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After back-to-back seasons to forget, Central Coast are eager to repay long-suffering fans with success in Wednesday's FFA Cup semi-final against Adelaide.

After a couple of lean years, Central Coast are eager to give some joy to their long-suffering fans in Wednesday's FFA Cup semi-final against Adelaide.

Wooden spoon finishers in the past two A-League campaigns, the Mariners are now just 90 minutes away from their first FFA Cup final.

To achieve that goal however Alan Stajcic's men are going to need to overcome an Adelaide outfit which has made a habit of doing well in the pre-season competition.

The Reds are the most successful team in FFA Cup history, winning the trophy twice including last season.

They've marched into the last four once more with wins over Melbourne Knights, Olympic FC and Newcastle as they chase a fourth final appearance in six seasons.

It's been a grittier road for the Mariners, who needed penalties to overcome Brisbane Roar in the round of 16 before a stoppage time winner over Hume City secured their place in the semi-finals.

Wednesday's game is a repeat of the 2014 semi-final when Adelaide won 3-2 on their way to claiming the inaugural FFA Cup and Mariners' striker Jordan Murray is eagerly aiming to reverse that result.

"It'd be a really good chance for the Central Coast club to get into a final and give back to the fans because they've really had a tough time over the last couple of years," Murray said.

"It's going to be huge. The Central Coast hasn't had the FFA Cup here in quite a long time and it's a semi-final so it's even bigger. To have the home crowd is definitely going to be an advantage."

Adelaide departed on Tuesday with Nikola Mileusnic travelling despite concerns over a hamstring injury.

If the Reds are to continue their tradition of success in the tournament, captain Michael Jakobsen said they'll need to be wary of an improved Mariners team.

"We can't go there and think 'oh this is going to be a walk in the park'. We need to be there from the first whistle," the Danish defender said.

"If we're not up for the fight we might struggle so it's important that we get a good start.

"It's not a bad team at all so we need to be on our best game to win."