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Central Coast break Sydney hearts [Sat Sep 17th, 2005]
A deflected free kick in injury time to Central Coast skipper Noel Spencer stole a thrilling 3-2 away victory for the Mariners over Sydney FC in front of 15,614 fans at a wet Aussie Stadium.
Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke had pulled the hosts level after they trailed 2-1 at half-time, but it wasn't to be enough with the dramatic finish ending an entertaining night, kicking off round four of the A-League.
Delighted Mariners' coach Lawrie McKinna said after the match: "We knew Sydney would come at us (after half-time) ... we hung on and Noel's (goal), it doesn't matter how it goes in, it just went over that line and that's all that counts."
Sydney counterpart Pierre Littbarski admitted disappointment at leaking three goals at home.
"We had plenty of opportunities and they scored three goals on our home ground, which for me as coach, I can't accept that," said the German World Cup winner. "There were big mistakes in the defence."
Littbarski started the match with David Zdrilic and Yorke up front, leaving Australian international squad member Sasho Petrovski on the bench.
The match began a scrappy affair with both sets of players attempting to win control of possession, which proved near-impossible on the wet surface under the non-stop rain.
With the long ball seeming the treat, Sydney FC midfielder Ufuk Talay launched one up front to Yorke, who in tune, expertly created the breakthrough on 13 minutes.
In typical fashion, the Trinidad and Tobago international held the ball up facing Mariners' defenders, and as they were about to move to close him down, he produced a low cross for winger Andrew Packer to tap into a gasping net.
The goal led to the match taking some sort of shape, with Sydney threatening to dominate possession at home, while the Mariners looked content to use the counter-attack as their key form of offence.
However, on 18 minutes the supposed shape turned on its head as the Central Coast won a penalty.
Sydney FC skipper Mark Rudan mistimed a challenge on classy Mariners' attacker Tom Pondeljak, leading to what was an instant pointing to the spot by referee Peter O'Leary.
Striker Stewart Petrie sent goalkeeper Clint Bolton the wrong way to bring his team level, and begin a period of equal possession-distribution between the two sides.
Pondeljak continued his influence on the match, when he ended a spell of stalemate in the 35th minute, chipping the ball towards winger Wayne O'Sullivan, who was well-placed in Sydney's box.
The bald-headed Mariner headed back to Pondeljak, whose determination alone saw the ball rebound off him into the path of midfielder Andre Gumprecht, who finished past Bolton with aplomb, handing his side a 2-1 lead.
The visitors took the one-goal lead into the break, and were undoubtedly expecting a more determined Sydney FC to come out at the other side of the break.
These expectations were met, as Sydney desperately sought an equaliser attempting to rescue a second possible defeat on the trot for the branded 'glamour' club.
Challenges began flying in from both ends, as Matthew Bingley from the hosts and Gumprecht and Spencer from the Mariners found their way on referee O'Leary's caution pad.
However, Bingley's involvement with the ball at his feet proved more telling in the 72nd minute. The former Northern Spirit defender threaded a marvelous through ball to Talay, who in turn found the run of Yorke that produced Sydney FC's equaliser.
Yorke took Talay's pass in expert fashion, before effortlessly following through his shot past impressive goalkeeper John Crawley.
The goal led to further attacking raids by the home side, but three efforts by midfielder Terry McFlynn from long range were too high, while Crawley produced a world-class save from a David Carney effort.
A draw seemed the likely result, until two minutes into injury time; the Mariners won a free kick just outside Sydney's box for obstruction.
Spencer ran in and fired into a crowded penalty area, with defender Alvin Ceccoli earning the unlucky touch that floated the ball high in the air and over the white line for what proved to be the winner.
The goal was Spencer's second winner in the opening four rounds of the A-League, but the efforts of Pondeljak, Gumprecht and in particular Crawley must be lauded as exceptional for the winners.
For Sydney, they had patches of play which provided much, but often lacked the final ball which could have produced more goals.
Yorke was solid as always up front, while Talay and Ceccoli deserve mentions for their performances.
AAP
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