Central Coast Mariners fall to a 2-1 defeat against Auckland FC on Friday night in their Isuzu UTE A-League clash at ‘Our Paradise’ Polytec Stadium.
The visitors showed early intent, with Mariners goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne producing a superb save in the 13th minute to deny Auckland striker Sam Cosgrove. Auckland eventually broke through in the 20th minute when Jesse Randall found the back of the net to give the visitors the lead.
The Mariners responded in the 32nd minute, with a Storm Roux cross causing problems in the box and resulting in an own goal from Auckland’s Callan Elliot to level the scores before half time.
Auckland regained the advantage in the 58th minute, with Cosgrove making amends for his earlier miss by scoring to restore the visitors’ lead.
The Mariners pushed hard for an equaliser, going close in the 73rd minute when Alfie McCalmont unleashed a powerful volley that somehow didn’t find the net.
The home side suffered an injury setback late in the match, with Arthur De Lima forced off after being on the pitch for only a few minutes. Brad Tapp also took a heavy knock late in the second half but was able to continue. Auckland held firm to secure a 2-1 victory, handing the Mariners another home disappointment.
Post match, Mariners coach Warren Moon said, ‘We’re disappointed, another loss at home. We’ve been in the last three games and only got one point out of nine. The positive though is there’s stuff to build and work on together as a team.’
The Mariners will now turn their attention to their next fixture across the ditch against Wellington Phoenix on Sunday, 21 December.
