The Central Coast Mariners have come away with a much-needed 2,1 win against old rivals Sydney FC at their home ground on Saturday evening at Central Coast/Industree Group Stadium in Gosford.
After conceding a goal in the opening 11 minutes to Paulo Retre, the Mariners took the match head-on, scoring not once but twice.
The first goal by the Brazilian Marco Tulio with a great goal set up by Garang with a cracker of a ball. The Brazilian slotting it home with his head!
The Mariners’ confidence lifted with a great corner from Nkoloko, Kaltak putting it back in the mix and Dan Hall finishing it off with a sweet goal.
Before the break, the men in yellow and blue went into half-time with the 2,1 advantage on the scoreboard.
The team came out of the changing rooms with a new defensive structure and some inspired attacking play which saw the Mariners hold out to secure the victory.
The extra eight minutes of stoppage time was a tense affair with Sydney trying their best to equalise.
The match was also witness to the league-wide protests of supporters and fans at the decision by Aleague management to sell the rights of the grand final to Destination NSW for the next few years, something that has sparked a backlash across the county, spilling over in violence at the Melbourne Derby on Sunday with the game called off.
The whole football community was shocked by the scenes in Melbourne with players, fans and officials coming together first to punish the thugs who ran onto the field and second to work on ways to rebuild the reputation of the game with the public.
The Mariners have a quick turnaround with the second F3 Derby in as many weeks against the Newcastle Jets on Thursday night, a game they will be highly motivated to win this time around.
David Abrahams