Central Coast Mariners head coaches Mark Jackson and Emily Husband have won the A-Leagues’ two Coach of the Month awards for February, following on from their clean sweep of January honours.
Nominees for the monthly award are selected as part of the A-Leagues’ partnership with Football Coaches Australia. Eligible coaches are nominated monthly by the FCA panel, consisting of:
- Catherine Cannuli
- Sarah West
- John Kosmina
- Ian Greener
- Gary Cole
Each member of the FCA panel votes for three coaches each month, granting three votes to their pick for Coach of the Month, two for their second-choice and one for their third choice.
The winner is then decided by a fan vote and just as it was in January, both Jackson and Husband came out on top in the Isuzu UTE A-League and Liberty A-League voting respectively.
Husband’s second consecutive triumph in the fan vote came after one win, one draw and one defeat in February.
Husband continued to guide her team into the Premiership hunt throughout the month, responding from a 2-1 loss to Western United with a draw against Melbourne Victory and a big win over Perth Glory on the road.
Husband’s side travelled to Western Australia to notch a 3-1 triumph, with Matildas forward Kyah Simon scoring her first goal since returning to the Liberty A-League.
Husband was nominated by the FCA panel alongside Western United’s Kat Smith, Newcastle Jets coach Ryan Campbell and Melbourne Victory’s Jeff Hopkins.
HUSBAND FEATURE: How to build an A-Leagues team in seven months: ‘I didn’t sleep… we only had one player!’
Jackson joins Husband in going back-to-back as the Mariners continue to firm as silverware contenders in both competitions.
Jackson was nominated alongside Wellington’s Giancarlo Italiano, Macarthur FC head coach Mile Sterjovski and Sydney FC boss Ufuk Talay for the February award.
The Mariners’ jam-packed February featured seven games in all competitions as Mark Jackson’s side progressed to the Inter-Zonal Semi Finals of the AFC Cup while continuing to climb up the Isuzu UTE A-League table.
In domestic competition, the Mariners began February with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Adelaide United. A goalless draw with then-league leaders Wellington was to follow, before a 3-1 loss to Sydney FC halted momentum – but only momentarily.
Mariners followed that result with a pair of clean sheets in 1-0 wins against Western Sydney and Melbourne Victory.
