Sydney FC skipper Terry McFlynn insists his team is feeling no pressure to back up from their win over premiers Brisbane when they take on Gold Coast in their A-League clash on Sunday.
The Sky Blues halted the Roar’s record 36-game unbeaten streak last week and have enjoyed a week off after their Wednesday night fixture against Perth was rescheduled for January.
But while all eyes will be on Sydney to see if they can manage a repeat performance when they take on Miron Bleiberg’s men at Skilled Park, McFlynn says the team isn’t fazed.
“No not at all,” McFlynn said on Friday.
“To play with Sydney FC comes with a lot of pressure.
“Every player here knows the pressure that’s on them and handles it accordingly.
“The Gold Coast on Sunday we’ll treat them with a lot of respect but again we’ll be looking to get three points.”
The Sky Blues looked like their old championship-winning selves against the Roar last week, with young gun Dimitri Petratos doing his best to cement his spot in the starting line-up when he scored one of the fastest goals in A-League history after just 36 seconds.
Marquee man Brett Emerton also looked to be hitting his stride, netting the second in the 2-0 win.
“It’s not secret, we’ve all said it, but that was probably our most complete performance as a team this season,” McFlynn said.
“There’s a great belief in the squad, there has been all season.
“So confidence is very high at the minute.”
Sydney have never won at Skilled Park against the Gold Coast, who are anchored to the bottle of the table.
They will also be boosted by the result in their previous encounter with the Gold Coast in round five when they fought back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2.
“I think it was a fantastic match for us and it really summed up the character and the belief we’ve got in this team,” McFlynn said.
“We’ll fight for each other, we’ll play for each other right till the 90th minute.
“There’s a real togetherness, a family-like atmosphere at the club at the minute where we’ll do anything for each other.
“I think that shows on the pitch.
“This season is like a clean slate, a fresh canvass if you like, and we’re putting our own mark on it.”
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