The Wolves have a great opportunity to shine when the FFA Cup comes to Wollongong in the near future.
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With the way the Cup is structured this year, Luke Wilkshire's side was always a good chance to draw a NSW-based A-Leagues team.
I think the first time we made the Cup was in 2015 and we drew the Central Coast Mariners. Now, as the Wolves prepare to compete in the round of 16 for the first time, we will face them again.
Any A-Leagues opposition is going to be difficult, but I think the Mariners maybe one of the teams we have the best chance against. They're a young team, a new group who only beat Blacktown by one goal in their Cup fixture on the weekend. Anything can happen in Cup games, but it's a good A-Leagues opponent for us to draw.
I think a highlight of the next match-up will be seeing Central Coast's new coach Nick Montgomery. I had "Monty" down here for a season-and-a-half in my last year or two of coaching at the Wolves, and he was great for the club. He obviously still has close contacts with the club and I think he's going to be a top manager. It will be exciting to see him and Luke Wilkshire going head-to-head. For Monty, he will be wanting to come down to Wollongong and get the result. Monty knows the culture and the way the Wolves do things. He's probably kept a close eye on the team the last few years and I'm sure he will be well prepared for it.
I had Monty and Luke both in my team in my last last year of coaching in 2018, they played alongside each other. They know each other well but when it comes game time, I'm sure they will only be interested in one thing - and that's getting the win.
Drawing Central Coast probably isn't as crowd enticing as the Wanderers or Sydney FC, but it's great to see the Wolves get a home game. A few years back when we played the Mariners, I remember there was a big crowd there on a Wednesday night. This game gives another chance for locals to get out and watch a quality, competitive and meaningful game of football.
While I think expansion is a little while away, the game will give another opportunity for the Illawarra to showcase what we could offer as an A-Leagues club, or a second division club in the future. Hopefully we can get a good crowd down to the match.
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