Kenny Lowe has hinted he may go with the line-up from last weekend’s 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory when Glory clashes against the Mariners at Central Coast on Saturday afternoon.
Lowe said the absence of captain Rostyn Griffiths for one more week, paved the way for other players to step up to the plate with the likes of Milan Smiljanic and Brandon Wilson in midfield, and allowed winger Joel Chianese who filled in for the injured Chris Harold to shine.
 “Joel’s done ok and he’s earned the right and you’ve got moral obligations sometimes to trust people and if we do that, that mean’s Chrissy’s upset, it means he’s on the bench and if he comes off the bench he’ll want to do something, it’s a great problem to have and a great scenario to be in” Lowe said.
Glory heads into the match with confidence after coming off an undefeated five match run.
But Lowe knows Central Coast- whom Perth lost to in their last encounter earlier this season- won’t be an easy task.
“They’re better than where they are (on the ladder)” he said.
“It’s going to be a tough one, every A-League game is tough but it’d be great to roll away with the win”.
“The focus is about belief, growing the belief, keeping the performances and the wins will take care of themselves, and if that happens, whatever league position you end up it will be a decent one.
While the club announced the departure of youngster Kosta Petratos at the end of the season, Lowe was excited to sign youth export Joe Knowles for one year, for the 2017/18 season.
“Joe Knowles has signed a contract which is good for the kid. That’s the easy part signing one, he thinks he’s cracked it, but it’s pain now” the coach joked.
“Knowles’s  got ink because he’s a decent player, not because he’s from WA or because he’s come from the pathway- which is nice, which shows everyone else you do the hard yards you’ve got an opportunity” he added.
The match between Perth and the Mariners kicks-off at 2.35pm on Fox Sports.
A-League Stats
- Central Coast Mariners managed a 2-0 win in their last encounter with Perth Glory, the first time they’ve kept a clean sheet against the Western Australian team since December 2012.
- The Mariners have won 14 and drawn three of their 18 home games against Perth Glory in A-League history, their only blemish a 1-0 loss in November 2014.
- Perth Glory has drawn each of their last four games away from home; never before has it endured a five-game road streak of draws.
- Central Coast Mariners have scored six of their 17 goals in the final 15 minutes of games so far this season, the highest percentage (35%) of any team in the competition.
- Perth Glory has conceded only one goal from outside the box so far this season, the equal-fewest of any team alongside Sydney FC.
- Nebojsa Marinkovic has scored three goals from outside the box so far this season, more than any other player
MATCH DETAILS
Saturday, 28 January 2017
Central Coast Mariners v Perth Glory
Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Kick-Off: 5:35PM (Local) (5:35PM (AEDT))
Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones
Assistant Referee 1: Owen Goldrick
Assistant Referee 2: Kearney Robinson
Fourth Official: Stephen Lucas
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on Fox Sports 505 from 5.00pm (AEDT) and Sky Sport 2 (New Zealand)
Radio Broadcast: ABC Grandstand Online & via the ABC Radio Mobile App – A-league Live, Coast FM 96.3
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #CCMvPER
Central Coast Mariners Squad: 1.Ivan NECEVSKI (gk), 2.Storm ROUX, 3.Scott GALLOWAY, 4.Jacob POSCOLIERO, 5.Harry ASCROFT, 6.Blake POWELL, 7.Fabio FERREIRA, 8.Nick MONTGOMERY (c), 11.Connor PAIN, 12.Trent BUHAGIAR, 13.Kwabena APPIAH, 14.Adam BERRY, 16.Liam ROSE, 17.Josh BINGHAM, 20.Paul IZZO (gk), 21.Michael NEILL, 22.Jake McGING, 26.STEVE WHYTE
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 4.Jacob POSCOLIERO (return from injury), 17.Josh BINGHAM (promoted), 26.Steve WHYTE (promoted)
Outs: 9.Roy O’DONOVAN (suspension – 1 week)
Unavailable: 10.Mickael TAVARES (ankle injury – 1 week), 19.Jacques FATY (hamstring – 1 week), 23.Jake ADELSON (ACL – indefinite)
Perth Glory Squad: 3.Marc WARREN, 4.Shane LOWRY, 6.Dino DJULBIC, 7.Joel CHIANESE, 9.Andy KEOGH, 10.Nebojsa MARINKOVIC, 11.Richard GARCIA, 13.Nicholas FEELY, 14.Chris HAROLD, (gk), 15.Brandon WILSON, 16.Joe MILLS, 17.Diego CASTRO, 19.Josh RISDON, 20.Aryn WILLIAMS, 22.Adam TAGGART, 23, Kosta PETRATOS, 24.Milan SMILJANIC, 33.Liam REDDY (gk)
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 14. Chris HAROLD (promoted), 20.Aryn WILLIAMS (promoted)
Outs: nil
Unavailable: 2.Alex GRANT (foot – 3 weeks) 8.Rostyn GRIFFITHS (suspended – 1 week) 18. Mitch OXBORROW (foot – 3 weeks)
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