With two wins from four A-League games, Western United coach Mark Rudan has shown enough confidence in his troops not to have made a single line-up change.
It's something that hasn't happened in top-flight Australian soccer since NSL sides Adelaide City and West Adelaide opted to pick and stick way back in 1977, according to statistician Andrew Howe.
While some might argue he's light on for options at the fledgling Geelong-based club, Rudan says he's satisfied he can keep his charges focused and firing without chopping and changing.
Ahead of Saturday's round five clash with front-running Western Sydney, he praised his medical staff for helping keep his starting side fresh and his non-starters ready to go.
"We have our ways of dealing with people and individuals and making sure that we keep them on their toes," he said on Thursday.
"It is a long season and the worst thing they can do is drop off. If they want to do that then there are plenty more that aren't doing that who will get their chance."
Rudan said last week he'd changed the team around - dropping two senior players to a "second team" mid-week and making them earn their spots back against Melbourne Victory.
"The players that were put into the second team actually had a choice. They could have felt like victims or become a warrior - which I keep telling the players," Rudan said.
"It was good that the two senior players - their behaviours and habits are very important for the younger players - put their hands up and were angry and trained the house down and got themselves back into it."
Rudan said United played a scratch match against Victory on Sunday morning to allow fringe players including Brendan Hamill, Aaron Calver and Dylan Pierias earn match minutes.
"It's important because there is no other league that coincides with ours where these players can get those important match minutes," he said.
"It was a really good hit out for those players ... so that was good - and they put their hand up as well and the message before that game was to keep putting pressure on as well."
United have seven points from their opening month, with Rudan surprised by how quickly they have settled into his style.
"We're a bit further ahead than what I expected us to be looking like at this stage of the season. Normally it takes time," he said.