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Roar Rue Missed Chances A-League Season 2005-06 - Round 7 
 drew with Central Coast Mariners FC 1 (Noel Spencer 41')
Queensland Roar will be once again ruing missed opportunities as they failed to win at home against the Central Coast Mariners. The Roar had to come back from a Noel Spencer header in the first half, but managed to salvage a point from a superb Seo strike on the hour.
The game started as a cagey affair with no team able to gain control of the match. The Roar came out with an unfamiliar five-man backline, perhaps to compensate for Karl Dodd out with a virus, and Josh McCloughan benched through injury.
With a large gap between midfield and attack, and the Central Coast's well organised defensive unit it took until the 10th minute for any real strike on goal. When Alex Brosque and Jonathan Richter did get the ball, it did cause trouble for the Mariners and in the 11th minute both players combined before Brosque hit a shot straight to Danny Vukovic.
The first 20 minutes were filled with good movement from Brosque, Richter and Warren Moon, but the good lead up play failed at the final hurdle. In he 22nd minute a beautifully hit Moon free kick went inches from the top corner. Seconds later and Moon and Richter combined again, Richter chested the ball past his man, but once again the shot failed to test Vukovic.
The Central Coast were finding it difficult to penetrate the Roar's defensive wall, and their first real shot came with Tom Pondeljak but he hit it high and wide. In the 35th minute Alex Wilkinson failed to control a long ball and Richter was in space once again, were a poor shot let him down. Moon did try a follow up but the shot trickled to Vukovic.
Two minutes later and once again poor control let the Mariners defence down, this time Andrew Clarke. Richter latched on to it but his chip went over the bar.
For all their chances the Roar couldn't put a good shot on goal. But the Mariners showed them how it was done in the 41st minute. An Osman corner flew straight to the head of unmarked captain Noel Spencer, his bullet header when straight into the back of the net.
In an effort to get back into the game Roar coach Miron Bleiberg took defender Tyler Simpson off and replaced him with striker Michael Baird at half time. The move almost paid off straight away. Two minutes into the half and Moon released Baird with a superb pass, Baird hit a good low shot, but unfortunately for Roar fans it hit the upright.
In the 51st minute another Moon free kick went inches from the top corner, he is certainly proving one of the better exponents of the art form in the league.
The Roar kept up the pressure and in the 57th minute Seo Hyuk-Su picked the ball up in midfield. Brosque was screaming for it, Seo had his eyes set on goal, and his shot from 25 yards flew into the far corner. The Roar were level and duly so.
The Roar's passing game was coming into full effect and on the hour Baird twisted and turned on the edge of the area, but his shot went wide. Two minutes and a superb through ball by Chad Gibson put Moon in acres of space in front of goal, but his poor control let the ball slip away.
In the 67th minute Spase Dilevski rampaged down the left, where he put a lovely cross in to Michael Baird. Baird's header was just tipped over by Vukovic.
Both teams were going for the win, as they both made attacking substitutions, Woodruffe for Pondeljak, and Tollenaere for Moon. But neither side had the ability to breach each other's defences.
But with 10 minutes to go the most controversial moment of the match; Alex Brosque put Baird through on goal, and as Baird ran into the box he was blocked by a Mariners defender, the crowd screamed penalty but referee Perry Mur was unmoved.
It ended a frustrating night for the Roar, as they once again failed to make Suncorp a fortress. For the Mariners another workman like performance sees them earn a point on the road.
A-League Season 2005-06 - Round 7 Crowd: 13,195
MATCH STATS:
Queensland Roar FC
Coach: Miron Blieberg
Yellow Cards:
Nil Central Coast Mariners FC
: Coach: Lawrie McKinna
Yellow Cards:
Nil Referee: Perry Mur 7/10
Pitch rating: 9/10 Game rating: 6/10 Best Players
:
3. Alex Brosque (Queensland Roar) Match
Report by Victor Sobral
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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