Mariners and Heart play out 0-0 draw at Bluetongue Stadium
The Central Coast Mariners rose to 3rd place on the A-League ladder despite an unconvincing 0-0 draw against the Melbourne Heart at Bluetongue Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With John Aloisi having been sacked, John Van’t Schip was tasked with salvaging what has been a disastrous start to the season, and it commenced with an encouraging draw against the reigning champions who lacked creative flair without the injured Marcos Flores and the departing Michael Mcglinchey. The Heart’s winless run now stands at a barren 18 games, but the positive result will give the Melbourne-based club a timely morale booster.
Heart’s best chance of the first half came at the feet of struggling striker Michael Mifsud. Harry Kewell played in an inch perfect through ball, however Mifsud only managed to hit the post. The Mariners continued to struggled in creating opportunities, with their only real chance of the 1st half coming from Kiwi right back Storm Roux. However, his long-range shot was straight at Heart keeper Andrew Redmayne.
Having said that, the Mariners showed prowess at the back with a solid defensive display. They were seemingly compact and hard to break down for an excellent Heart.
The 2nd half was almost a carbon copy of the 1st with minimal chances, but most chances fell to the Heart. Mifsud had a good chance at the 59th minute, but Mariners keeper Liam Reddy was up to the task, as the deflected shot took the sting out of the ball and he saved comfortably to his right. A Mariners opportunity came from the head of the midfielder Nick Montgomery. Montgomery’s diving header went just wide of Redmayne’s cross after being found from Mile Sterjovski’s cross. The Mariners best chance of the game came at the feet of their fullback Josh Rose as he inexplicably scuffed his shot high from Matt Simon’s great cross when it looked easier for him to score. The last opportunity for the game for the Heart came from Harry Kewell as his half volley from a corner was saved by Liam Reddy. While for the Mariners, Mitchell Duke had a go from outside the box, that only just beat Redmayne’s post.
John Van’t Schip was pleased with his side and thought a draw was a fair result:
“The second half we had some opportunities and some corners so overall I think the draw was a score we could live with.
“I’m more pleased with the energy, with the way of playing and that gives us a lot of hope for more improvement.”
Phil Moss admitted that his team need to strengthen their squad due to some key personnel losses and also for their upcoming Asian Champions League adventure where they face tough opposition.
“We have some good contacts in Asia and the price has to be right. We are not a club that goes out and spends big money so it has to be about playing in the A-League for the Mariners and the ACL games around the corner as well.”
The Mariners moved to outright 3rd with the draw, while the Heart remain win-less after 18 games, and are 8 points adrift from second last Wellington Phoenix. The Heart now moves on to a tough away trip to Western Australia to face Perth Glory, while the Mariners also have a tough away trip across the ditch to face the Wellington Phoenix.
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