A late goal to super sub, Jake McGing, looked certain to seal a hard-fought point for the Central Coast Mariners in their match against runaway league leaders, Sydney FC, on March 24, but a heartbreaking goal by Matt Simon saw Sydney FC snatch three points with almost the final kick of the game.
In an evenly paced match, both teams struggled to get a foot-hold, and it was the Mariners who looked like they were going to come home with a wet sail, as the rain started to fall in the second half at Gosford. It was a quiet opening 30 minutes of play, with the Mariners’ best chance of the match coming from a combination between, Andrew Hoole and Danny De Silva, in the box. Brazilian striker, Bobo, created the first opportunity for Sydney FC, when his close range, one-on-one, the opportunity was well saved by, Ben Kennedy. But then, in the 32nd minute, the away side scored the only goal of the first half, thanks to a, Milos Ninkovic, header. The Mariners were forced to play the second half without De Silva, who was replaced by, Trent Buhagiar, due to a hamstring injury.
The second half took some time to come to life, and Sydney FC had the first clear-cut chance when a perfect through ball found a charging Bobo. With just Kennedy to beat, Bobo put his shot wide from close range. That chance would be enough to spur on a flurry of chances to the Mariners, who mounted pressure on the Sydney FC defence. Then, it was super sub McGing who did the damage, in the 83rd minute, to set up a grandstand finish at Central Coast Stadium. McGing’s goal brought Gosford to life, and the fans edged their team home, who looked determined to push on for the winner. But 10 minutes after McGing’s goal, it was a former Mariner who made his presence known at the back post, to claim it for the Sky Blues. Interim coach, Wayne O’Sullivan, said the result was disappointing, given how much effort the boys in the navy and yellow put into the second half. “They literally gave everything they had in the tank.
“To lose that way is always heartbreaking, but to finish like that, so strong in the second half and still lose, that way is disappointing for the boys,” he said. “At half time, we adjusted slightly with our structure and tried to get our wingbacks a little bit higher, because in the first half, we were a little bit hesitant to come forward. “So we pushed people through the lines, and in the second half, the boys were brave with it. “They did a good job and as we started to get more territory they gained more confidence. “Clearly, when you are where we are, confidence isn’t easy to come by, but I thought that in the second half, the boys were really brave and almost got what they probably deserved in the second half. “The risk to Danny at half time was high. “He felt something, so we made the decision to take him off because we don’t want him to be out for more than a game,” O’Sullivan said.
Source: Match report, Mar 25 Central Coast Mariners