New Zealand Knights grabbed their first win and first points in the league with a smash and grab raid that breached the formerly impregnable Mariners defence twice - running out 2-0 winners at Gosford tonight in front of another disappointing crowd on 5,231.
After doing well for 70 mins against Sydney at home last week NZ brought an injured Danny Hay as an extra to the team, and gambled at the last moment including him and starting him.
Central Coast Mariners struggle to get their key players playmaker Tom Pondeljak, and striker Nick Mrdja, fit and their absence in this game underscores the fine line teams tread in this competition with thin squads and salary caps.
The visitors started well, pushing forward from the start rather than being tentative. They had a great chance in the 2nd minute when they forced a free kick just outside the Mariners goal area on the left. Steve Fitzsimmons curled a the kick through the defensive line to the far side, and Danny Hay headed back onto the left upright, giving the home side a let-off.
The Central Coast lifted their tempo and twice in the space of two minutes they got into the NZ goal area with the defence outmanouvered, but could not get the ball cleanly onto a team-mate.
The chances kept coming to the locals, with one of the best in the first half being a Noel Spencer 20m shot, that Danny Milosevic parried but only to Stewart Petrie who was on the ground. The striker did well to get a header in from that inclination, however Milosevic thwarted the attempt again.
In the 32nd minute NZ had a great opportunity when Joshua Rose gained the ball from a Mariners indecision in mdifield and he slipped the ball to Zenon Caravella. The shot curled just wide on the left upright with Crawley unable to cover.
The Mariners continued to dominated possession but were unable to get a telling shot in on target.
Andre Gumprecht was trying hard to take the game by the 'scruff of the neck' and just before half-time he made a surging run into the goal area from the right, curling a shot on target, that Miosevic parried. Adam Kwasnik gathered it but his shot was saved.
As the second half got under way the Mariners dominated again, with the former Blacktown City pairing of Petrie and Kwasnik battling but not getting through the NZ defemce marshalled so baly by Danny Hay.
It looked like it might be a draw unless the Central Coast could improve their final ball, until in the 66th minute when NZ substitute striker Simon Yeo outran and outjumped Andrew Clark to get to a huge Milosevic kick up field. With Crawley off his line it was a looping header from Yeo that found the back of the net. 0-1
With this wind in their sails the Knights brought on more substitutions, speedster Zhang Xiaobin, immediately had a chance.
Petrie got the best chance in the 70th minute shotting on target but unable to beat Milosevic.
Pushing up for an equaliser the Mariners lost their shape at the back and let in substitute Sean Devine who beat the defence to a long ball and angled a shot past Crawley. 0-2
Central Coast were disrupted by the loss of Osman in the 23rd minute, who looked like going ing on from his excellent perfomance the week before, and was causing problems down the left when he suffered groin strain. The changes wrought by coach Lawrie McKinna in this game didn't pay off, with the substitution of Dean Heffernan with Leo Carle after the first goal didn't lead to an equaliser but disrupted the defence and did not cover a second breakaway that ended in a goal.
Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna was candid after the game ruing the many chances made but not taken by his team. He indicated that they just had to knuckle down and focus on the game next Friday in Sydney.
The NZ coach John Adshead thanks the club for backing him in bringing Danny Hay over - a gamble that worked as his injury did not hamper his man of the match performance, breaking up or deflecting attack after attack. He emphasised that they would need 4-5 games to get the side together, not knowing yet who his best 11 is! They were heading back east over the Tasman, to return to Newcastle next week.