Our Wander Women are looking to win a third game in a row as they take the trip up the M1 to face the Central Coast Mariners.
After a season of blows and hardship, the luck for the Wanderers finally turned before the international break, as they climbed off the bottom of the A-League Women table.
They showed their character and strength against Newcastle in the last game before the break, as they shook off conceding early to put in a stellar performance and victory.
Bronte Trew and Ena Harada scored their first goals for the club in stunning fashion to have the Wanderers 2-1 up at the break, before second half goals from captain Amy Harrison and
Holly Caspers put the exclamation mark on a strong performance and victory.
It is not a coincidence the Wanderers are firing again after Caspers made her return; the star attacker has missed most of the season with two separate injuries, but has scored twice off the bench to help secure wins for the Wanderers in their last two games.
It is hoped she will soon be fit to start again and cause havoc alongside Sophie Harding, the reigning Julie Dolan medal winner who has also missed the last couple of games due to injury.
It also takes some of the attacking pressure off Sienna Saveska, who has seven goals for the season and she has shone, and she also was impressive in the international break for the young Matildas.
She played alongside teammates Talia Younis, Millie Bennett and Maya Lobo, and they will hope to continue their momentum from their successful time on the international stage for the Wanderers, as they look to end their season on a high.
They will also be looking for revenge after they were outplayed by the Mariners in the reverse fixture.
It was a game delayed by nearly two hours due to weather conditions, but the Wanderers were off the pace as they fell to a 3-1 defeat.
Without goalkeeper Sham Khamis, who was suspended, the Mariners scored twice in the opening 23 minutes to take control of the game, and added a third thanks to a Bianca Galic penalty; Olivia Price scored a consolation goal for the Red and Black.
It was the first time the Wanderers had lost to the Mariners, winning both meetings last season, including at Industree Group Stadium where the teams will play on Friday.
The Mariners are still in the hunt for a finals spot, currently sitting in sixth on 24 points.
Their attack isn’t the best, but they have the equal best defensive record in the league, conceding just 16 goals in 16 games.
They were on a five game unbeaten run before their last match, but that came to an end when they were defeated by the Melbourne Victory on the road, falling to a 2-0 defeat after conceding first half goals.
They have shared the goalscoring around this season, with Tiana Fuller and Jade Pennock scoring four times, whilst Galic and Annalise Rasmussen have three each.
They have only won four matches at home this season, and the Wanderers may look to take advantage of that as they aim for their first win on the road in 2025.
