If the Western Sydney Wanderers want to be taken as a serious threat in the A-League Men title race this season they know banishing their road trip blues will be what gets them there.
The Wanderers face their first away trip of the season on Sunday, heading to face the Newcastle Jets after a win and a draw from their opening two games.
Marko Rudan's side returned to the finals for the first time in six years in the last campaign, with their rise up the table underpinned by strong form at CommBank Stadium.
But the Wanderers struggled on their travels, winning just three of 13 away games.
"We want to be a lot better on the road," star striker Brandon Borrello told AAP.
"It's about switching your mentality - we don't make any excuses when we play at home, do we?
"We can't overthink the factors we can't control, we've got to go away and treat it like a home game and leave the excuses at the door."
In a bid to eradicate their travel tribulations, the Wanderers planned pre-season fixtures to ensure they were in the groove once the serious business got under way.
"If you want to be a champion you have to play every game like you're at home," midfielder Milos Ninkovic said.
"That's a big thing we need to learn because we won most games at home, but outside of NSW we only won one or two."
Ninkovic has yet to be sighted this campaign after struggling with a calf injury late in pre-season.
Rudan has kept his Serbian star on ice, knowing the 38-year-old will be vital to the Wanderers' fortunes later in the season, but the coach said his playmaker was closing in on a first-team return at the Jets.
"We're taking our time with Milos," Rudan said.
"If he's deemed fit he goes straight into the squad because he's so important to this club and this squad - it'll be his call."
