Buoyant Phoenix not getting carried away as winless Mariners come to town

December 11, 2018

Defender Steven Taylor says the side are staying humble after their 3-1 win over Sydney FC.

Despite a sensational 3-1 victory over Sydney FC last weekend, the Wellington Phoenix aren't getting ahead of themselves heading into this weekend's clash with the winless Central Coast Mariners at Westpac Stadium.

Unbeaten in their last two matches, the Phoenix have held the league leading Perth Glory to a draw, before last week toppling the defending champions, third placed Sydney FC 3-1 away from home.

Having moved up to eighth spot themselves, the Phoenix are preparing for Saturday's visit of the Mariners, rooted to the bottom of the A-League with five losses and two draws this season.

Speaking to media today though, defender Steven Taylor says his side aren't taking their lowly opponents lightly.

"We don't look into what they've got. We look at how we can hurt teams, and what we've got. And I think that's shown," Taylor said.

"We don't dwell on what they can do, and we don't know what team they're going to put out.

"Everybody can beat anybody in this league, I said that at the start of the season. So it's all about who wants it more, and at the moment, we're showing that we want it."

Having claimed three points on their trip to the fortress that is Sydney FC's Allianz Stadium, Taylor also says that the side are well aware of the importance of doing the same in front of their own fans.

"It's easier said than done but we're going to do what we do, which is believe in ourselves, work hard together.

"You can see the team spirit on and off the pitch, the lads they're doing the extras, they're doing the extras, and that's shown. We're a tight-knit group, and everyone's playing for the manager.

"And he's shown that as well. You can see the passion, even when we were 3-0 up he wants more goals, and he's pushing us hard.

"He came in at half-time and he wasn't happy, and you could see that. And that's what you want as players, he keeps us on our toes, and the lads all want to train hard. And you don't know if you're going to be starting next week so you train hard and see what happens."


SHARE ME

More Stories