Central Coast will almost certainly be without two key defenders for Friday night’s Hyundai A-League derby against Newcastle at Gosford.
In a double blow for the Mariners, veteran defender Andrew Clark and young talent Nigel Boogaard are both out for the Bluetongue Stadium blockbuster.
Boogaard spent hours in hospital after suffering concussion early in the team’s 1-0 loss to Wellington on Sunday.
And Clark was helped off the field after dislocating a shoulder in the second half. Both are expected to be fit for next week’s showdown against Sydney.
Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna is expected to promote Brad Porter and Paul O’Grady to the starting side.
“It’s disappointing to lose two players but we’ve got depth in defence,” McKinna said.
“Brad and Paul will come in and do a job for us.”
Youngster David D’Apuzzo, who has been performing well in the club’s National Youth League team, is likely to provide defensive cover off the bench.
After a solid start to the season the Mariners were ordinary against the Phoenix last week, but McKinna is confident his team will lift for a showdown against their greatest rivals, especially in front of a strong home crowd.
“Last week wasn’t good but we haven’t had much time to dwell on that which is a good thing,” he said.
It’s a big game for the Mariners, another defeat will see the team sitting near the bottom of the table, while a win will have Central Coast comfortably in the top four.
Meanwhile, crowd favourite Andre Gumprecht will make his return from a knee injury in the Mariners’ National Youth League team on Friday night.
Gumprecht has been out of action since he was injured in a Pre-Season Cup match.
