed two penalties in the clash with Wellington, is quick to point out the Sky Blues boss’ resilience.
He said: “I’ve been in football long enough to know where the pressure is going to come from.
“The Wellington game for me wasn’t a great game, was it? So, you know, after that I got a barrage of abuse, but it didn’t bother me one bit,” Le Fondre said.
“At Sydney FC we expect great things and we all know how high the bar is here and if you dip below it, you are going to feel pressure.
“Steve has done a fantastic job of shielding the players away from it because it’s quite easy to throw the players under the bus. He hasn’t done that which I think shows great leadership.”
Winning the Big Blue though felt different for Le Fondre, and after being at the club for a number of years, he noticed the shift in mood.
“This win felt different, and it felt like a real win I think because of the way we performed, the way we defended as a team and of course the result,” the Englishman said.
“We’ve never really celebrated wins, it was win and move onto the next game. This time around, the relief was there and now there is a belief that something good is around the corner.”
Following an inconsistent start to the 2022/23 Isuzu UTE A-League, Le Fondre knows how important the three points were.
“We have so often looked a really good team and ended up shooting ourselves in the foot so it was important to win the Big Blue.
“It’s now even more important that we build on this and prove that it was the turning point because it was a good performance from everyone,” the striker said.
With a lot of the teams around the Sky Blues drawing their fixtures, it moves Sydney FC six points away from second spot and back in touch.
“We’ve got some important fixtures coming up and if we perform, then who’s to say we can’t break into the top four rather than the top six,” Le Fondre said.
“Anyone who puts a consistent run together now is going to be seen as one of the favourites.”
