Stajcic stepped in just 48 hours after previous coach Mike Mulvey was axed following the 8-2 humiliation by Wellington Phoenix.

And the former Matildas coach immediately turned things around at the wooden spoon side, securing only their second win in a year in his very first senior pro men's game.

The Mariners faced down F3 derby rivals Newcastle Jets and scored a morale-boosting 3-2 win over their old enemies in a thriller match.

Unfortunately they couldn't back it up in Stajcic's second match, narrowly losing 1-0 against Adelaide United last weekend - and this week they face a mammoth task taking on league leaders Perth Glory.

But the new-look Mariners went through their paces on the training field today in detailed preparation for making life tricky for stars like Diego Castro and Chris Ikonomodis.

Stajcic was brutally honest at times about the quality of some of the passing and determination of some players in training - but the criticism lifted them to improve.

PLUS...

In pics: Stajcic stamps his mark on the Mariners

Alen Stajcic is making the Central Coast Mariners his own already after just a few weeks as caretaker coach at the wooden spoon side. FTBL was there at training this morning as he put his troops through a bruising, tough-love training session, where he pulled no punches on their strengths and weaknesses. Check out the pics...
And import star Hiariej appreciates the difference.

"Mulvey was all right, but now we have a little bit more structure," said Hiariej today. "And we know better what to do, so the last four games, we're hoping to get some wins now."

But the midfielder was keen to stress his previous absences from the team was more about injuries than clashes with his former coach.

"I was injured for a bit so I think that was my own problem," he said. "Now I'm fit so I'm good to go. 

"It's not about the coach, it's about myself."

But Hiariej said the new coach has brought a new attitude to the side, as seen in the defeat against Adelaide.

"We fought to the end, you could see that in the game" he said. "I think again we were very structured and now the defence is good. 

"Now we have to do a little bit more on the ball, and that's what we will work on for the next couple of weeks. Now we train on the pitch to keep the ball a little bit longer and create more chances."

He's relishing the chance to turn things around at the club in the last few weeks of the season as talks continue on a new contract for the former Groningen number 6.

Hiariej added: "We want to finish the season with a couple of wins so it's going to be a nice battle!"

PLUS...

In pics: Stajcic stamps his mark on the Mariners

Alen Stajcic is making the Central Coast Mariners his own already after just a few weeks as caretaker coach at the wooden spoon side. FTBL was there at training this morning as he put his troops through a bruising, tough-love training session, where he pulled no punches on their strengths and weaknesses. Check out the pics...