Pre Season Challenge: Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC Match Thread

[Ray Nolan]

All discussion for the Group B Pre Season Challenge match between Central Coast Mariners & Sydney FC may be posted on this thread. It will be stickied until next Tuesday.

 

[Ray Nolan]

Sydney FC continue their unbeaten run in front of a healthy 8,000+ crowd in Gosford:

SYDNEY CONTINUE UNBEATEN RUN WITH STRONG WIN OVER MARINERS

Saturday 30 July 2005

Sydney FC’s unbeaten run has continued at Central Coast Stadium tonight, with an emphatic second half display that has almost ensured their place in the Pre-Season Cup semi finals.

Goals from Steve Corica and Sasho Petrovski secured a hard fought victory, over a gallant Central Coast Mariners side that will rue a missed penalty by last weeks hat-trick hero Nick Mrdja in the first half.

While the match itself was by no means a classic, it did once again show that the new Hyundai A-League will be a high-standard competition, with both teams giving the 8,000 strong crowd a good exhibition of football.

The game itself came down to Sydney making the most of its few chances in the second half.

Sydney captain Steve Corica finished exquisitely, when he pounced on a terrible mistake by his opposite Noel Spencer on the edge of the box, to shoot across Mariners keeper John Crawley and inside the far post.

The match was wrapped up with eleven minutes remaining and the goal was simply down to the sublime skill of Dwight Yorke. He brilliantly turned two defenders that left them high and dry and he then in instant played Iain Fyfe in behind the defence on the left. Fyfe then drilled a low cross to the near post and Petrovski was on hand to clip the ball home for yet another goal.

The win lifts Sydney onto six points, with Central Coast and Queensland Roar on three points, after the Roar thrashed the New Zealand Knights 5-0 in Auckland earlier in the evening. The Roar must beat Sydney next weekend in Cairns, while the Mariners must win away in Auckland to also have any chance of qualifying for the semi finals.

The opening half was a game of cat and mouse as both sides looked for openings with patient and incisive passing, but the defences of both sides was proving tough to crack.

Both teams did however go close to an opening goal, with the woodwork denying the Mariners Wayne O’Sullivan and Sydney’s Sasho Petrovski, although it was Mrdja’s poor penalty that proved to be the most costly miss.

His weakly hit penalty in the 38th minute, would have given the Mariners what would have been a deserved first half time lead, but he allowed Sydney keeper Clint Bolton to atone for his earlier error in bringing down Stewart Petrie, as he went round him.

The game could so easily have started in sensational fashion for the home side when O’Sullivan struck the woodwork in the fourth minute. Mrdja squared a great ball across the top of the penalty area for O’Sullivan, with Irishman’s fiercely struck shot, crashing against the crossbar, with Bolton well beaten.

This lifted the Mariners confidence and they continually had Sydney on the back foot with some quick movement forward, although Sydney’s defence was holding firm.

Up the other end, Yorke and Petrovski struggled for good service and their first clear chance at goal did not come till the 20th minute, with Petrovski’s header easily held by John Crawley.

Five minutes later though, Petrovski almost had the opening goal when he was the beneficiary of deflected shot by David Carney. The ball fell nicely for him 10 yards out, he took a couple of touches, but his shot cannoned off the near post.

While the chances weren’t coming thick and fast, when they did they were near misses and usually from terrific pieces of build-up play.

Pondeljak went close in the 36th minute with a header that just cleared the crossbar after great work by O’Sullivan down the right again.

Five minutes later it was Sydney’s turn, with Terry McFlynn and Yorke combining on the right. McFlynn’s cutback from the by-line found Steve Corica, whose thumping volley brought out a terrific reaction save from John Crawley.

The second half was again tough, uncompromising football, with making the better of their opportunities when they arrived.

Mrdja twice went close in the dying stages, shooting wide when in a good position 12 yards out and striking the post once again with an audacious effort from wide out of the penalty area.

Match Details

Central Coast 0-2 Sydney FC (Steve Corica 57’ Sasho Petrovski 79’)

Central Coast Line-up: John Crawley (gk); Wayne O’Sullivan (Matthew Osman 82’), Noel Spencer (Andre Gumprecht 80’), Michael Beauchamp, John Hutchinson (Adam Kwasnik 78’), Dean Heffernan, Nick Mrdja, Tom Pondeljak, Stewart Petrie, Andrew Clark, Alex Wilkinson

Subs: Danny Vukovic (gk)

Sydney FC Line-up: Clint Bolton (gk); Iain Fyfe, Alvin Ceccoli, Ufuk Talay(Robbie Middleby 82’), Steve Corica, Sasho Petrovski, David Carney, Andrew Packer, Terry McFlynn, Jacob Timpano, Dwight Yorke

Subs: Steve Laurie, Alejandro Salazar, Justin Pasfield (gk)

Cautions: Petrovski (29’), Bolton (37’), Packer (65’), Hutchinson (66’)

Expulsions: Nil

Referee: Matthew Breeze

Crowd: 8362

 

[realfootball]

I was at the game on the w/e. It was fantastic. A belting 8 1/2K noisy crowd with plenty of aggression between the two sets of fans. May I add as well that the crowd was bigger than the waratahs trial game. Football will be no1 in Gosford.

Sydney FC dominated most of the game, but overall it was a scrappy affair. Apart from a couple of nice touches, Yorke had a quiet game. Mariners really stuffed a number of golden chances.

This will be a great derby. Disapointed with the travelling fans. Maybe 200 Sydney fans at best.

 

[Ray Nolan]

Only 200? I was certain you'd all be travelling in your pimped out limo's up to Gosford in your thousands!