The Central Coast Mariners have confirmed that two academy players have left the club to join other A-League clubs, with Pat Beach and Josh Hong departing the Central Coast.
Beach will join City on what is believed to be a three-year deal to provide competition for the A-League squad, with Tom Glover set to depart the premieres.
The 20-year-old has been one of the standout performers in goals for the Yellow & Navy, making several crucial saves to help promote Abbas Saad’s team away from relegation on the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s First Grade ladder.
The other departure for the club is defender Josh Hong, who will link up with former Mariners Academy coach Andrew Christiansen at the Western Sydney Wanderers.
The Mariners are a club synonymous with giving young players an opportunity to grow and develop into great players and people. From Mat Ryan to Trent Sainsbury, and more recently Garang Kuol, the Mariners have provided an opportunity for players that they might not have found elsewhere, and Mariners Academy head coach Abbas Saad believes that his role is to develop players for such occasions.
“As an academy coach it’s my duty to develop these players for senior football, and to help them believe in their abilities,” Saad said.
“It’s not easy when you have a team of young men playing against seasoned veterans, but my role is to help them achieve their potential.
“Everyone at the club wishes Beachy and Hongy all the best, and in truth I’d like to see more of my players taking that next step. Obviously, I’d love for that to be here, but seeing Pat move into an A-League role will be really motivating for these guys.”
The move for Beach comes just a week after the Mariners announced the signing of Young Socceroo Jack Warshawsky on a two-year deal from the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Warshawsky joins a very talented group of young goalkeepers at the club, with Anthony Pavlešić, Dylan Peraić-Cullen and Alex Parkes all at the Mariners.
Pavlešić made his first start for the Mariners Academy First Grade side on the weekend in a 4-2 win over Bulls FC Academy, and will be heading to Bangkok later this month with the U-17’s National team in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup with fellow academy players Miguel Di Pizio and Andre Parkes.