As the A-League season approaches, the Central Coast Mariners are shoring up the ranks of their men’s and women’s teams with a number of signings in recent weeks.
They have signed Will Wilson from Melbourne Victory on an initial two year deal.
The attacking midfielder, who can operate centrally or wide, has been monitored by Head Coach Nick Montgomery for a number of years.
A strong and quick midfielder who has an eye for goal, Wilson will add serious depth to the midfield with both the league and AFC Cup just around the corner.
The 21-year-old leaves Melbourne after joining the club in 2017 following a successful trial.
Since then, he has moved through the ranks of the club’s Youth Development Program, becoming a key member of Victory’s NPL Men’s side.
Wilson made his professional debut against Perth Glory in November 2021, playing in Victory’s Australia Cup play-off match.
The midfielder saw his first minutes of A-League Men’s football against Western Sydney during the 2021/22 season, before making a further nine appearances including a start against the Mariners during the 2022/23 campaign.
Wilson played 75 minutes against Newcastle in Melbourne’s Australia Cup play-off match in July, scoring a last second penalty to take the game to extra time.
Montgomery said he will be a valuable addition to the squad.
“Will is an important signing for us and fits perfectly into our recruitment strategy,” he said.
“He is a very talented young footballer who has found limited opportunities at Victory.
“Will is versatile and gives us options out wide and central and will add competition for places.
“We are really looking forward to working with him and helping him reach his potential.”
For the women’s team, the Mariners have signed American defender Jazmin Wardlow.
The 25-year-old joins the club from Serie A side Fiorentina, having spent the past 12 months at the Italian club.
Wardlow attended Santa Clara University between 2015 and 2016, lining up for the Santa Clara Broncos.
After success in the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament, the defender took her talents to the University of Oregon, making 38 appearances for the team.
In 2019, she was 21st in the National Women’s Soccer League draft, becoming the first ever player from her University to be drafted in the competition.
Wardlow moved to Europe in 2021, joining Serbian SuperLiga champions ZFK Spartak Subotica.
She made her debut for the club in the 2021/22 UEFA Women’s Champions League shortly after.
A year later the defender moved to Italy, linking up with Serie A club Fiorentina.
She played 21 matches throughout the 2022/23 campaign, with her side finishing fourth in the league as she scored one goal.
Head Coach Emily Husband said Wardlow would be a good addition to the group being built ahead of the coming season.
“She has a lot of flexibility in where we can play her, which is great for our versatility,” Husband said.
“She has a fantastic left foot, a brilliant engine as well as good attacking and defensive output.
“She brings experience to this team which will be huge for us this season.”
Also joining the women’s squad will be forward Paige Hayward.
The 28-year-old joins the club from Adelaide United, having previously also spent time playing football in the United States and Austria.
Born in Sydney, Hayward spent time in the US College System, playing with the University of Texas, before transferring to Texas Southern University.
In three seasons with the Tigers, the forward scored 25 goals, including bagging 13 goals and five assists in the 2016 campaign.
During that time, she also spent a period with the Houston Aces in the United Women’s Soccer League, while also being invited to be a part of NWSL team Houston Dash as a non-roster invitee.
Hayward moved to Austria to play for FFC Vorderland in the ÖFB-Frauenliga, scoring once in her five appearances for the club.
She then moved back to Australia to link up with Adelaide United, playing 26 matches across multiple positions in two seasons.
Husband said Hayward would be another valuable asset.
“I am extremely excited to have someone like Paige joining up with the Mariners,” she said.
“She has a lot of experience both in the A-League and abroad and is a quality player to have on the team.
“Among many things, she will bring versatility to the squad.
“There are a few different areas where you can utilise Paige which I think will help us to be an adaptable squad in how we want to play.”
Source:
Central Coast Mariners