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Wanderers boss banishes the word 'can't'

3 minute read

Interim Western Sydney coach Jean-Paul de Marigny says can't is a word that has no place in his vocabulary, as he presides over a improving Wanderers side.

Western Sydney interim coach Jean-Paul de Marigny has banished the word "can't" from his vocabulary and insists his improving side won't be drawing on their last derby win ahead of next Friday's return clash with Sydney FC.

The eighth-placed Wanderers made it seven points from three games under de Marigny and stayed in finals contention with a thrilling 5-2 home win over Adelaide at Bankwest Stadium on Friday.

They scored after five minutes, trailed 2-1 and slammed on four straight goals to secure their first home win in seven matches since their 1-0 victory over Sydney back in late October.

That was the runaway league leaders' only A-League defeat and scoreless effort in 15 games.

But de Marigny has no intention next week of harking back to that game in which Wanderers produced a mighty rearguard effort to defy a Sydney side that created almost all the other chances in the game apart from Mitch Duke's winner.

"You're losing energy looking back so it's all about looking forward and it's going to be a great challenge for us,"' de Marigny said.

"They are obviously a very good side but it's an opportunity for us to take another step forward."

De Marigny praised the positivity and aggression of Wanderers, who have scored nine games in his three games at the helm.

"I said to them before the game there's one word that I don't really enjoy and it's not in my vocabulary - 'can't,'" de Marigny said.

"People always look for can't and we don't.

"They are very good players, they are good human beings and it's all about believing that they can."

De Marigny isn't fretting over whether the club will officially extend his interim position to the end of the season.

"My expectation from the club is zero," de Marigny said.

"What I'm looking for is progressing this group of players on a daily basis, that's all I'm interested in."

One player flourishing under his stewardship is wingback Bruce Kamau, who was involved in three goals on Friday and tormented the Adelaide defence with a series of speedy and damaging runs.

"Bruce is in a great space at the moment," de Marigny said.

Captain and leading scorer Duke bagged a first-half double to take his tally for the season to nine.

He starred despite coming off the ground in the second half with a hip issue and suffering a facial cut from a stray elbow in the first two minutes.

"A little knock in the eye in the western suburbs is nothing, he's had more," de Marigny joked.

"In terms of his hip it's probably just a little cork."

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