Sydney FC star Kosta Barbarouses says there’s a familiar feel about the Sky Blues’ current six games straight winning record, comparing it to one he’s experienced before in the Hyundai A-League.
A young member of the Brisbane Roar side that would set an Australia Football record 36-game unbeaten run between 2010 and 2011, Barbarouses said the air is similar amongst the current crop of Sky Blues after guiding the squad to their sixth successive win on Saturday.
The New Zealand international said there was no reason the Sky Blues couldn’t set a similar record in the competition, but stressed there’s plenty more work ahead if the team want to match that feat.
“At Brisbane in 2010/11 we lost in Round 3 and didn’t lose again for the rest of the year,” Barbarouses said of the winning streak.
“It doesn’t happen very often, it’s almost 10 years since then so maybe it’s time to happen again.
“You hope that it happens but we’re in the early stages at the moment, we’re really pleased but we know we have to keep going and work hard to continue it.
[On the similarities between this squad and that Brisbane squad] Definitely the attitude of the players, we had a younger squad then, we were just starting off and that launched us a bit,” he continued.
“We’ve got a lot more experience here I think but the attitude is here and the respect that we have for the coaching staff is very similar to what I had there at Brisbane.
“There are similarities there, no two years are the same though, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
Barbarouses returns to his home country on Saturday as Head Coach Steve Corica’s charges prepare for an encounter against the Wellington Phoenix at Wetspac Stadium.
The New Zealand international said it’d be nice to see his family again, the first time since he moved to Sydney, as he underlined the importance of the three points on offer in Wellington.
“I haven’t been back since the holidays, I’ve only seen my mum since I haven’t seen most of my family in six months so it’ll be good to see them,” Barbarouses said.
“It’s going to be a big game, they’re performing really well and gave us a good game early in the year.
“We need to be focused and work hard, if we pick up the three points there it’s a really important three points for us. We need to do everything we can to bring them home.
“The venue is awesome, Westpac is amazing. The surface and atmosphere the Yellow Fever has is great. It can get a bit windy and wet at times but that’s part of the experience.
“Historically they’ve used it [the weather] to their advantage so it’s going to be a really good game. Wellington add a lot to the league, they out perform expectations every year and we can’t take them lightly.
“Things are going really well. We’re winning at the moment, and the quality we have is coming through,” he continued.
“We’re on a good run now and we have to keep the momentum going, we’ve got two massive games coming up where we can really break away if we keep winning and keep doing well.”
Sydney FC take on the Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium on Saturday (kick off 2:45pm AEDT). Catch the match LIVE on Fox Sports 505, streamed on the My Football Live app or follow the club on Twitter for updates.
