Tomorrow morning, our Foxtel Y-League team will be looking for their third consecutive win when they travel north to take on Central Coast Mariners at the CCM Centre of Excellence.
The Red & Black will also be looking to make amends for our last encounter against the Mariners, which ended with a 2-1 defeat.
Central Coast currently sit in fourth place in Y-League Conference B, but are only three points behind the Red & Black, so a win will be crucial in our chase for a second Y-League Grand Final appearance.
There is also a chance of meeting some familiar faces on Saturday – Jonathan Aspropotamitis played his first game back from injury in their 2-0 loss to Sydney FC last weekend in the Y-League, while former Wanderers Academy player Dylan Ruiz-Diaz came off the bench for the Mariners when we last played them in this competition.
For the Wanderers, Tate Russell capped off a good performance with a goal in Saturday’s win over Newcastle.
The speedy 19-year-old, who is normally used as a right back, made his Y-League debut for us in the 2015-16 season.
Russell was a part of the Young Socceroos squad for October’s AFC U19 Championship, and after some impressive performances for us in both the Y-League and NPL 2, was rewarded with a two-year scholarship deal in June.
On the other side of the defence, Mathieu Cordier has also been catching the eye recently.
Known for his overlapping runs down the left flank, the 19-year-old left back joined the Wanderers Academy in 2016 after playing for Football NSW Institute and Manly United.
Cordier was, along with Russell, part of the Wanderers team that won the 2018 Foxtel Y-League Grand Final in February, and he has also represented Australia at Under-19 level.
Foxtel Y-League Round 6
Central Coast Mariners v Western Sydney Wanderers
Saturday 15 December, 10:30am
CCM Centre of Excellence, Tuggerah
