Central Coast Mariners will have to do without their star power for a little while longer after coach Mike Mulvey confirmed Ross McCormack will miss up to five weeks with a knee injury.
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The on-loan Aston Villa striker has missed the past two games for the Mariners although was named in this week’s squad to face Western Sydney Wanderers on Friday night.
Speaking in the wake of the Mariners’ 2-0 loss, Mulvey confirmed the extent of the Scot’s injury.
“Ross McCormack’s probably out for about four or five weeks, he’s tweaked his knee,” Mulvey said.
“He’s seeing a surgeon on Monday and we’ll work out a plan for him to get back.”
Fellow absentee and former Caltex Socceroo Tommy Oar is still absent but the Mariners boss said he expected the winger to make a return soon.
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“Tommy Oar, we were hoping he was going to get back for this game but it looks like at least another week,” he said.
The Mariners’ loss leaves them stranded on the bottom of the Hyundai A-League ladder with two points to their name.
Ultimately it took a moment of individual brilliance from Western Sydney’s Keanu Baccus to break the deadlock at the end of what was an even first half.
A second from Jaushua Sotirio killed off any hope for the away side but Mulvey said he was more than happy with the efforts of his depleted squad.
“I can’t be disappointed with these players, they are giving everything they’ve got,” Mulvey said.
“We don’t have a [Alex] Baumjohann, someone like this who can turn a game and when he gets on the ball he looks ever so dangerous, we haven’t got that kind of player at the moment.
“We’ve got some honest guys who are giving everything they’ve got.”
