Central Coast Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic will be extra keen to turn in a big performance in Saturday’s Hyundai A-League showdown against Brisbane.
The round four showdown at Suncorp Stadium will be Vukovic’s 100th competitive appearance for the Mariners.
The goalkeeper, who was originally signed as an understudy to John Crawley at the Mariners, has developed into one of the competition’s best shot-stoppers.
He made his Hyundai A-League debut for the Central Coast club after Crawley, who is still goalkeeping coach at the Mariners, suffered a career-ending injury five games into the first season.
Vukovic, then 19, made the most of his chance and has been a fixture in Lawrie McKinna’s team ever since, playing a major part in the club’s success.
“It’s gone pretty quickly,” Vukovic said.
“It seems like only yesterday I played my first game at Bluetongue Stadium.”
“It’s been a great five years and now I’m looking forward to the rest of this season. Hopefully it can be a successful one.”
A Penrith junior, Vukovic has started the season in solid fashion.
Although he has not had too much to do in any of Central Coast’s three matches, he has still showed glimpses of his best, including a brilliant reflex save to deny John Aloisi in last week’s scoreless draw against Sydney.
McKinna rates Vukovic as the best goalkeeper in the A-League.
“He’s been fantastic for us ever since we started, a great club man,” McKinna said.
McKinna is confident Vukovic will hit back in style throughout this campaign after suffering the first form slump of his career during the back end of last season when the Mariners suffered an early exit from the Hyundai A-League finals and failed to win a match in the Asian Champions League.
