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Wanderers win over Mariners 2-1

Mariners head coach Paul Okon gestures during the A-League round 17 football match between Sydney FC and Central Coast Mariners at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Saturday, January 20, 2018. (AAP Image/David Moir)
Roar Guru
4th February, 2018
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The Western Sydney Wanderers have enjoyed the fruits of a dominant first half to leave Gosford with the three points, thanks to a 2-1 victory over the Central Coast Mariners.

Two first-half goals to Jaushua Sotirio and Oriol Riera were ultimately enough for the Wanderers to bank the three important points, and put them back into the top six.

The Mariners were disjointed at best and disinterested at worst in the first half, and you wondered if they were aware that their season was indeed still alive. The Wanderers were pressing in attack, solid in defence, and alive in the middle, to create enough chances to win at least two games.

When Sotorio volleyed home a corner, and Riera shot a bullet header for the first two goals of the game, the lack of response from the home side would have been concerning to Okon.

Things did not look much better in the second half for the Mariners, though they eventually lifted to get into the game. When Blake Powell made way for Petros Skapetis, the impact was immediate, as Skapetis headed home for the Mariner’s opening goal, to make it an exciting finish.

Mariners continued to press, as the Wanderers appeared to stop, however the finishing simply was not there for the Mariners, highlighted by Trent Buhagiar shooting from a gettable area int he last minute of the game, but failing to hit even the target.

A deserved win ultimately for the Wanderers, and with that game in hand, if they can grab those points, might even see them shoot up the ladder. For the Mariners however, yet another week of soul searching, to try and find a way to get this season on some sort of track.

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