WESTERN Sydney insists it won't be burdened by the weight of expectation that continues to build in its stunning debut season.
Written off as pretenders at the start of the season, the Wanderers, to the delight of their burgeoning fan base, sit inside the top four two months out from the finals series.
Even qualifying for the top six would be a coup for the A-League newcomers, who enjoy an eight-point buffer over fifth-placed Melbourne Heart, but as each week passes the belief and expectation grows that they could fight it out for the championship. Wanderers captain Michael Beauchamp said his team is keeping a lid on any finals talk, but the team always believed they would be able to mix it with the A-League's best.
"I don't know if the expectation is a bad thing," Beauchamp said yesterday.
"We always believed that we had a team that was good enough to compete and we have shown that week in week out. But there is still a lot of games to play and a lot of hard work ahead of us."
Wanderers vice-captain Nikolai Topor-Stanley, who was one of just seven contracted players who attended the team's first training session in July, said each player had been buoyed by coach Tony Popovic's enthusiasm.
"From the start he brought such passion to the club and we have all wanted to buy into that, we have wanted to play like that every week and I think we do," he said.
"There are a lot of players here who weren't quite wanted by other clubs and they have made the Wanderers their home. We all believe in each other.
"It's been a lot of hard work but there is still a lot of hard work to go. We aren't getting carried away with anything."
Meanwhile, Newcastle has confirmed the signing of midfielder Zenon Caravella from Adelaide United for the rest of the season and the next.
Caravella, Adelaide's reigning player of the season, was released by the Reds to join Newcastle.
The Jets are Caravella's third A-League team after Adelaide and Gold Coast United.
AAP
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