Central Coast Mariners 2 Sydney FC 1
The Sydney FC beach party took an unwanted twist just before half-time in a wonderfully open encounter in Gosford on Sunday, when goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares was given his marching orders for a moment of madness. The game looked to have slipped away in the second half as Central Coast Mariners took the lead, but a cracking equaliser from Patryck Klimala saw an unlikely fightback on the cards. Tormentor-in-chief Alou Kuol had other ideas though and grabbed the winner soon after as Sydney continued their mantra of win-or-bust under Ufuk Talay. A damp Cove were left to contemplate the journey home as the home fans left the stadium with plenty to say to the Sydney faithful.
A massive night on Saturday took its toll on Sunday morning, but we were on our way soon after 3.30pm from the North Western suburbs of our beautiful city, destination Gosford, with light drizzle following us most of the way up the M1 for the short drive. The number of cars in the council car park is usually an indication of the turnout for a Central Coast away day and there weren’t many. We took note of the closing time of the car park, keen to avoid a repeat of the nonsense when we were locked in as last season ended in disaster here.
A pre-game pizza at the sprawling leagues club was just right, taking in the first half of the women’s game at Ironbark Fields. It looked a blustery nightmare from the distant view on the mobile phone, but our minds were back on the game here when the Cove noisily marched past and into the stadium. The overcast conditions in Gosford had been replaced by that damned drizzle as we left for the arduous fifteen-metre walk to the stadium, and we were in place with still ten minutes to spare.
The rain had been falling and the Hawaiian shirts were damp, but the mood was good, and the usual We Are Sydney was replaced by a sit-down side-to-side chant that eventually had us off our seats and shouting as the game kicked off. In fact it was almost perfectly choreographed to coincide with the countdown to the opening whistle. Watching the match was optional – everyone was up on the seats, the pool inflatables were flying everywhere, but through the chaos we saw Douglas Costa hit the post up the far end.
Impish playmaker Mikael Doka should have scored for the home side as he fired past the post at the sauce bottle end, before Douglas absolutely leathered a shot that just went just over. Sydney were looking the goods, the better team with the ball, without really looking like scoring, so it was a shock when a relatively aimless ball upfield from the Mariners saw the ball hold up in the wind. The Sydney defence had already left the ball for Devenish-Meares, and his hesitation suddenly had him second best against the lanky Kuol, stranded outside his area. Up went the heads, Kuol easily winning it, and was clattered by the goalkeeper. Now, he had won the header, and the ball was going away from goal, and we had plenty of defenders at the back, so the immediate red card was deemed a little harsh by those in the Cove, and what was to follow was even worse. Superstar playmaker Anas Ouahim was the fall guy, a surprising substitution, and he trudged off the field in disbelief. What a disaster. A morale-sapping move for a player who is on fire.
Andrew Redmayne came on to watch the free kick sail over, and half time wasn’t far away, the mood having changed, and a draw looking like a good result, playing with the man down.
The second half started with capo and drummer trying to get the crowd back on their feet with a face full of pie, and the Cove and the players showed a resolve to fight until the end. Redders made a quite astonishing save from point blank range to keep Sydney afloat, getting a knee from man mountain Brian Kaltack on the way down and requiring several game-management minutes of treatment, but we were in trouble here. An indication that Sydney were being cautious ahead of the next game saw the Brazilians replaced (could have left Ouahim on, man!) soon after the break before Kuol scored soon after. It was a slo-mo cross and finish, the free header beating Redders comfortably at the near post for a thoroughly disappointing goal.
The scenes were incredible when Sydney fashioned an qualiser from nowhere. Joe Lolley somehow toed the ball through to Klimala who finished calmly under pressure, racing over to the Cove to take the acclaim – what a great hit! Alas, Kuol was left completely free to head home five minutes later and we were back to square one. The Cove capo rallied the crowd, comically singing the wrong song before correcting the gaffe amidst smiles and laughter. Brilliant theatre! Sydney sacrificed their defence for attack as Hayden Matthews and Jordan Courtney-Perkins made way – if there’s one thing you have to admire about Ufuk Talay, it’s that he doesn’t mind going for broke. It almost worked too, Adrian Segecic and Jaiden Kucharski going close, but the goal just wouldn’t come. If we don’t get a draw all season I don’t think anyone will care. Win or bust! The final whistle brought muted cheers from the pitiful home crowd, the Mariners fans up on the top level enjoying their moment gesticulating down to the travelling fans below.
The players came to applaud the travelling Cove, before Rhyan Grant led the players to the corner to shake hands and offer personal thanks to those who had made the journey north today. There was hardly anyone left at the stadium for the customary family shot at the home end, the vibe having been sucked out of this place since the vibe manager left last year.
Fans of both teams mixed on the way out, we opted for the ramp up to the car park as there’s no stairs and you have to wait ages for the lifts. We were out of there fairly quickly, but hit traffic and roadworks as we headed home via Berkeley Vale, eventually getting home after 10pm. It was like a bad dream in Gosford, the diversions contradicting Google maps and we seemed to be going around in circles, but finally we escaped the twilight zone.
Was this a winning beach party day for Central Coast away? We certainly tried, but the harsh sending off and the healthy card count against Sydney FC didn’t help the cause. The football was good though, Diego Costa’s outside-of-the-left-foot pass up the right a highlight, and Anthony Caceres’ trickery seemingly has no boundary. Everyone was singing the priases of Kuol, but to be honest he should have been penalised on more than one occasion for jumping with no intention of winning the ball. The referee wasn’t on our side today. Mystery surrounds Maxi Burgess’ omission from the squad after not playing on Thursday night; I’m sure we’ll hear more about that in the coming days. A great effort from the team though, and we never felt beaten until the final whistle sounded.
Redemption time this coming Saturday as Hiroshi Ibusuki arrives in town looking to repeat his Unite Round heroics from last season. Now that we’ve got a double-header, this is going to be some night for revenge. Forza Sydney FC!