In a very dour affair, the Central Coast Mariners have won the first match of Season 6 of the Hyundai A-League by 1-0 over the Melbourne Heart. The only goal came in the first half - through a great header by Alex Wilkinson in the 15th minute - on the far post, from a John Hutchinson corner.
The Mariners defensive efforts were the key to the victory with Coach Graham Arnold rating it a 9 out of 10. He was very happy with the defensive pressure Matt Simon applied to Josip Skoko.
Arnold though was not as complimentary of his sides attack. He believed they gave away too much easy ball. The focal point of their attack was down the Melbourne Heart's left hand side, making Dean Heffernan look ordinary at times.
On the 'other side of the fence', Melbourne Heart played very narrow in attack with Skoko and Gerald Sibon being the main target men. Coach John van't Schip does not know if he'll be able to fix the structural problems in the coming week before the Heart head up to Newcastle next weekend.
The first half was a very slow but aggressive start by both sides; with neither team having very many chances. From the onset, Melbourne Heart played possession football with the Central Coast Mariners playing a typical counter attacking style.
Melbourne Heart's only chance in the first half came through Alex Terra, who headed the ball over the cross bar from a Dean Heffernan cross.
The second half did not get any better. Both sides had limited chances, but again the last pass was very disappointing, never finding a striker or a midfielder pushing forward in the middle.
On the injury front, both teams had no concerns. Jess Van Stratten looked weak in the right leg, which was heavily bandaged up from the start of the match but Arnold said he was fine after the game.
Both sides lacked creativity, with both midfields unable to really penetrate the defence. Both goalkeepers had little to do; you could have given them a set of sewing needles and a ball of wool to knit themselves a cardigan to keep out of the windy, chilly conditions.
The Mariners will look ahead to their first home game of the season against Adelaide United, while the Melbourne Heart will travel to Newcastle to face the Jets.