The Central Coast Mariners came away with a point in a 1-1 draw against the Macarthur Bulls at Campbelltown Stadium on Monday night Dec 23, with 16-year-old Haine Eames making headlines as the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer.
Macarthur took the lead early in the game through Daniel De Silva, who found the net after a deflection from a Jed Drew strike.
The Mariners had their chances in the first half, including a blocked shot from Eames and a close effort from Sasha Kuzevski that went just wide.
Despite dominating possession with 68% of the ball, the Mariners couldn’t break through before the halftime whistle.
Early in the second half, Eames delivered the equaliser with a well-taken half-volley into the bottom-right corner, securing his spot in the club’s history books as its youngest scorer.
It was a composed finish from the young scholarship signing, who has been making steady progress since his debut earlier this season.
The Mariners pushed for a winner and had a boost in the final moments when Macarthur’s Tomislav Uskok was shown a red card for bringing down Alou Kuol as the last defender.
Despite the advantage, Central Coast couldn’t make the most of the late opportunity, and the game ended level.
The match also saw Mariners captain Trent Sainsbury return to the A-League after nearly 11 years. The Socceroo made his comeback from injury, coming off the bench to steady the defence in the second half.
Mariners head coach Mark Jackson said after the game, “Haine’s goal was a great moment for the team.
He’s been working hard, and it’s good to see him take his chance. We’ll take the point and keep building from here.”
While the Mariners didn’t find the winner, they’ll take heart from Eames’ contribution and the return of their captain as they look to climb the league ladder in the coming rounds.
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