Blacktown City coach Mark Crittenden pointed to character after his team knocked off Central Coast Mariners in the Round of 32 on Wednesday night at Lily Homes Stadium.
Joey Gibbs was the hero scoring the opener and the winner on a fabulous night for the western Sydney based club, who won 3-2 in a thriller at Lily Homes Stadium.
Re-live the night and see the goals in our live blog
CHARACTER IN LATE WIN
“They worked so hard for each other, 2-0 up, then to 2-2 and they [Mariners] were moving the ball nicely,” he told Fox Sports afterwards.
“But you just can’t beat character.”
“I said to ‘Roods’ [assistant coach Luke Roodenburg], we have a massive game against APIA on Sunday, the last thing we want is extra time.
“And I said at half-time we need another goal to win it.
“And it turned out that way."
VICTORY FOR THE FANS
“Great to see all the people here.
“And what a great thing for them.
“It’s so huge for the community and all the kids who were here. What an effort.”
WATCH: Blacktown players celebrate their win over the Mariners
BOYS ON A HIGH AHEAD OF CRUCIAL LEAGUE CLASH
“Let’s leave them there,” Crittenden said with a smile.
“They’ll be on such a high. We won’t do much before Sunday, maybe a swim have something to eat and have them turn up on Sunday and keep them on cloud nine!”
