The Central Coast Mariners’ hopes of defending their A-League Championship have been dashed after suffering a record-equalling 6-0 defeat to fierce rivals Newcastle Jets on Saturday night.
Played at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium, the F3 Derby quickly turned disastrous for the Mariners after defender Storm Roux was sent off in the first half for an elbow on Jets midfielder Callum Timmins.
Trailing 1-0 at the time, the Mariners were left exposed as the Jets piled on the pressure, with Clayton Taylor starring for the home side, collecting three assists and a goal before the 50-minute mark.
Eli Adams added two late goals to stretch the margin to six, equalling the biggest winning margin in the 20-year history of the F3 Derby, matching Newcastle’s 8-2 win over the Mariners back in 2018.
The result not only handed the Jets derby bragging rights but officially ended the Mariners’ chances of reaching this season’s Finals Series.
It’s a bitter blow for Central Coast fans, who watched their side lift the Championship trophy less than a year ago.
The Mariners will now look to salvage pride in the last two remaining games of the season, the first against Macauthur on Sunday April 20, in Gosford.
Meanwhile, the women’s team lost their match last Friday, April 11, 1-0 to Melbourne Victory at home in Gosford.
The team has enough competition points to remain within the top 6 on the ladder and therefore a finals birth. Their last game of the regular season will be played on Saturday at Maitland Sports Ground at 4pm.
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