Jamaican international Wolry Wolfe will have to wait to make his A-League debut with Central Coast Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna unlikely to rush him into the squad for tonight’s clash with Perth at Canberra Stadium.
Wolfe had his first training session with the Mariners early this week after joining the club on a short-term injury replacement contract for Shane Huke.
The left-sided midfielder looked sharp at training but is expected to be watching from the stands when the Mariners battle for their second win of the season in the nation’s capital.
“He’s come in and looked OK at training after stepping off a 40-hour flight,” McKinna said.
Huke suffered a knee injury during the club’s Asian Champions League campaign and is making steady progress.
Friday night’s match is a vital one for the Mariners.
After a bright start to the new campaign Central Coast suffered a disappointing defeat against Brisbane last week and need to respond against an improving Perth side.
Former Sheffield United Academy player Nicky Travis will start in midfield, while up front the team needs to find a cutting edge after rarely threatening the Roar defence in Round 4.
Victory on Friday night will have the Mariners in a strong position, while a loss will put loads of pressure on the club.
Veteran defender Andrew Clark, who spent more than two years with the Canberra Cosmos in the old National Soccer League, is in the mix for game time, probably off the bench.
The foundation Mariners player battled a calf injury throughout the pre-season but is back to full fitness and did a sound job when he came off the bench last week.
“It’s been a difficult time for me, missing pre-season with a bit of a calf strain,” Clark said.
“It seemed like a long road back but I can see the end of it now.”
