In his first blog for CCMariners.com.au, Tyson Scott explores the A-to-Z of the Central Coast Mariners, delving into players past and present, and what makes the Mariners a great club.
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IN his first blog for CCMariners.com.au, Tyson Scott explores the A-to-Z of the Central Coast Mariners. A Berkeley Vale local, Tyson delves into players past and present, and considers other aspects of what makes the Mariners great.
A Adam Kwasnik - One of two players left from the Mariners squad that started season one of the Hyundai A-League, and stands second on the all time goal scorers list for Central Coast.
B Navy blue and yellow - The two colours that no other side in the league will want to see on match day throughout the 2012/13 season.
The navy blue that forms the shape of a wave on the clubs logo symbolises the Central Coast-s beautiful beaches.
C Central Coast - The home of the Mariners and the location of Bluetongue Stadium. With the Mariners Centre of Excellence well on its way to completion we are set to see many international teams calling the Coast a temporary home for training when they tour Australia.
D Derby Day - The day the Mariners take on either Sydney FC or the Newcastle Jets in a passion fuelled display of raw footballing excellence.
Derby Day at Bluetongue Stadium is epic and in the past it has produced some of the best games the Hyundai A-League has seen. Long-range goals, big tackles, cracking saves and the odd red card are just some of the things we can look forward to in match ups between the Mariners and our key rivals!
E East Gosford Rams - A local Club on the Central Coast and were the previous club of former Mariners star Matty Simon. The Mariners are firm supporters of grass roots football.
Rather than looking at a metropolitan city or overseas for a first class striker, Simon-s performance at the local level was enough to have him picked for McKinna-s Mariners and eventually end up as a Club legend.
F Five thousand - The magic number of Memberships the Mariners are aiming to have by the start of Season 8 of the Hyundai A-league.
The boys need a strong fan base behind them and one Member will win a lifetime Membership to the Club if that target is surpassed!
G Graham Arnold - The current coach of the Mariners who has established an era of his own at Central Coast.
Arnold has created a name for himself in not just Australian football but football on an international scale having previously tasted success with the Qantas Socceroos as a player and coach. He now calls the Coast home and his passion and hard work is distilled in the culture of the Mariners.
H Hyundai A-League Premiers - The Mariners are the current holders of the Premiers Plate and set the benchmark for the majority of last season.
Unfortunately the team failed to make it to the big one last year after suffering a defeat to the Perth Glory at Bluetongue Stadium in the preliminary final.
I International - Central Coast Mariners are no stranger to competing on the international stage and they will take on Asia-s best once again at the end of Hyundai A-League season 8 (their third appearance in AFC-s top competition, no less!)
Apart from Asian powerhouses such as Tianjin Teda, Nagoya Grampus and Pohang Steelers, the Mariners have also taken on Scottish champions Celtic FC in a friendly. They won 1-0.
J John Hutchinson - Affectionately referred to as “Hutcho”, John is the other remaining Mariner from season one and a guy who any team in the league would love to have on their side (even though they would never admit it!)
K Keepers - One thing that the Mariners have always been fortunate with has been the quality of goalkeepers that have passed through the club.
At the moment the obvious standout is Mathew Ryan who is winning all sorts of awards and finding opportunities to represent his country at such a young age. Justin Pasfield is another one of our current keepers and in most other A-League sides would find himself in between the posts week in week out.
When you look back to names like Danny Vukovic, and even the great Mark Bosnich, it is clear we have always had someone more than capable keeping the balls out of the back of the net.
L Lawrie McKinna - The inaugural coach of the Central Coast Mariners and still to this day is a much loved figure on the Coast.
The Central Coast Mariners as a regional team were not given much of a chance by anyone in season one but Lawrie-s inspirational leadership took the team to the grand final where they suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to a star-studded Sydney FC.
Lawrie McKinna is the current General Manager of Football at the Central Coast Mariners and L is also for Local Council, which is his next goal after announcing to run for a seat on Gosford Council.
M Matty Simon - A cult hero and former player of the Mariners who departed for South Korean club Chunnam Dragons towards the end of last season.
Simon is the all time leading goal scorer of the Mariners and left in a classy manner by bagging two goals in his final game at Bluetongue Stadium against Melbourne Victory.
N Noel Spencer - A club legend and the Club-s first Captain, Spencer was also the Mariners first ever goal scorer. Scored a belter against Perth Glory in the Mariners first Hyundai A-League match in 2005.
O Olympics - Mariners midfielder Michael McGlinchey has just returned from London where he played for New Zealand at the Games.
Unfortunately McGlinchey-s Olywhites side bowed out of the Olympics however our very own Mariner played every minute of New Zealand-s matches against Belarus, Egypt and Brazil.
P Pre-season Cup - The Club-s first addition to the silverware cabinet won in 2005 after the Mariners defeated Perth Glory in 1-0 in the final.
Q Qantas Socceroos & Olyroos - Central Coast Mariners continue to feed our national teams with loads of talent. Mile Jedinak, Mathew Ryan, Oliver Bozanic, Trent Sainsbury, Mustafa Amini…
R Mathew Ryan - The newest star from the Mariners is currently trying his luck with Barclays Premier League super club Tottenham Hotspur.
After winning a number of individual accolades last season Ryan has received the highest praise by being invited to train with the world football giant.
S Mile Sterjovski - Sterjovski is one of the Mariners newest signings. He will bring plenty of experience to the Club as well as undeniable talent.
Sterjovski has enjoyed a successful career with clubs all over Europe including stints in France, Turkey, Switzerland and England. He joined the Mariners after leaving Dalian Aerbin in China-s top-flight.
T Tianjin Teda - Was the first team the Mariners beat in the prestigious AFC Champions League. The 5-1 thumping took place at Gosford-s idyllic bayside arena.
U Underdogs - A title that the Mariners have grown to not just live with, but also love. Starting as a regional club with a fraction of the budget that others have access too, the Mariners success can be put down to hard work.
After so much success it is hard to believe that the Mariners enter each season and a lot of matches as the underdogs but the Club has made it a part of it-s culture and no matter the opponents on the day, the boys always know they can come out on top.
V Vision - The Mariners Centre of Excellence at Tuggerah is testament to the foresight of the Club-s Board and Management team.
W Alex Wilkinson - Alex Wilkinson is the most capped player for the Central Coast Mariners and was Club Captain for the past five seasons. A leader on and off the pitch, Wilkinson recently joined Jeonbuk Hyundai of the Korean K-League. Will go down in Central Coast Mariners history.
X Xbox - Bernie Ibini, Maty Ryan and Oliver Bozanic must love playing as themselves on FIFA 12!
Y Yellow Army - Yellow Army are the passionate supporter base who stand behind the goals at Mariners home games and contribute to the boys performance on field by chanting songs throughout each game.
The more people behind the goals, the louder the songs, the better the atmosphere!
Z Patrick Zwaanswijk - Central defender for the Mariners and frequent goal-getter! Zwaanswijk hails from the Netherlands and is a fan favourite of Mariners supporters for his reliability in the backline and ability to push forward and offer danger in attack (especially at set-pieces