Central Coast Mariners 3 Sydney FC 1
If anyone thought that champions Sydney FC would coast to victory in a one-sided demolition in Gosford, they have a short memory. A dreary day in the jewel of the Central Coast’s crown saw the Sky Blues outmanoeuvred in a clever display of patient football from the home side, and a damning defeat was totally justified for the star-studded visitors. A wake up call on the field, but a great turnout and a raucous sing-song off the field almost spurred an unlikely comeback until the final nail in the coffin in the dying embers.
The locals in Gosford have a feeling that everything is against them, and it could be justified; a three-day music festival, the Gossy Weekender, was given an unwelcome hit when Sydney trains opted for trackwork. Not only that, the infamous council carpark was scheduled to close at 9pm, hardly conducive to a big night out, and then the weather forecast got it wrong. Instead of clearing conditions after a wet morning, we just got rain for the entire day. Sydney FC fans travelling to this game were given the option of buses from Hornsby, or in our case, we simply car pooled and made the short journey up, landing in the beautiful Central Coast and into the local brewery for lunch. We’ve passed the Bay Road brewery that many times for Mariners games, but it has always been spilling out onto the road; this time we jagged a table and we had live music to make us feel like we were on holiday.
There was no respite from the inclement weather on the short walk around the corner to the stadium, the rain set in for the afternoon, but at least not the monsoon we often get around here.
There were good numbers in the away section, the Cove down at the front in the elements, the rest of the crowd up the back and sensibly under cover, two sections organically made with Come On You Girls In Blue in mind. The new Sydney Women’s Cove t-shirts were out in force, weary travellers from the Friday night Brisbane away game were showing good stamina, and the players emerged to a rousing We Are Sydney, with a Welcome Back, Captain banner raised for our returning Nat Tobin. MMTV’s miniature megga was in full use, and our new face on the drum was thumping up a storm. Great to be back!
Want to know what happened on the field? You’ll have seen it already, watching through your fingers, but the first half we had Sydney FC shooting towards the palm tree end and we looked in command, if not a little tentative to come forward and take on our players. The Mariners had a great chance right in front that new goalkeeper Brianna Edwards stopped point-blank, and Shea Connors bent one in that was pushed round the post by a flying save from Sarah Langman. The game was here for the taking when all of a sudden, Sydney conceded a ridiculous penalty. We all thought it had gone out for a corner, but the ref pointed straight at the spot, and on the big screen we could see Mia Farrow pushing the ball away with her hands, so no complaints at all.
One goal behind, the context of the game didn’t change and Sydney FC continued the onslaught with no return, super captain Tobin rising highest to head over from a Mackenzie Hawkesby corner, and for all the intricate approach play, there was no penetration. Former fan favourite Taylor Ray was in the opposition, and she was playing well, although it took us nearly til the break to notice, just like the inflatable truck next to the cannon that had been assumed to be an actual truck. Half time was spent refuelling and wondering what our team had to do to get back into the game. Surely we couldn’t lose a game that we were dominating so much, and there was no hint of worry that we wouldn’t claw ourselves back into the game.
Connors somehow missed from right in front, scuffing a cross that rolled past the post, and maybe now we started to think it was one of those days. When superstar Maddie Caspers and hot shot Caley Tallon-Henniker came on to add some bite into a tame midfield, our confidence grew, but it was Caspers who coughed up the ball in a dangerous position a minute later, and the ball fell for Isabel Gomez, who rifled the ball past Edwards and into the near post corner to leave us with hands on heads and a sinking feeling.
It was nearly three when a deflected cross found Edwards flapping, and Faye Bryson bravely got her leg in the way to clear from point-blank. Edwards did make a cracking save from a long range effort, pushing the ball around the post. Princess Ibini coming on at 2-0 down could rarely be considered a statement of intent for the final 20 minutes, but she made such a difference, and we were back in the game soon after when a slick move and a strangely deflected shot found the net. We were wondering what happened, the move having caused the Mariners defence to stop and watch, but there was no offside or infringement and we were back in it. Mariners also withdrew their main threat, the pacy Brooke Nunn who had run at our midfield all afternoon. Game on!
Alas, despite throwing players forward, and perhaps discovering that solid defender Jordan Thompson is best suited to defence, the door was left wide open at the back. There was no danger when a low cross was fired in hopefully from the right, but for some reason Edwards got down under no pressure and palmed the ball straight into the path of Bianca Galic, who thumped the ball home with glee. We would rather lose 3-1 than 2-1 if it meant giving it a red-hot shot, and there was no one complaining that we had gone all out to get the equaliser. That was the game wrapped up though. We sang defiantly for the rest of the game, the whistle saw the men’s goalkeepers race out onto the field for their warm-ups for the second game of the double-header, and the players eventually made their way over to applaud the travelling fans.
Even though the players lost, they were happy to pose for photos and sign stuff, and despite being out-fought, drenched and down-trodden, there were still smiles. Next week, we get em.
For some of us, the draw of the second game of the double-header, the Mariners hosting Perth Glory, wasn’t enough to prolong the day. For our gang, it was, and a drama-filled goalless draw with a dodgy non-award of a penalty against Perth saw us heading home around 7.30pm and landing back at base only an hour later.
What a way to start the A-League Women’s season. Full of hope and expectation, and then given a right royal reality check by a new look team who did the simple things better and fully deserved their home victory. The Cove was superb, a new chant was born, despite being mumbled through by those who just don’t grasp a new tune quickly, and the willingness to sing from the moment the players emerge until the final whistle and beyond is testament to a solid supporter base for our Sydney women. Good to see some additional faces, and that joining in with the singing is not a scary proposition. The signs ahead are positive, despite the scoreline and despite our girls looking second best on the day. Any notion though of Sydney superiority can be knocked straight on the head – if we’re going to win anything this season, it’s going to be through hard work. Bring on the first home game; it’s going to be massive!