Ngor’s first goal secures a point for Mariners in Adelaide

The Mariners scraped their way to a 1-1 draw against Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium on Saturday evening October 27, with new recruit Sabit Ngor scoring his first Mariners and A-League goal to secure a hard-earned point on the road.

Adelaide United got off to a flying start, finding the net early in the piece, as Luka Jovanovic latched onto a lucky bounce in the box to slot one home just 10 minutes in.

But the Mariners dug in, rallied, and eventually broke through in the second half thanks to Ngor’s clinical finish, set up by a gritty play from Ryan Edmondson and a gutsy assist from substitute Vitor Feijao.

With both sides desperate to snag the win, it was a tense back-and-forth that saw defences standing tall.

While Adelaide opened their season with a solid point, the Mariners notched up a second consecutive draw to start theirs.

Adelaide had the upper hand in the first half, taking full advantage of home turf to break the deadlock early on.

But in true underdog style, the Mariners came back with a vengeance in the second half.

A tactical switch by coach Jacko brought Nathan Paull on and shuffled the formation to a back-three, giving the Mariners the edge as they wrestled control.

Edmondson appeared to level things up around the hour mark, slotting home a cross from Lucas Mauragis. But just as the Mariners celebrated, the offside flag dashed their hopes.

Like a seasoned footy forward who doesn’t let a bump stop his stride, the Mariners pressed on. Only two minutes later, Edmondson brushed off Adelaide’s Isaias, forced a scrambling save from Delianov, and Feijao – fresh off the bench – and pounced, laying it off for Ngor to hammer home his first A-League goal with precision.

Both teams kept hammering away for a final shot at goal, but the defences held firm. Bradley Tapp and Mikael Doka put in last-ditch efforts to block Adelaide’s late attempts, while Paull went for a header from a Doka free-kick, but Delianov came through with a clutch save.

Overall, the match ended with a fair share of points for both sides, as Adelaide’s early dominance was met with a gutsy second-half display from the Mariners.

The Central Coast’s best first-half chance came when Brandtman crossed to Alou Kuol, but the header lacked the muscle to worry Delianov.

The Mariners head back to Gosford this coming weekend for a high-stakes doubleheader.

Emily Husband’s side will kick off their Ninja A-League Women’s season against reigning champions Sydney FC at 2.15pm on Saturday, November 2, followed by the men’s Isuzu UTE A-League clash against Perth Glory at 5pm.