Central Coast Mariners have begun recruiting for the next Hyundai A-League season, signing former Brisbane Strikers and New Zealand Knights left-back Joshua Rose.
Rose will join the Yellow and Navy for the next two A-League seasons.
The 28-year-old, who’s recently played with fellow Australian Spase Dilevski, Michael Baird and former Central Coast Lightning defender Josh Mitchell at Romanian Liga 1 heavyweight Universitatea Craiova, will join the Mariners’ new-look defensive line.
Central Coast boss Lyall Gorman said the Mariners were delighted to have Rose.
“Joshua has done very well in Romania, it’s a very strong league, and when he indicated an eagerness to return to Australia, the club was of course very interested,” he said.
Rose had the honour of scoring the New Zealand Knights’ first A-League goal in 2005 before being snapped up by Craiova, which is alongside capital city rivals Steaua and Dinamo Bucharest as Romania’s biggest three clubs.
A veteran of over 100 top-division matches, Rose returns to his country of birth with impressive references.
Gorman said Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek had watched Rose and he’d impressed the entire national team coaching staff.
“Josh is a very capable left-back, and has done really well at what is a very high level in Romania. He’s strong and quick, and he likes to get forward, so I think he will provide plenty of excitement for the fans, which is what we want at Bluetongue Stadium this season,” he said.
Rose said he was excited about returning to the A-League and wanted to help the Mariners return to the top end of the ladder in their 2010/11 campaign.
“I had a great time in Romania, I learned a lot and it was awesome to experience a different culture but I’m happy to be home and I’ve seen the Mariners do great things over the past couple of years and I think they have a great future,” Rose said.
“I spoke to a teammate of mine at Universitatea, Josh Mitchell, who is from Newcastle and has played on the Coast, and he only had good things to say about the place, so I’m just looking forward to getting there now and doing well.”
