Coach Luke Wilkshire has praised the Wolves for a "brave" effort in Wednesday night's loss to the Mariners, despite his side's FFA Cup preparation being severely hampered due to COVID.
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Wolves captain Lachlan Scott gave fans hope of a 'Cupset' at WIN Stadium when he drilled home a penalty in the 20th minute, with the visitors also reduced to 10 men after goalkeeper Mark Birighitti was red carded.
Wollongong maintained their one-goal lead until midway through the second half when Moresche equalised for Central Coast, before substitute Harry McCarthy's header in the 80th minute sealed the 2-1 victory.
Any chance of a late comeback was snuffed out when Wolves defender Darcy Madden also received a red card.
The result ended the Wolves' 2021 campaign in the round of 16. It was the club's best ever Cup result, having previously never got past the round of 32.
The achievement came after the NSW NPL season was cut short due to COVID, with Wilkshire's men only starting their preparations for the nation-wide competition last month.
Conversely, the Mariners began pre-season training in October, while also had two A-League Men's games and a Cup fixture (1-0 victory over Blacktown City) under their belt before taking on the Wolves.
"The way we are, and the way we approach games is to be brave and to be positive. I'm proud of them, they left everything out there. At the end of the day, it wasn't meant to be," Wilkshire said.
"I think the biggest thing that shone through was the gap between a professional and semi-professional set-up, in terms of the fitness levels and the pace. They're in season and we're not, and I think that showed clearly, especially towards the back end of the game.
"But considering the lead-up that we've had, I'm extremely proud of the boys and what they've put in to get to where we did. But it's disappointing not to get through to the next round."
While Central Coast advance to the Cup's quarter-finals, the Wolves will now enjoy a short break before their attention turns towards the 2022 NSW NPL season.
Wilkshire says his players will learn a lot from their Cup campaign, which will make them hungry for next year.
"When you bring in a new squad, you do a full pre-season and do your bonding, but we've had to fast track it because of the FFA Cup. And I thought they've been phenomenal. I'm excited for what they can achieve - and I think we've just scratched the surface," he said.
"The boys will have a few days off now and we'll gather again on the weekend for a lunch together, and then we'll get into pre-season. We've got to get the boys fully fit and do the injury prevention stuff that we haven't been able to do.
"We've now got nearly three-and-a-half months before we start again. We'll give them some time off, and then we'll regroup and get cracking for next year."
I'm proud of the boys, they left everything out there. At the end of the day, it wasn't meant to be.
- - Luke Wilkshire
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