Wolves captain Lachlan Scott says his side has no fear ahead of Wednesday night's must-win FFA Cup clash with the Central Coast Mariners in Wollongong.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Wolves will take on the A-League Men's side in the Cup's round of 16, with the winner progressing through to the nation-wide competition's quarter-finals.
Scott, who spent three seasons with the Western Sydney Wanderers, believes his NSW NPL team are ready to challenge the Mariners.
"There's a bit of nerves within the group, but also an air of confidence as well. We're not just coming out here to roll over, that's for sure. We're going to come out and play our game, move the ball around well, press high and make sure we give them a real test," the striker said.
"The Mariners have been in pre-season for three months now and we've only been back for a certain amount of time, so I think that will make it difficult. But I think we have a lot of players that could be playing in the A-Leagues. It will be good test for us to gauge where we're at going forward, but I'm confident we'll get a good result on Wednesday.
"It's all about attitude, confidence and being there for each other, and we have an element of class within the team as well. I have no doubts in the boys in the team, and I'm sure they all have my back as well."
The Wolves created history by progressing through to the Cup's round of 16 with a 3-0 win over their NSW NPL rivals Mount Druitt last month, marking the first time they'd ever progressed past the round of 32.
Peter Simonoski's goal just before halftime proved the turning point, before Bilal Belkadi and Scott also scored in the second stanza.
It continued Scott's impressive FFA Cup scoring record, highlighted by a two-goal performance for Western Sydney against the Phoenix back in 2016.
"It's obviously good to score in games like that and get the confidence up. Scoring is one of those things where the longer you don't do it, the harder it is to find one," Scott, 24, said.
"I scored a double in the Cup in my first game with the Wanderers firsts team, so hopefully it's a run I'd like to continue. I think if I score and we play well, I have no doubts we'll make it through to the next round."
Wednesday will also provide the Wolves with a chance to show why they deserve a crack at A-Leagues promotion. Wollongong was given renewed hope last week when the Australian Professional Leagues announced they would conduct a "strategic review" into expansion over the next six months, with the potential for a 14th team to join the national competition in 2022.
"I've lived here my whole life, so to play for Wollongong in the A-Leagues would be a dream of mine, and I think the club's going in the right direction to make that happen," Scott said.
"I think a win on Wednesday night would show we deserve to be there."
I think we have a lot of players that could be playing in the A-Leagues... it will be a good test for us to gauge where we're at.
- - Lachlan Scott
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
