The 1-0 victory sends the Mariners into a fourth A-League grand final against rookie side Western Sydney Wanderers who beat the Brisbane Roar 2-0 to assure their spot.
McGlinchey recently re-signed with Graham Arnold’s side adding a further two-years to his contract after a stand-out season that has seen him make invaluable contributions from the midfield.
While behind the league’s current top scorer, teammate Daniel McBreen, McGlinchey has improved on his goal-scoring tallies of previous seasons as well as having more assists than any other player at the club this season.
McGlinchey’s form has been setting the A-League alight which has caught the attention of New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert who says the 26-year-old can lay claim to being the best player in this season’s competition.
“Michael has been outstanding this season in the A-League, and he has arguably been the best player in the competition,” Herbert said.
“Personally I think it is the best season he has had since he arrived in Australia. Michael has been a massive influence for the Mariners this season. Stability is important for a lot of players and Michael has certainly found his feet at the Mariners, and that is also credit to Graham Arnold and everyone at the club.
“He is wonderful at timing runs forward and operating just behind the forward line. He is certainly a crucial player for us (New Zealand) in the midfield in terms of creating chances and hopefully finishing them as well. He brings a certain x-factor and he will keep on growing and growing, which he can do for the national team and his club side.”
The New Zealand-born, Scottish-bred McGlinchey was given a surprise national team call-up for the All Whites in 2009, after having already played for Scotland at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The former Celtic player has gone on to become an ever-present presence in Herbert’s All Whites since making his debut four years ago.
Most recently he played the full 90 minutes for New Zealand in their crucial 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against New Caledonia in Dunedin, helping them secure a 2-1 victory. The win ensured New Zealand will represent Oceania in an inter-continental playoff against the fourth-placed CONCACAF nation for a place at next year’s World Cup finals in Brazil.
While the future looks bright, the midfielder’s main focus remains on helping his club to victory in Sunday’s match to claim the A-League Championship.
“This season the Premiership slipped by us, but we’ll definitely be going for the Grand Final this season for ourselves and for the fans,” McGlinchey said.
“The last few years we’ve been close but you have to keep going and we’ll be desperately trying to get it. Fair play to Western Sydney, they’ve been fantastic this season and hopefully we can get them in the Grand Final.”
For more on New Zealand Football visit www.nzfootball.co.nz

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