2014/15 Central Coast Mariners season preview

The Central Coast Mariners might have had humble beginnings when the A-League first began 10 whole years ago. But due to a lot of hard work and perseverance, they've managed to win the A-League Premiership twice and the A-League Championship once, placing third last season.

With the backing of their Yellow Army, the lads will be keen to make their fans proud yet again.

The 2014-15 season brings with it a bunch of new players, which the main man Phil Moss is hoping will bring some pace and excitement to the front third of the field. Rumour has it the squad is working on developing their style of play to involve short, sharp passes and plenty of action through the midfield.

(Also: They've only lost to Newcastle at home once in 16 games, and that's what we really care about, right? #F3Derby...)

Last season
A-League: 3rd
Finals: 2-0 Semi-Final loss against Western Sydney Wanderers

They'll win the league because...
They've got the youngest squad in the A-League, full of energy, enthusiasm and drive. The boys in yellow have got the determination to survive tough situations. Despite losing a bunch of players last season, they didn't let that get them down – incidentally, Newcastle Jets have lost Adam Taggart to Fullham, so morale is surely high on the Cenchy Coast.

They'll be cellar dwellers because...
They've got the youngest squad in the A-League, full of insecurities, little experience and (possibly) testosterone-fuelled teen tantrums. The 2014-15 season has brought a lot of new faces, so it might be choppy seas for a little while before the Mariners start smooth sailing (see what I did there?).

I'm not sure if you're superstitious, but they did lose their final preseason friendly before the 2014/15 season. Phil Moss isn't worried though, so you probably shouldn't be either.

Talk around the water cooler... Look smart in front of your colleagues with this valuable piece of information.
They've got the first Hungarian player to have ever played in the A-League - how multicultural is that?! Also, Eddy Bosnar has now been rated as one of the world’s most powerful strikers of a football, with speeds of close to 150km/hour.

The off-season brought...
A bunch of new players (surprised?). Forward Malick Mané of Senegal, midfielder Anthony Kalick, midfielder Liam Rose, midfielder Richard Vernes, midfielder Isaka Cernak (joined for a half-season) and midfielder Kim Seung-Yong (also on a half-season loan) have all joined the Mariners' ranks.

24-year-old utility Jacob Poscoliero, who was a last-minute addition (signed October 4), also joins the team on a one-season contract.

Also, Anthony Caceres' contract has been extended to the end of the 2016-17 season. Yay.

Key player
Captain and all-round good guy John Hutchinson. The 34-year-old veteran of the game has been described by such highbrow publications as the Daily Telegraph as “the glue that holds the Central Coast Mariners together” with former coach Graham Arnold even saying “the greatest loss the club could suffer would be him” – you know he's a keeper.

One to watch
Midfielder Liam Rose – he's young, he's fast and he's just been named in the Young Socceroos squad for the AFC U19 Championship which starts October 9 and will double as the qualification tournament for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Expect big things from this guy.

Another player to “watch” is CLEO Bachelor of the Year nominee Zac Anderson – ladies, get around him, figuratively and literally if you ever get the opportunity.

Full squad list
1. Matthew Nash (Gk), 2. Storm Roux, 3. Joshua Rose, 5. Zac Anderson, 6. Brent Griffiths, 7. John Hutchinson (C), 8. Nick Montgomery, 9. Mitchell Duke, 10. Anthony Caceres, 11. Nick Fitzgerald, 12. Liam Reddy (Gk), 14. Malick Maném 15. Matthew Sim, 16. Liam Rose, 17. Richard Vernes, 18. Glen Trifiro, 19. Matt Simon, 20. Anthony, Kalik, 21. Michael Neill, 22. Tom Slater, 23. Isaka Cernak, 24. Hayden Morton, 25. Eddy Bosnar, 26. Kim Seung-Yong