Bernie Ibini rocks up to Mariners training and coach Phill Moss wants the forward back Central Coast coach Phil Moss concedes the Mariners need to get back on track with a win at North Sydney Oval after suffering a thumping 4-0 loss to Adelaide United. Bernie Ibini welcomed back by captain John Hutchinson during Mariners training. MARINERS boss Phil Moss is resigned to losing Michael McGlinchey to Japan, but says the return of Bernie Ibini would be a seamless transition. McGlinchey is expected to follow former Mariners coach Graham Arnold to Vegalta Sendai as soon as personal terms are agreed, while Ibini has returned from Shanghai SIPG following the death of his father. Ibini, who left the Central Coast at the start of the season, trained with the Mariners at North Sydney Oval on Tuesday and Moss says he would welcome the 21-year-old back to the club. "Bernie has been training with us," Moss confirmed. He's basically been given permission by his club in China to stay back here on extended compassionate leave because he lost his father a few weeks ago and he needs to stay fit. So at this stage that's all it is - he's training with us. But certainly if there was any movement in the January transfer window, if Michael McGlinchey moves on to Japan, then that would open an opportunity to look seriously at getting Ibini back on loan or on a permanent deal. Bernie's been here, he knows the structures, he knows the way we play and he's very popular in the dressing room, so it would be a very seamless transition from Mikey to Bernie. The Mariners barely have time to recover from the weekend's heavy 4-0 defeat to Adelaide, but Moss is thankful for that. They play Wellington at North Sydney Oval tomorrow night and, despite being away from their home fortress of Bluetongue Stadium, Moss is expecting his players to have plenty of energy for the game. "It suits us perfectly after a loss like that in Adelaide - the quicker you get back on the pitch for a game, the better," Moss said. It's short, sharp preparation. We're expecting a much improved performance on the ball - moving the ball quicker, using it a lot more wisely. I think it will be a real crackerjack of a game. The Phoenix are still searching for their first win of the season, but Moss believes they've looked a much sharper side under Ernie Merrick. "They've got players who can hurt you," Moss said. Carlos Hernandez, Stein Huysegems, Jeremy Brockie - they're all players who can score goals in the blink of an eye. So we have to make sure our defensive structures are sound and we're very disciplined without the ball, but I believe with the ball we can certainly exploit some areas of their defensive structure and cause them some problems. Bernie Ibini back with his old teammates during Mariners training at North Sydney Oval. Ibini, who left the Central Coast at the start of the season, trained with the Mariners at North Sydney Oval yesterday and Moss said he would welcome the 21-year-old back to the club. He has basically been given permission by his club in China to stay back here on extended compassionate leave because he lost his ­father a few weeks ago and he needs to stay fit. The Mariners play Wellington at North Sydney Oval on Thursday night.