Central Coast Mariners winger Connor Pain attributed his new side’s astonishing turnaround against Perth Glory to an honest assessment of the team’s identity.
The Gosford club finished bottom last season and carried that form into Saturday night as they trailed 3-0 at the break.
But a desire to restore the side’s character under new coach Paul Okon sparked the remarkable response.
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“We just said (at half-time) that we don’t want to be that club from last year,” Pain told Fox Sports.
“We’ve got some new players with a new gaffer and a new style and we just wanted to make amends.
“I think we’re making inroads to doing that so we’ve just got to keep it up.”
Pain, who played an important part in Central Coast’s second goal, praised his teammates for fighting out of the slump which saw them concede 70 goals last term.
“To go into the sheds at 3-0 down we were a bit worried at what was to happen but we came out a different team,” Pain said.
“I think that’s an absolute credit to the lads. That’s what we’ve got to change at Central Coast and that’s what we’ve got to make better.
“I thought we were absolutely fantastic.”
