Mulvey rallies embattled Gold Coast

The match is a rearranged week 17 fixture after the original encounter was washed out in late January during a deluge on the Gold Coast.

Mulvey will use much of the youthful squad that almost left AAMI Park with a point on Friday night. After defending stoutly for much of the game, a solitary goal from Eli Babalj twelve minutes from time grabbed the points for Melbourne Heart.

Wednesday’s task against Graham Arnold’s Mariners outfit looks a tough one on paper, but Mulvey will welcome back club captain Michael Thwaite from suspension and has called for another committed performance from the team.

“For me it’s very simple at the moment," Mulvey said. "It’s all about the three Ps – players, preparation and performance.

"We had a decent performance on Friday night which gave us a lift and now we have to back it up,” Mulvey said.

“It’s been an unexpected opportunity for me personally, but I think I’m ready to be a coach in the A-League.

"I think the club has shown faith in me and I’m prepared to put a performance on the park on Wednesday night to prove we’ve got something to look forward to in the future.

“I believe we’ve got some very good quality footballers here who can play the game to a high level. Yes, we’ve got young players, but if you’re good enough you’re old enough.

“I didn’t go to a private school or anything, but there’s a saying, carpe diem, which of course means seize the day, and we spoke about that before the game against Melbourne Heart and we’ll touch on it again before the Mariners game.

“This is another challenge for us. Melbourne Heart are a different style of football team than Central Coast.

"The Mariners are top and Graham Arnold has done a great job with them – they play some great football. They’re top of the league for any other reason than the fact they deserve to be.

“Even though we didn’t win the game on Friday (against Heart) it was a spirited performance and that’s what we want to go on with again.”

Injuries will again deny Gold Coast a host of experienced players, but Dutch striker Maceo Rigters returns to the squad after recovering from an ankle strain.