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A-League
Mariners Move to 2nd Overnight A-League Season 2005-2006 - Round 20 
 (Noel Spencer 28', 62', Dean Heffernan 88') defeated Melbourne Victory FC 1 (Michael Ferrante 13')
It took Central Coast Mariners most of the game to clinch their 3-1 win against Melbourne Victory on Friday night, in front of a record Central Coast Stadium A League crowd of 11,945.
The Mariners needed yet another goal from wing-back Dean Heffernan and a brace from skipper, Noel Spencer, who has the knack of coming up with winners too, from midfield.
Melbourne had taken the lead from some enterprising play in the 12th minute and when Coast’s Stewart Petrie had a penalty attempt saved by Michael Theoklitos five minutes later the crowd was beginning to wonder if the spoils would elude the Mariners.
But the ‘Marinators’ – their supporters’ group - need not have worried as a game riddled with defensive errors looked ripe for goals and so it proved.
Two strikes in the last half hour ended Melbourne’s top four aspirations and elevated the Coast to second on goal difference and leaves them with a very real chance of a tilt at the Major Semi Final spot that provides the cushion of an extra Finals’ game should they need it.
Now they need to win in Queensland next weekend to give themselves the best chance of taking that opportunity.
Here the game was played in robust fashion, with Heffernan coming off second best from a challenge by Michael Ferranti, after only two minutes amid fears that the key defender might have aggravated an injury sustained two games earlier.
Heffernan emerged unscathed, however, after ruefully favouring an ankle for a moment or so and then took the ball forward from the free kick and headed up-field with it to indicate that all was well, after all.
Ferranti, however, was one player who was doing damage of a different kind on the right, running through with great anticipation and running onto a throw from Daniel Piorkowski
After heading to the by-line initially, he then cut inside and outfoxed Michael Beauchamp before driving a low shot past Danny Vukovic at the near post.
It was a goal that shook the Mariners, for whom Andre Gumprecht was always working hard for an opening.
Some good work by Gumprecht and others saw a solid build-up of pressure on the Victory goal in the 17th.
Tom Pondeljak latched onto a botched clearance after a melee and the ball struck Kevin Muscat on the arm, with referee Simon Przydacz pointing to the spot.
Petrie, as is his custom, lined up the shot from wide on the right and approached the ball from well outside the area.
Quite legally Muscat made sure he was cramped for room and Petrie, who scored in this fashion in an earlier game in Sydney, met his tactical match in the Melbourne ace and shot weakly enough for Theoklitos to make a sound save, down low to his right.
But the equaliser came before the break, anyway, thanks to some quick thinking from Damien Brown, on the right, who threaded a free-kick through expertly into space that skipper Noel Spencer was running into, on the left and the latter got the ball into the net after an initial fumble by the keeper.
Victory could have regained the lead in what had become a physical match when Daniel Allsopp got the better of Andrew Clark and faced Vukovic only to be was foiled by a superb save at point-blank range by the young keeper that kept the Mariners in the match.
This came only five minutes into the second half and five minutes later Allsopp skimmed the bar with a 25-yarder that illustrated a wretched season that has seen the experienced former Notts. County man miss so many goals, despite playing well in most matches.
The Mariners took their chances and rode their luck, getting the benefit of a fortuitous rebound off the tough Victory captain, Muscat, who was to the right of the wall when Petrie’s 62nd minute free kick struck him in the groin.
The ball ran free to Spencer on the right and before any Melbourne players could peel away from the wall Spencer was able to drive the ball, low, past Theoklitos at the near post.
Muscat, in midfield again for this match, pushed even further forward in the 70th and put Allsopp through again only for Vukovic to once more get down well to block the shot.
Allsopp nodded over in the 81st, from a Vince Lia corner, but Heffernan made sure of the points in the 87th after a corner at the other end had been cleared in his path.
It was the wing back’s seventh of the season and further evidence of the all round abilities of Lawrie McKinna’s team.
Beaten Melbourne’s besieged coach, Ernie Merrick, was making few excuses after the game.
“We had planned to have Archie Thompson for the whole season and when you take away the number one striker in the country it is very difficult.
“We need a striker and at least two midfielders but we are building a team here and if Archie comes back we should be alright. If he is signed by PSV then we will use the money to buy a striker. We created chances again today and failed to take them. Central Coast is a good side, though, and Lawrie McKinna has done a good job with them".
Of course he has! With Nick Mrdja missing all season and recurring injuries to Pondeljak and others, with Adam Kwasnik out and Gumprecht missing due to suspension next week there is still plenty to do.
While Merrick was bemoaning his team’s loss and a season of misfortune the Mariners’ players were being addressed by John Singleton in their dressing room, perhaps even more incentives being offered for their game next week?
A-League Season 2005-2006 - Round 20 Crowd: 11,945 - record football crowd at the stadium
MATCH STATS:
Coach: Lawrie McKinna
Yellow Cards:
Michael Beauchamp 45', Andre Gumprecht 68' Melbourne Victory FC
: Coach: Ernie Merrick
Yellow Cards:
Adrian Leijer 34', Geoffrey Claeys 61' Referee: Simon Przydacz 8/10 Pitch rating: 9/10 Game rating: 6/10 BOTN Player Points
:
3. Danny Vukovic (Central Coast) Match Report by Corinthian
Disclaimer: The content of this report is the responsibility of the writer. Stats are either as recorded by the writer at the game, or as supplied by FFA, or a mixture - no responsibility can be taken for their compete accuracy although we do strive for that. FFA has not this season accredited any Photographers for BOTN, so any photos used here, if unattributed, are as supplied by FFA and used by permission.
Crafted
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