By the Palm Trees – Melbourne Victory vs Central Coast Mariners

It has been a long time since my last but I finally managed a correct winning prediction for the Mariners.

Central Coast were able to overcome neighbours Sydney FC for a much needed, and deserved win last Saturday. It wasn’t so much the result as the manner of it which has heartened the fans as we come into the pre finals period.

With the log jam of teams making up the top six and the small distance between them only Brisbane appear to have any certainty in where they might finish the season, looking well in command of the race for the Premiers plate. Next most certain is probably Perth Glory. They look like they have probably run out of chances, particularly when I note one of their best, former Mariner Danny Vukovic, has now departed on loan to Graham Arnold’s Japanese outfit Vegalta Sendai.

Courtesy of Hearts resounding Melbourne Derby win last weekend the Mariners now sit in fourth position on equal points with both Adelaide and Victory but with goal difference placing them behind the reds and in front of the Victory. The Wanderers are just four points clear of that “pack” so any slip up and they could easily be consumed by whoever is able to assert themselves. At the same time this group is only two points clear of Sydney FC, who are in sixth, and only four clear of seventh placed Wellington Phoenix, who are on equal points with Newcastle Jets and also only separated by goal difference. This congestion in the middle of the table makes every one of the remaining six competition rounds as important as a final.

While the result last week was important, watching our team give it their all right until the end was the most enjoyable part and while some seemed to link our win to certain individuals, for me this was one of our best “team” performances this campaign. Facing the adversity of losing Eddy Bosnar in the first half due to injury, the team’s response was outstanding. Liam Reddy put on a ”Man of  Match” performance, Marcel Seip played one of his best matches, firstly at right back and later in the central defence and later combined well with Zac Anderson to keep things tight in the middle. Josh Rose played well before sustaining a head gash requiring stitches, but when Matt Sim entered the match we lost nothing, and Storm Roux came on and played well after Eddy Bosnar was injured. In the midfield Anthony Caceres did a great job in the absence of Nick Montgomery and he and John Hutchinson held the midfield well. Nick Fitzgerald, Mile Sterjovski and Mitchell Duke were regularly menacing the opposition defences and when Bernie Ibini came on in the second half he changed the game in our favour. All in all, the team performed well, with a vast improvement over the previous few weeks. In the second half when Sydney scored a deserved equaliser, it was the traditional Mariner’s character which came to the fore once again. They played their hearts out until the end, which is nothing less than the fans expect.

Particular points of interest included Kim Seung Yong’s first goal in our colours (and boy did he enjoy it) and Mitchell Duke’s return to a level of barnstorming form.

With this as the back drop the Mariners travel to Melbourne to take on the Victory tonight at an opportune moment. With Tomas Rogic and Mark Milligan missing from the Victory on international duty, Nick Ansell suspended after a Red card last weekend and our team gaining confidence, we should be in with a good chance to continue improving with an away win. This is the time when we need to get every point we can to ensure ourselves a spot in the finals and tonight’s match is a good opportunity to bring some home from Melbourne.

We’ve often performed well in Melbourne and I think tonight we can keep our finals push alive with a good performance and make it two wins in a row.

Mariners by 1

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