The Central Coast Mariners men’s team defeated Perth Glory 4-2 in the New Year’s Eve game at Industree Group Stadium in front of a big home crowd of 15,000 fans.
Earlier in the afternoon-evening the Mariners women’s side put on a gallant effort to fight back against Perth, but fell short despite multiple chances to equalise.
Emily Husband’s team ultimately went down 1-2 to their more experienced West Australian rivals in front of a good local crowd of 5,000 locals.
In the thrilling men’s match, the men staged a remarkable comeback to record a 4-2 victory over Glory.
That game saw the Mariners overturn an early deficit, with goals from Jacob Farrell, Alou Kuol, and two from Marco Túlio.
Adam Taggart initially put Glory ahead, but the Mariners dominated thereafter.
Key moments included Farrell’s equalizer, Kuol’s lead-taking goal and Túlio’s double – the latter marking a poignant farewell ahead of his move to Kyoto Sanga.
The match was further intensified by Perth Glory’s two red cards in the second half.
The big Mariners family crowd had a wonderful evening and experienced both defeat and victory, with the well-timed traditional waterfront fireworks providing a celebratory finish to the evening.
It was also a fitting end to a great year of football for the Central Coast Mariners Club, which pulled off a men’s A-league title and recommenced its journey into the women’s A-league competition with gusto.