Sydney FC NPL side have a 48 hour turnaround after falling to Hills United on Wednesday night.
It was a tough night at the office for the young Sky Blues who failed to convert their first half chances and were ultimately punished by United at Landen Stadium.
Two first half goals that both came just before the break were compounded with the awarding of a penalty 10 seconds after the restart which was converted for a 3-0 lead to the hosts.
Sydney did get on the scoresheet with a well taken goal from Nathan Amanatidis who beat his defender one on one before slotting it past the on-rushing keeper.
However, Hills were ruthless in attack and added a fourth on the counter attack before Mitch Glasson scored his first goal of the NPL season. The teenager using his pace and hitting one in off the underside of the crossbar.
Now, they will have to manage the load of the players with the visit of Central Coast Mariners Academy on Friday night at Rockdale.
The Yellow and Navy enjoyed the midweek off however their A-League side are in action on Thursday night in the AFC Cup and will no doubt include some of their Academy players with an Isuzu UTE A-League clash on Sunday afternoon.
Last weekend, they beat Hills United 5-3 on Sunday at Pluim Park with both teams trading blows until the Mariners sealed the match in stoppage time to record their first three points of the season.
They opened the season with two back to back losses and only recorded their first point on Sunday and will be looking to get the better of the A-League Academy.
Heading into this clash, Sydney FC NPL Head Coach Jimmy van Weeren knows that his side need to be better.
“It was a frustrating evening on Wednesday and ultimately we were punished for not taking our chances.
“We need to learn to stay in games more as we dominated the opportunities late in the game and I know that if we can do that, we will come away with points late in the game,” he added.
“Now it is about getting the recovery in before this tough clash against a young and energetic Mariners team. We know they can score goals so we will need to be on our guard.
‘While they have the advantage of not having played during the week, I have faith that our boys can put on a performance at home.”
Match Details
Sydney FC NPL v Central Coast Mariners NPL
NPL NSW Round Five
Friday 8th March 2024
Rockdale Illinden Sports Centre, Rockdale, NSW
Kick Off: 7:30pm AEDT
Tickets: At the Door
Broadcast Live: Football NSW YouTube Channel
