As exclusively revealed by au.fourfourtwo.com earlier today, the Gosford club have decided to press on with their attempts to ensure that the youngster is not deprived of a chance to represent Australia in Beijing.

Executive chairman Lyall Gorman met with the club’s QC this morning and as expected, the outcome was that all parties involved felt there was a strong enough case to warrant this final avenue of appeal.

Gorman said in a statement: “The Central Coast Mariners have today submitted an appeal to Football Federation Australia in relation to the suspension handed out to goalkeeper Danny Vukovic following the Hyundai A-League 2008 Grand Final.

"Having consulted extensively with the club QC and other legal counsel, the PFA, Vukovic and Vukovic’s management, the Mariners have elected to submit an appeal in an attempt to challenge Vukovic’s 12 month ban."

The statement added: “The welfare of the player in this instance is absolutely paramount and following discussions between Danny, his management and our legal team, we have decided it is in the best interests of Danny, the club and hopefully at the end of the day the game that we proceed with this appeal.

“The past fortnight has been one of immense emotional strain on Danny and we are grateful to the media for their respect and understanding of this situation and for their continued co-operation in regards to maintaining Danny’s privacy.”

It is not yet clear when this second appeal will be heard.