Auckland FC defender Nando Pijnaker revealed the Isuzu UTE A-League Semi-Finalists are utilising the skills of a specialist mindset coach in order to help them do the double this season.
After sealing the Isuzu UTE A-League Premiers Plate with a game to spare in the regular season, the Black Knights now begin their quest for a Premiership/Championship double against Melbourne Victory in the semis.
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Having enjoyed the week off after finishing top of the pile, Auckland head to AAMI Park on Saturday night for the first leg of their final-four clash with Victory, who themselves will be full of confidence after defeating Western Sydney Wanderers in last week’s Elimination Final.
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“Obviously it’s a knockout over two legs, so it’s a big game, and we’re up for it,” said Pijnaker when speaking to journalists at a media conference on Tuesday.
“The consequences are a little bit more extreme, that if you don’t win over the course of the two legs, then you’re out. So obviously we’re gonna go in and try win both games. Be very aggressive, like we have been all season.”
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Impressive in both defence and attack, Steve Corica’s side were the standout team during the course of the campaign and clinched the Premiership in the penultimate round of the Isuzu UTE A-League season – and it appears as though they’ve been utilising the skills of a secret weapon.
“We have a mindset coach,” revealed Pijnaker when asked how the side has been able to reset after the success of lifting the Premiers Plate.
“So we’ve been speaking a lot with him to kind of get back grounded or back to zero. Everything resets in these games.
He added: “So yeah, back to zero. We have to make sure that we turn up for both the games and we’re obviously going to be very positive and confident going into them, but we really want to win at the same time.”
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The coach in question is Hamish Barton, a Mental Performance Coach who has seemingly become a key component of the Black Knights football department throughout the course of the season.
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“I think it’s a little bit of the regular season is done and now, everything is ‘we haven’t got any points,’ said Pijnaker when asked what the focus of the recent sessions has been following the victorious end to the campaign.
“Everyone’s at zero now. So it’s kind of resetting and going again for these games. So yeah, everyone’s really switched on.
He went on to say: “(It’s) mainly team (sessions) so that we’re all on the same page (of) what we can expect and yeah, we’re really looking forward to the games.”
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One player who is certainly a fan of the club’s decision to deploy a mindset coach is Belgian midfielder Louis Verstraete.
Recruited from Belgian side Beveren, Verstraete has proven himself to be one of the Isuzu UTE A-League’s best midfielders in season 2024-25 and says it’s been refreshing to work on an aspect of his game that doesn’t involve a ball at his feet.
“I don’t think we work much on our mental strength,” said the 26-year-old when asked about the role Barton plays within the group.
“At this club, we have a mental coach. We do it a bit more often than in my previous teams. So this always helps to reflect and to to let go of the highs when we want it, and then to come back to neutral and work again.
“So it has been beneficial for me as well.”
Having the right mentality will certainly be key heading into the first leg against a buoyant Victory side with head coach Corica insisting the Black Knights will head to Melbourne with the aim of imposing themselves on their hosts.
“I think the mindset is to go there and win. Because if you give them a negative mindset, that’s not good for us.
“It’s to go there and do our job as normal, to approach the game as normal and to win if we can.
He added: “I don’t like going in just for a draw, for instance. That’s not my mindset. My mindset is always to win every game. And you know, we want to get ourselves in a good position to take home, to Go Media (Stadium).
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