His team failed to win a match but Central Coast skipper Alex Wilkinson believes the club’s first crack at the Asian Champions League will help the Mariners get off to a flying start in the Hyundai A-League next month.
The Mariners were major disappointments in the Champions League, letting in several poor goals and failing to make it beyond the group stage.
But Wilkinson said the international exposure was great for the team despite the poor results.
The captain also said the short turnaround between seasons would help the club.
“Things didn’t work out as we planned in the Champions League but we’ve moved on from that,” he said.
“One of the benefits of the Champions League is the short break between seasons. We’ve had a bit of time away but everyone was ready to come back to training.”
“We don’t have to wait too long before we’re starting to play matches which is always a good thing.”
While admitting a poor end to last season’s Hyundai A-League and the early exit from the Champions League was ‘disappointing’ Wilkinson is adamant the coast club will again be a force.
The club is in a good position as far as injuries are concerned and new signing Chris Doig has fitted in well since joining the club for the start of training last week.
“Everyone is pretty refreshed and ready to go, there’s a good feeling among the players,” Wilkinson said.
The Mariners are due to tackle Melbourne away from home in the first round of the Hyundai A-League before hosting arch-rivals Newcastle at Bluetongue Stadium in Round 2.
“Our focus is getting as fit as possible and getting some confidence back with a good start to the season,” Wilkinson said.
