Despite leading for the majority of the contest the Central Coast Mariners were forced to share the spoils with Melbourne City when their heartbreaking 84th minute equaliser cancelled out Ross McCormack’s first half strike.
With plenty of subplots leading into kick-off, it was always going to be a former player from one side that would write the headlines when the Mariners clashed with Melbourne City at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday, October 27. Ross McCormack looked to be the first to score in the first half. After some half chances fell both ways, the Scottish striker took the game into his own hands and fi red home the opening goal after just 20 minutes.
Against his old club, in his first appearance at Central Coast Stadium for the Mariners, McCormack ran onto a perfect through ball from Connor Pain to make it 1-0. City’s best chance of the half fell to Bruno Fornaroli just five minutes later who found himself in the box with a prime one-on-one opportunity. His strike was wide of goal when he lost his footing before shooting. With almost the last kick of the half, McCormack had an opportunity to double his tally with a set piece in ‘McCormack territory’. His strike was on the money, but it was denied by a sensationally diving Eugene Galekovic.
During the second half, the Mariners midfi elders, particularly Aiden O’Neill, continued their hard work in the middle of the park to control the tone of the game, winning every fifty fifty challenge. Kye Rowles and Kalifa Cisse made several crucial challenges in the Mariners’ back third to keep their side in the hunt, whilst City threw everything forward. City’s attack fi nally paid dividends with less than fi ve minutes to go when a scrappy goal just crossed the line to make it 1-1. The draw earns the Mariners their second point of the season in their second game, with all eyes on another Central Coast Stadium encounter on Sunday, November 4, against Adelaide United. Round one’s goal scorer turned creator when Connor Pain threaded the perfect ball to McCormack in the box.
McCormack made no mistake with his finish, sliding his shot in the bottom corner to make it 1-0. Ben Kennedy made a superb point blank save on his line although it then triggered a pinball type play in the box. After several attempts, substitute Vidosic found a way to knock it over the line to force an equaliser with five minutes to go. “When you concede an equaliser in the 84th minute you’re obviously disappointed that you don’t hold onto the lead,” Mulvey said. “But if I’m truthful about it, City deserved that equaliser, but my players didn’t deserve to concede if that makes sense. “We put in a great effort, it’s building blocks. “Last week we got a point, this week we got a point, so onwards and upwards from here.
“I knew the second goal was going to prove crucial and I thought Ross had it with that freekick. “It was a great free-kick and a great save. “We tried to push for the second goal and we found ourselves a little pegged back and we couldn’t contain the ball often enough to mount too much pressure in the second half which is something we will work on. “Ross has come to us and hasn’t played since February with Melbourne City. “I don’t want to single anyone out because everyone who started and came on off the bench put a great shift in and I’m really happy. “The best is yet to come. “We changed it up a bit from last week, we got a deserved goal after pressing high and I think if you look at it as a whole, City deserved the point but we’re disappointed that we conceded late on,” Mulvey said.
Source: Media release, Oct 27 Tyson Scott, Central Coast Mariners