They enjoyed and they celebrated after a second straight Derby win over Sydney FC, but it is now back to business as far as Wanderers captain Mitchell Duke is concerned.
They enjoyed and they celebrated after a second straight Derby win over Sydney FC, but it is now back to business as far as Wanderers captain Mitchell Duke is concerned.
Fresh from a wonderful 1-0 win last week in which he grabbed the winner, Duke also says the Red & Black are full of confidence and ready to go again against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium tomorrow night as they look to continue their march towards the Hyundai A-League Finals.
“Yeah, definitely we got to enjoy the win in the Derby. But, you enjoy it on the night,” said Duke.
“You can’t afford to get too caught up in it.
“We are still outside the six. We still have a lot to do to finish the season strong and to make the finals and compete for the championship.
“We don’t get caught up too much in it, it is pretty much back to business once Monday comes around and focus on Brisbane Roar, our next target.
“We are not getting too ahead of ourselves. We had a bad period during the season where we didn’t do as well as we should have, but now we are going in the right direction and we need to keep that going.”
The game against the Roar looms as a potential season definer for the Red & Black as they are just two points behind the sixth-placed Queenslanders and have a game in hand.
Depending on other results, the Wanderers, unbeaten in their last four games and with 10 points from a possible 12, could find themselves back in the top six by the end of the weekend, though Duke admitted he wants the team to aim higher.
“That (getting to the Finals) is our main target now,” conceded Duke. “We have Brisbane and that is a massive chance to beat them and jump them.
“It is up to us to take that chance and once we get into that top six we need to not only stay there but to look at going higher up the table. Top four should be a minimum for us. We are not too far away from third spot, even second.
“If we keep going the way we are going, there is no reason why we can’t be up there.”
The Roar game will be the third in a row on the road for the Red & Black and they face another trip away against Melbourne City next week before the third Sydney Derby of the season at home at Bankwest Stadium.
It is a daunting period for the club, but one Duke says should be embraced.
“Definitely it is a tough schedule, but we have to welcome it as professionals,” said Duke. “We are in a tough position, we are not in the top six.
“We have to test ourselves, our character, our ability and our consistency to make sure we keep doing these (good) performances week in and week out and challenge ourselves, because at the end of the day, we are definitely a better team than where we are at right now.”
