A Tough Act
Central Coast’s outspoken striker SASHO PETROVSKI isn’t afraid to take on the opposition, or anyone else for that matter
THE tabloids said it all after Sasho Petrovski, the Central Coast Mariners- candid striker, scored the equaliser at the death against Perth Glory in round 13 of the Hyundai A-League. It wasn-t the striker-s first last-minute goal and The West Australian-s headline: “Petrovski rips Perth Glory-s heart out with late strike” was testimony to the events of the 92nd minute of the match. Ironically, it was unclear if Petrovski would even take the field in that game, when Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna preferred Andre Gumprecht and Nick Mrdja as the first substitutes.
“The coach was going to leave me on the bench the previous match in Melbourne, but I was granted a stay of execution and played in most of that match,” says Petrovski. “I wasn-t too happy about not starting against the Glory and expressed my feelings to the coach, but in the end we salvaged the point which provided a great sense of relief for the team and the coaching staff.”
So what brought about McKinna-s recent reluctance to play the seemingly reliant Petrovski, who had a relatively successful debut with Mariners last season with eight goals in 22 matches, followed by five goals in 14 appearances this season?
“I-d like to think it had nothing to do with the standstill in my negotiations with the club for next season, but more to do with the fact we have five quality strikers at the club who are vying for a starting place.
“Nevertheless, it is unsettling halfway through the season if you have no security and I totally agree with John Kosmina that the system of approaching players after October 1st - when they-ve been signed by other clubs for next season - is a real distraction and could affect performances.”
And while Petrovski-s future remains undecided, McKinna has said he is still hopeful Mariners will be able to retain his services, saying he thinks this season has been the best that Petrovski has played.
on the record
Petrovski-s goal-scoring record speaks for itself, in particular the 35 he scored for Wollongong Wolves when they won back to back NSL Championships in the 1999/00 and 2000/01 seasons. His record in the A-League, where he has often played in a deeper link man role, stands at 27 goals in 79 matches.
There have been many opinions about how the loss of Petrovski would impact on the Mariners, but when speaking with other coaches in the A-League, it appears there would be no shortage of suitors vying for his services and only a month ago was linked with the new Gold Coast franchise.
When asked about Petrovski, Gold Coast FC assistant coach, Paul Okon, said while the addition of the Mariners forward would be good for any side, his experience may not quite fit with the players already on their roster. “There-s no doubting Petrovski-s record, but he may not be willing to sit on the bench if required, after so many years in the game.”
Further down the coast at Newcastle, coach Gary van Egmond has had his share of heated exchanges with Petrovski in the past, but still praises the 33-year-old-s contribution to Australian football. “Sasho is a striker with guile, a great football brain, positional sense, outstanding technique and the ability to make finishing look easy. Most importantly he has always looked after himself which means he still can play at the highest level for the next few years.”
Petrovski-s impact can be seen throughout the Mariners outfit too. The rise of striking partner Matt Simon, now the league-s equal second top scorer, can be attributed, in no small way, to the assistance Petrovski.
“He-s helped me with timing my runs and general positional play and in my first full season with the club last year, he gave me a lot of help, which has been instrumental in my success,” says Simon.
talk the talk
Along with his playing prowess, Petrovski offers the same excitement off the field, never being far from the news and a player opposition fans love to hate. Even after his first year with Sydney FC, when he was the club-s top scorer, he was derided by then-coach Terry Butcher for some of his comments in the press.
“I simply was critical of Butcher-s one striker system and he thought I was behind a mutiny in the camp, so he regularly played me from the bench,” Petrovski explains.
Then last season, before the return leg major semi-final leg against Newcastle when the Mariners were down 2-0, Petrovski was critical of McKinna-s plans to play only two up front. “The players felt we had nothing to lose by being more adventurous and it worked to our advantage in reaching the grand final,” says Petrovski.
But it-s not just his own team that he-s comfortable offering an opinion on. Before last year-s grand final he said if he and John Aloisi had been playing for Queensland Roar in the preliminary final, the Jets wouldn-t have reached the grand final. This was greeted by Gary van Egmond-s retort of “Petrovski wasn-t the sharpest tool in the shed”, something that didn-t perturb Petrovski.
“I have the greatest respect for Gary, but he only said this because I scored the goal that knocked the Jets out of the major semi-final,” he says.
This weekend Sydney travel to Bluetongue Stadium in a crucial match for both sides. At the start of this A-League season, Petrovski said Sydney were putting unnecessary pressure on themselves by talking up their title chances due to their big signings and he sees “this weekend-s game against us (as) the final test of these claims”.
Former Socceroo David Lowe summarised Petrovski-s characteristics in a player analysis before last year-s grand final: “He is an enigmatic, brooding character, never far from an argument with a referee or an opponent but is a highly talented striker who enjoys the spotlight.”
And you can be sure wherever Sasho Petrovski ends up next year, he will never be far from the action.