Preview: Green Gully v Central Coast Mariners

Green Gully v Central Coast Mariners

Tuesday 2 August 2016

Green Gully Reserve, Keilor Downs (VIC) 

Kick-off: 8.00pm local (8:00pm AEST)

Referee: Daniel Elder

Assistant Referee 1: Luke Brennan

Assistant Referee 2: Brad Hobson

Fourth Official: Jonathan Barriero

Tickets: Click here for ticketing details

TV Broadcast: 7.30pm (AEST) Live and exclusive on FOX SPORTS 3 (Channel 503)

Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #GRGvCCM #FFACup

Green Gully squad: 1.Sebastien Mattei (gk), 2.Mathew Reid, 3.Yohei Iwasaki, 4.Daniel Jones, 5.Rodrigo Vargas, 6.Callum Richardson, 7.Tomas Murphy, 8.George Lambadaridis, 9.Anthony Ragusa, 11.Evan Christodoulou, 12.Nicholas Krousoratis, 14.Aaron Ward, 15.Jay Davies, 16.Kliment Taseski, 18.Oner Kucuk, 19.Luke Walker, 21.Charlie McCormick, 23.Rani Dowisha (gk), 38.Liam Boland

Central Coast Mariners squad: 1.Ivan Necevski (gk), 2.Storm Roux, 3.Josh Rose, 4.Jacob Poscoliero, 5.Harry Ascroft, 6.Blake Powell, 7.Fabio Ferreira, 8.Nick Montgomery, 9.Roy O’Donovan, 10.Mickael Tavares, 11.Connor Pain, 12.Trent Buhagiar, 13.Kwabena Appiah, 14.Adam Berry, 15.Bradley McDonald, 16.Liam Rose, 17.Josh Bingham, 18.Matthew Fletcher, 19.Jacques Faty, 20.Paul Izzo (gk), 21.Michael Neill, 22.Jake McGing, 23.Jake Adelson, 40.Tom Heward-Belle

Bluffer's Guide

Arthur Papas’s Gully are thrown in the deep end facing Hyundai A-League opposition at their first chance.

At the same time, Keilor on a cold, windy night is nothing like the sunny Central Coast.

It all points to an intriguing main broadcast game on Fox Sports when the A-League pros head to NPL territory in Melbourne.

Papas' attack-minded side have gained plenty of admirers in the PS4 NPL with their high-intensity game plan.

And while Gully are Westfield FFA Cup debutants their coach knows all about Cup runs after his run to the last eight in 2015 with Oakleigh Cannons

With A-League experience in their squad - including former Victory man Roddy Vargas and George Lambadaridis - you sense the club have a sniff of Cup fever.

Attackers Liam Boland, Nick Krousoratis and Evan Christodoulou have been free-scorers this season.

What's more, Gully played Friday, giving enough recovery time for the big one (though it was a weakened side they put out that lost 3-0 to ladder leaders Bentleigh with keeper Rani Dowisha getting sent off). 

Tony Walmsley is in the middle of re-shaping his squad for next Hyundai A-League season and the early indications are the squad is gelling nicely.

Could a Cup shock be on the cards at Green Gully Reserve? It would be a massive boilover if the hosts disposed a Hyundai A-League club...and the Mariners know it.

They were dumped out at home 1-0 by Wellington Phoenix in last season's Round of 32 courtesy of a keeper clanger, but their defensive stocks are vastly improved these days.

Still, this will be a very tough test.