Central Coast Mariners Mark Jackson did not hide his disappointment as he apologised to the club’s fans following Tuesday night’s 4-0 defeat at the hands of 2023-24 runners-up Yokohama F.Marinos in the AFC Champions League Elite.
Central Coast conceded three goals in 30 first-half minutes and could not recover as F.Marinos added to their lead in the second half in front of their interim head coach and Mariners legend Hutchinson at Industree Group Stadium.
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Afterwards, Jackson was scathing of his team’s first-half performance as the two-time reigning Isuzu UTE A-League champions were left with one point from six matches.
“Very, very disappointing. Particularly that first-half performance,” Jackson told reporters.
“We went into the game and felt we had a plan how we wanted to play, and I think that was backed up from the previous game against Vissel Kobe where even though we lost the game we put in a very, very good defensive display in. We knew we had to do that tonight.
“But to do that and defend against a top team like Yokohama, you all have to be willing to work, stick to the game plan, stay connected and in the first half we had players who didn’t want to do that.
“That’s why we fell down and went into the half-time break 3-0 down.”
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“For one, I’ve never had to do this and I say sorry to our supporters because that first-half performance wasn’t acceptable,” Jackson added.
“There’s a few things I need to address and the players certainly knew how I felt at half-time.”
Asked if he was surprised by Marinos’ quick start, Jackson replied: “We knew they’d be aggressive and how they would play.
“We had a game plan on how to combat that. But when people don’t stick to the tasks and aren’t willing to run, stay connected and work for the team, you fall short against good teams. That’s what we did in the first half.”
Jackson, whose Mariners now turn their attention to Sunday’s showdown with high-flying Sydney FC in the A-Leagues, was honest and forefront throughout his post-game press conference.
“For me, I say all the time we put a team on the pitch and part of our culture is we work for each other, we work for the shirt, we work for the supporters and we work for the club when we’re on the pitch,” he said.
“That’s been our mantra all the time, even before I came here. But it’s been my mantra and part of the culture of what we did. When everyone’s not doing that – against lesser teams you might get away with it but against top teams you don’t get away with it.
“You need to be fully committed in everything you do.”
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Jackson turned to his bench at half-time, introducing Christian Theoharous, Haine Eames and Bailey Brandtman at the expense of Mikael Doka, Vitor Feijao and Ryan Edmondson.
“I thought all the players who went on in the second half and players who stepped foot in the second half worked well. They had a go. That’s all you can ask,” Jackson continued.
“Yes it was a mountain to climb at 3-0 against that type of team. One thing I said is we want everyone to run, do their jobs for the team because that’s the most important thing for us – the team not individuals. Individuals shine when they’re working for the team.”
Jackson was particularly pleased with 16-year-old young gun Eames, who is the youngest player in Central Coast’s Isuzu UTE A-League history.
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“I think the young players, playing against the calibre of players in the Champions League will do them the world of good,” said Jackson after he was asked about the experience of playing in the continental competition for his young players.
“They see what it takes to play at the top, top level. we’ve come up against some top, top players and top some individuals. If the young players in the team aren’t learning that, they’re missing a trick.
“You look at every young player on the pitch today and in particular Haine Eames who went on in the second half. 16 years old, he showed courage. Even to play in a position which is not his normal position.
“But we knew he could make an impact. We knew he would be calm on the ball and knew he would work for the team and he showed that.
“The team who went out in the second half collectively worked how we want them to work.”
Looking forward to what he wants to see in the week ahead, Jackson said: “Sticking to the plan and running – everybody. That’s what we’re about at the Mariners.
“We didn’t win what we won last year because we had a team full of the best players and that’s no disrespect to our team. We had good players at the end of the year but we were the best team. We worked together, we worked for each other, we worked for the shirt, we worked for the supporters, we worked for the club.
“We put graft in. We stayed connected and that’s why we had success.
“As soon as we start coming away from that, we’ll fall short. My message to the players will be exactly that – we have to know who we are, what we are and how we can be successful.
“We have to stick to that and it takes a lot of hard work. Takes fitness, it takes desire, mental strength to be able to run and work for the team, sacrifice yourself sometimes for the team.”
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Meanwhile, club icon Hutchinson lauded the success of the Mariners after the game.
Hutchinson, who stepped into the Marinos hot seat in July following the departure of Socceroos legend and former A-Leagues star Harry Kewell, Hutchinson, made 228 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances and won the 2013 Championship as Mariners captain.
Also a Premiership winner, the 44-year-old spent time as a player-coach and assistant with the Mariners, where he is the most-capped player in the club’s history.
“You have to go back a little bit further and give praise to (former head coach) Nick Montgomery and his staff because they obviously started the trend of turning Central Coast around,” Hutchinson said of the 2023-24 treble winners.
“From a long period of time, from my first coaching experience in 2015-16, we kind of take a downward turn as a club.
“I left and Nick Montgomery deserves a lot of credit for what he done, turning this football club around. Incredible human being, incredible coach. Someone I stay in touch with still to this day because he’s just a great man.
“Then what Mark Jackson did last season, it’s history, it’s crazy. To do a treble – I understand how hard it is to take your team from Australia to go abroad, to win games, come back and compete in domestic competition. The squad size is limited. To do that and win every trophy and be treble winners, I don’t know if there will be another team in Australia that can replicate that for a long time.
“Even before that – Western Sydney with Tony Popovic to win the Champions League. For me that’s one of the best stories in Australian football. But what the Mariners did last season is fantastic.
“It starts with Nick Montgomery and Mark Jackson has seen it through. The other one who deserves a lot of credit is Matt Simon. He retired and became sporting director. Put the club in a good direction, brought good people back to the football club.
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“It is great to see. I still come home to Central Coast for my holidays. I’ll be back in a week. I love here to watch the games. I played with Storm Roux, Danny Vukovic, Josh Rose, Matty Simon. It’s good to see them boys.
“I just hope the club can keep replicating it and keep punching above its weight because it’s a club I hold close to my heart.”
