Former Qantas Socceroos captain Alex Tobin still believes the Central Coast Mariners can make an impact in this year’s Hyundai A-League finals.
Tobin is Lawrie McKinna’s assistant coach at the Mariners and predicts the team will hit back from five consecutive defeats when North Queensland visits Bluetongue Stadium for the second time this season on Saturday night.
It is a game the Mainers must win to halt what has been an alarming slide.
Five weeks ago the club was pressing for a top two position.
Now the team is out of the top six and has a major battle on its hand just to make the play-offs.
But Tobin, who has been with the club since its inception, is adamant the good times will return, starting with Saturday night’s showdown against the Fury.
“I’m confident things will turn around,” Tobin said.
“There is no way we are out of this competition.”
“We have had a bit of bad luck and the boys have lacked a little bit of belief at times.”
“Our focus is on keeping positive and working hard for each other, that’s what is needed when things are tough.”
Some critics have written off the club’s title aspirations, but at its best the Mariners can match the competition’s best teams.
Already this year Central Coast has beaten Melbourne away from home twice.
“A similar thing happened to us at about this time last year and we rallied, I’m sure we can do it again,” Tobin said.
“Saturday night is vital for both teams. Win this and everything will look a lot better.”
