Michael McGlinchey being chased down by Western Sydney’s Youssouf Hersi Photo: © John Dewberry
A fantastic match in Gosford saw the Western Sydney Wanderers take top spot in a 1-0 win over the Central Coast Mariners on Saturday night.
For the second week in a row Wanderers fans turned out in droves, only this time it was 55km north in Gosford where 6,000 of them created a home-like atmosphere for their team.
Central Coast started the game with more composure but the Western Sydney defence held firm. Western Sydney’s attack looked dangerous but they were wasteful with their crosses into the Mariners’ box. Central Coast were looking more likely to score in the first half.
Second half started with the same intensity as the first and it wasn’t long before Central Coast were awarded a penalty for a foul on Patrick Zwaanswijk. Mariners keeper Matt Ryan stepped up to take it but his unconvincing shot was saved by Wanderers keeper Ante Covic, much to the delight of the travelling support.
The tension lifted a notch as the competition’s two best sides could not be seperated. A Central Coast attack from the left by Michael McGlinchey saw him weave his way into the box and cut the ball back for Daniel McBreen to score from close range, but his shot came back off the crossbar.
In the 81st minute, a ball from midfield found Mark Bridge whose first time ball put Labinot Haliti through on goal to finish nicely past a helpless Matt Ryan. That goal sent the Wanderers fans into a wild celebration with only about 10 minutes to go.
The Wanderers held out for the remainder of the match for a famous 1-0 win that moves them two points clear of the Mariners at the top of the table.
Central Coast Mariners 0
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Haliti 81′)
Man of the match: Ante Covic
Crowd: 18, 721
