“In terms of looking at the NYL, for me the biggest thing was recruitment,” Montgomery said. “Most of the boys are from around the Coast, which is fantastic, they’ve been around the club a long time. But we also went around the country, got a couple from Melbourne, a couple from Queensland and really casting the net to find the best talent in the country.

“The one thing that the Mariners are renowned for doing is the pathway into the A-League and beyond. You only have to look at the players that have been through this club and are playing in Scotland, the Premier League or in Europe.

“I don’t think there are many A-League clubs that can even compete with the players that have come through here and moved on. So that’s one thing that we’re proud of and we’re trying to get back to doing that.

“It’s not happened as much in the past three or four years, but if there’s one thing that I’m really passionate about doing it’s about creating opportunities in the A-League and overseas and that’s something we’re all working hard to do.”

Image Credit: Central Coast Mariners

One of the players found by the Mariners in their search around the country and an early highlight of their positive start to the Y-League has been attacker Alou Kuol.

Born in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, Kuol’s family moved to Sydney when he was four and then made the move to the regional Victorian city of Shepparton two years later.

Joining local NPL side Goulburn Valley Suns as a 12-year-old, the youngster quickly progressed through the club’s ranks and broke into the first-team whilst still a teenager – finding the back of the net 22 times in 2019 to lead the senior NPL Victoria NPL2 competition in goals.

Passed over by local clubs Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City, the youngster briefly trialled with both the Mariners and Western United in the offseason before making the move to the coast.

Safe to say, he has settled in with aplomb; netting five times in the Mariners four Y-League games so far and proving a constant menace for his Conference B opponents.  

“Alou is a fantastic kid, first and foremost, his attitude is unbelievable,” said Montgomery. “In terms of potential? He’s got massive potential, like a lot of the boys in the squad.

“I think he’s the top scorer in the Y-League at the minute, and chances wise he probably could have had double, triple the number of goals. But he’s taking his time to adjust to the tempo of playing at this level.

“We got him on trial through a contact of mine and instantly I knew we wanted him at the club. He fit everything about the Mariners and since he’s arrived, he’s been a breath of fresh air. He works tirelessly and he’s a real credit in front of goal and I think he’s going to get better and better.

“It’s not easy getting boys from interstate. Fortunately, we’ve got somebody involved at the club that bought an apartment on the coast that allows us to house some of the players.

“Accommodation and jobs when they get here is something we have to take care of because, unfortunately, we don’t have them in a full-time environment – there isn’t investment in any youth teams around the country that allows you to do that – so we were pretty fortunate that we were able to get Alou in and we’re fortunate to have him at the club.

“Hopefully he can progress and there’s no doubt he’s got the potential to be an A-League player.”