Chris Payne and Shannon Cole on debut were exceptional. Payne had the challenge of being the lone striker and had limited opportunity to show what he is made of.

Cole looked comfortable in the big stage and impressed with his free-kick ability. Coach John Kosmina only appointed him as the free-kick taker the day before the match.

This Saturday night's match against the Central Coast Mariners at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford will be a big challenge for us.

I am looking forward to it, especially with the likes of Stuart Musialik and Dez Giraldi playing their first game in the sky blue.

Hopefully Tony Popovic and John Aloisi will be fit to play. Aloisi is overcoming injury and has a 50per cent chance of playing, but Kosmina will wait until the last minute to make a decision on his fitness.

The Mariners will run the whole 90 minutes, so we need to maintain a high level of intensity for the entire match. They are a team who work well together and can capitalise on our mistakes.