They left it mighty late as they so often do but in beating Sydney FC in the derby at Bluetongue Stadium on Saturday night Central Coast Mariners confirmed their right to be even stronger contenders for the Finals' series this season and were always the more likely of the two teams to emerge with the full quota of points.
Although the visitors began fairly brightly they did look under-strength and some selection decisions might have been better left for another week.
Clint Bolton came in for the highly consistent Ivan Necevski in goal and Steve Corica was given a 'much needed rest'.
The timing of these changes could have been left for another week, in hindsight.
Bolton, while making a couple of crucial saves, showed some indecision at times, his kicking and distribution was inconsistent and he did not hang onto enough shots or crosses to inspire any more confidence than the man he had replaced.
As for Corica, with a young side out there and experienced midfield dynamo Terry McFlynn still on the injured list, he was introduced off the bench perhaps too late to change the course of the game.
Central Coast had no such concerns as for once Lawrie McKinna had every player in his squad other than long term injury victim, Ahmad Elrich available for selection.
This meant Dean Heffernan, who had broken his leg in the corresponding fixture last season, could return to the starting eleven at last and A League top scorer, Matt Simon, could be the impact player from the bench as he sat out most of the game, following his recovery from a knock.
The Mariners soon discovered their rhythm with Adrian Caceres, John Hutchinson and Andre Gumprecht pulling the strings in midfield.
Ten minutes in and Caceres had got to the by-line and crossed to the centre where a waiting Saso Petrovski was beaten to the ball by an alert Bolton, but it was a close call.
A minute later and Gumprecht on the right set things up for Petrovski again who, under challenge from Brendan Gan, tried to beat Bolton again. Gan got the last touch, but Bolton could do no better than parry this one and Macallister came racing in to slide the ball home at the right hand side of the six yard box by the upright.
Seven minutes later Bolton nearly blundered again.
A free kick came over from the right by Hutchinson and the ball seemed likely to fly past the left post but Macallister as waiting there and headed the ball back across goal before an assistant could raise a flag to say it was out. With predators lurking Shannon Cole had to spare Bolton's blushes and whisk the ball away for a corner.
In the 22nd Stuart Musialik gave the ball away in midfield and Petrovski was away. Not believing his good luck, perhaps, the striker struck his shot wide from 25 yards when he could have taken longer to line things up.
Sydney had a good chance in the 29th when Robbie Middleby got away down the left allowing Alex Brosque to chime in with a header but it was intercepted.
Petrovski was again unlucky in the 40th forcing a one-handed save from Bolton after running onto another Hutchinson pass down the left channel.
In general play two minutes later Caceres chanced his arm from distance, but his effort skimmed just over the bar.
Gan was in the thick of things after the break for Sydney and almost got his side level in the 46th with a far post header from another Middleby cross, but again the ball went just over the bar.
Six minutes later Sydney had to clear off their goal line after Petrovski had been brought down on the edge of the area.
Jedinak's fierce free kick was blocked and the ball sat up for Gumprecht, but going for precision and placement the German saw his effort taken care of by the alert Sydney defence.
Bolton was exposed in the 55th when Macallister chased through a 'route one' clearance from Mariners' keeper, Vukovic, but the powerfully built striker was unable to steer the ball past the advancing keeper and Sydney stayed in the game.
Petrovski's 62nd minute shot was cleared on the line as well, following a Central Coast corner on the right.
Then, two minutes later, Sydney got the chance they needed to punish the home side.
Aloisi made a sudden surge into the area out wide on the right, with the Mariners' defence nowhere to be seen. Vukovic rushed impetuously off his line and shoulder charged his former team mate to earn him a penalty.
Aloisi took the kick himself only for Vukovic to guess correctly and make the save.
But referee Peter Green spotted some encroachment on the 18 yard line and ordered the kick to be retaken.
Aloisi was successful at the second attempt.
It stayed 1-1 until the last minute when the better side, Central Coast, looked good enough to go on and win the game but must have felt they'd left it too late this time.
Macallister was proving a handful, all match, and when he darted across the box, away from goal, after a corner had not been cleared, Sydney captain, Iain Fyfe collided with him and Green had no choice than to award the home side a penalty this time.
Jedinak blasted the ball so high into the roof of the net and so powerfully that many watching at the stadium thought he had sent it into the crowd.
Sydney could have taken a point a minute later when substitute Corica headed just wide from another Middleby cross.
There could have been a second penalty for Sydney four minutes after the first one when Heffernan tore into Shannon Cole as he advanced towards goal but after Green had already pointed to the spot he received word from his assistant that Cole had already been flagged for offside when the foul was committed.
It was a lucky escape for the Mariners as many felt the assistant got it wrong and the original call by Green was the right one.
Whether Aloisi would have been able to convert again was no formality of course.