Melbourne City have licked the wounds of their brutal Asian Champions League exit and quickly moved on to their A-League Men clash with Central Coast.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
City threw away their chance to reach the knockout stages by slipping to a late 1-1 draw with Zhejiang FC on Tuesday night, with their elimination confirmed on Wednesday.
They will now turn their focus to facing the Mariners for the first time since last season's 6-1 grand final loss.
"The thing for us now is it's happened, there's nothing we can do," City coach Aurelio Vidmar said.
"We've had a couple of days off, we've had our little bit of time where we could have a cry and a little bit of a sulk.
"But now we've just got to change our attitude. What's done is done and we've just got to get ready and prepare for Central Coast.
"For me there's a lot of positive signs, a lot of positives. There's nothing there that tells me we're in any sort of trouble.
"Again, it's about now bouncing back, and the good teams do bounce back, and we certainly have the quality in this group."
City will be without Mathew Leckie, who is sidelined for between four and six weeks with a hamstring injury, but hope Jamie Maclaren (ankle) will be fit to feature at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Vidmar wouldn't be drawn on City's grand final humiliation against the Mariners, which occurred under predecessor Rado Vidosic.
On Saturday, the Mariners announced veteran defender Storm Roux had signed a two-year contract extension through to the end of the 2025-26 season.
"I just want to help this club get more success," Roux said in a statement.
"Another grand final win would be amazing, and I want to help the young boys come through.
"I've been at the club a long time and I grew up here so it's exciting to get an extra two years."
e
Australian Associated Press
