Central Coast Mariners striker Jason Cummings says he’s determined to give back to the club which has turned his career around, signing a one-year contract extension which will keep him in Gosford until 2024.
Cummings hit the ground running in the Isuzu UTE A-League in 2021-22, arriving at the Mariners in January and proceeding to net 10 goals from 21 appearances. He capped off his memorable debut season with a start against LaLiga giants Barcelona for the A-Leagues All Stars and clinching the club’s Golden Boot award.
Now he’s targeting the A-League Men’s top-scoring gong in 2022-23.
“I absolutely love playing my football here on the Central Coast,” Cummings told club media after extending his Mariners contract. “Since moving from Scotland in January, my life has completely changed, and I am very thankful for the Mariners to make that happen.
“I am delighted to sign another year’s extension on my deal here and give back to the club which has turned my career around.
“Throughout the rest of my time here, I will continue to give 100% for this club and its fans and I can’t wait to have a full season under my belt and challenge for the league’s Golden Boot.”
Cummings, 26, arrived at the Mariners after falling out of favour at Scottish Championship club Dundee. Eligible to play for Australia through his mother, Cummings made a strong claim to earn a Socceroos jersey over the latter half of the 2021-22 ALM season.
He missed out on the squad which travelled to Qatar to successfully qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup over the past week, but will be determined to remain in head coach Graham Arnold’s thoughts over the coming months as the prospect of donning the green and gold on the biggest stage of all remains a possibility.
Mariners head coach Nick Montgomery says Cummings’ January arrival helped breathe life into the change-room as his side rode a wave of confidence into the end of the regular season, sealing a spot in the finals series for the second consecutive campaign.
“Jason brings a lot to this team both on and off the field. Since his arrival in January, he rejuvenated the change-room but more importantly, proved his worth on the field too,” Montgomery said.
“With Jason’s performances and goals attracting serious interest from overseas clubs as well as proving doubters wrong and making a real case for a Socceroos call up, it’s a massive boost for the club that he has shown loyalty to stay with the Mariners as he has full belief of the direction the club is heading in.
“What he brings to this squad is experience and intelligence and to have a striker of his value and worth at the Mariners for another two years will do great things for the game in this region and also this country.”
