A late double from Alou Kuol capped a resilient display from Central Coast Mariners that gave Alen Stajcic’s men all three points against Western United, taking them to the top of the A-League table, albeit having played two games more than second placed Brisbane Roar.
The home side came back not once, but twice as Matthew Simon cancelled out Tomislav Uskok’s early goal. Veteran striker Besart Berisha took United ahead towards the end of the first-half, but strong performances coupled with equivalent determination saw Kuol find the back of the net twice to give further credence to ‘The Magician’ nickname that Stajcic has earned.
Central Coast had skipper Oliver Bozanic return to the starting line-up after a shoulder injury kept him out of the recent encounter against Melbourne City. Meanwhile, midfielder Daniel De Silva was making his 100th appearance in the A-League.
At the other end of the pitch, the men from western Melbourne came into this game having won only once so far this season, which was arguably the most exciting game so far as they overcame Perth Glory with an incredible 5-4 scoreline at Kardinia Park.
Only four minutes had passed when the deadlock was broken, as United captain Alessandro Diamanti did what he does best by sending a pin point perfect cross from a free-kick on the right, and towering centre-half Uskok made no mistake heading the ball into the back of the net.
The Mariners had shown exceptional resilience through the early days this season, not allowing their shoulders to droop and playing with their heads held high despite being against the odds. That character coupled with Stajcic’s quiet tinkering saw them come back into the game to make it 1-1 after 16 minutes. A headed effort from attacker Marco Urena from a corner hit the post, and Simon was on hand to take advantage of the rebound and tap the ball into the back of the net.
Minutes later, Urena found some space in front of goal by drifting a little to his right to get the right angle to shoot. But the effort was not as good as his build up as it was straight at the goalkeeper. Meanwhile, the Mariners were getting physical with Simon at one end and centre-back Ruon Tongyik at the other.
It was only a little before half-time when Berisha took the visitors ahead to make the scoreline 2-1. The experienced striker received a cross from Japanese wide man Tomoki Imai. After receiving it at the near post, the veteran hitman controlled the ball whilst under pressure from defender Tongyik and sent a shot across and into the back of the net with aplomb.
The travellers took the physical game to their opponents only to be given harsher treatment than before during the early stages of the second period. On one occasion, midfielder Victor Sanchez was wild with the referee after the game was not stopped after he was stepped on by an opponent. The strong protest from the player that took place a few moments later ended up with him earning a yellow card for dissent, as manager Mark Rudan smiled cynically from the sideline.
Almost an hour had gone when the Mariners’ forward Urena was back again in the thick of the action, letting loose a thunderous shot from outside the box that goalkeeper Filip Kurto did well to palm away to safety.
The home side kept up their positive intent and a few minutes later left-back Jack Clisby sent a great ball into the box from a wide area, which midfielder Daniel Bouman tried to take on the half volley. But the finish was lacking in finesse as the ball sailed high over the bar.
A minute later at the other end, Dylan Pierias – who had come on for Berisha a little earlier – was dashing towards goal and took a shot that ‘keeper Mark Birighitti did well to rush off his line and save.
The positivity surrounding the club in recent times saw a significant increase in attendance and the home fans cheered every pass and every play the like of which has not been seen in Gosford in recent years.
All the backing from the fans paid off when De Silva sent in a corner to an unmarked Kuol at the far post. The terrace hero had all the time in the world to produce a perfectly directed header that left ‘keeper Kurto with no chance.
With 10 minutes left and the wind in their sails, the Mariners took the lead to make it 3-2 as the Gosford faithful erupted in their appreciation for the effort put in by their men. Bouman sent in a cross from the right that initially appeared to be a shade too far for Kuol, but the young striker went diving headlong towards the ball and sent it into the back of the net.
From that point onward, the home side sat back and defended with everything they had to keep the scoreline unchanged. When they did have a chance late on, goalkeeper Kurto did well to keep them at bay.
As the man in charge brought the game to a halt, the Mariners went to the top of the table as their opponents continued to look for their first win on the road.
Central Coast travel to Wollongong to take on Wellington Phoenix in their temporary home on Sunday, while Western United play host to Sydney FC next Saturday.
