Football –
The Central Coast Mariners will kick off their 2020/21 A-League campaign with a blockbuster F3 Derby at Gosford on New Year’s Eve.
The FFA confirmed the upcoming 26-round season’s fixtures on November 24, with the Mariners set to play 13 games at Central Coast Stadium, beginning with the derby against the Newcastle Jets before an away trip follows in Round 2 against league newcomers, Macarthur.
The Mariners will take on Macarthur, Western United, Melbourne City and the Jets three times each across the season, while facing the other seven clubs twice to make up the 26 games.
A busy start to the schedule sees the team play nine games in the first 38 days of the season, with five home clashes, but Head Coach, Alen Stajcic, said the team is ready for the challenge.
“First of all, it’s great to have the return of the A-League getting closer, and now that fixtures are here, we really can’t wait for the season to begin,” he said.
“Beginning our season with a derby is special enough, but to do it on New Year’s Eve, which is traditionally an important date for us anyway, will make for a really great occasion and it’s an exciting way to kick off.
“The schedule is testing, playing that many games that quickly, but we’re confident with the squad that we have, and this is a challenge that we will take head on.
“We showed post-Covid break that we can perform well with short turnarounds and we will manage the squad to ensure that we give ourselves the best chance of success in every game.”
There remains plenty of preparation to take place before the season begins, with trial matches organised and some new faces to arrive, so stay tuned to ccmariners.com.au for all the latest as well as any changes to the A-League 20/21 fixtures.
Source:
Press release, Nov 24
Central Coast Mariners Media