Central Coast Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna will remain cautious of the tactics Sydney FC apply when the teams meet tomorrow. The Mariners, who have been labelled as a 'long-ball' side, have kicked off the season well with a win and a draw and are eyeing more points against the Sky Blues.

McKinna understands Sydney coach Vitezslav Lavicka may use similar long-ball tactics because his players are good at getting on to the second ball.

''If you're looking for a difference between Sydney last season and this season, it's that they play more balls over the top,'' he said.

''People always talk about us playing long ball, but if you look at last weekend (when the Mariners drew against Newcastle Jets), the ball was black and blue. Sydney knock it long from the back and they do it well.

''They're very disciplined, they're regimented and probably the improvement from last season is that they're quicker to get players forward. They contest possession and feed off the scraps. They're good at getting to the second ball.''

McKinna admitted that the four points his team had captured early in the season has surprised him but was confident of more, starting tomorrow.

''As far as the points go, we're right on target, although I probably thought the results would be the other way around,'' McKinna added.

''So we're reasonably happy with where we're at and we're only going to get better. We're full of confidence and there's no reason why we can't get the three points this weekend.''