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A terrible mistake from Perth Glory goalkeeper Tando Velaphi saw Central Coast snatch a 2-1 A-League victory at Canberra Stadium on Friday night.
The game appeared headed for a 1-1 draw but the Mariners were gifted the win via a Matt Simon goal in the 89th minute following an absolute howler from Velaphi.
The Glory custodian charged off his line in an attempt to intercept a long ball, but watched in horror as the ball bounced over his head and Mariners substitute Dylan Macallister swooped on the crumbs, crossing it to Simon for the easiest of tap-ins.
Earlier, Mariners skipper Alex Wilkinson notched his first ever A-League goal to give his side the lead in the 41st minute before Perth marquee striker Mile Sterjovski evened the ledger eight minutes from time when he banged home a goal after his initial strike from the penalty spot was saved.
But Velaphi’s mistake saw the Mariners notch their ninth win over Perth in 13 meetings in front of 5,139 fans.
Perth dominated proceedings in the opening 30 minutes and were unlucky not to get rewarded on the scoresheet after creating a number of promising chances.
Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic did well to palm away Branko Jelic’s goalward-bound header in the 13th minute, while the crossbar saved Central Coast in the 31st minute when the former Bundesliga player hit a sweet, curling strike from the edge of the box.
Sterjovski spurned a couple of golden chances and Perth were made to pay dearly for their inability to finish the job, with the Mariners striking four minutes from the break.
A diving Velaphi did well to palm away Pedj Bojic’s header from a John Hutchinson free kick but Wilkinson was on hand to pounce on the crumbs, threading the ball through the legs of Velaphi and Scott Neville.
The Mariners controlled play in the second half and looked set to cruise to the win before cramp and an awkward bounce helped Perth back into the match.
With just nine minutes left on the clock, Mariners defender Pedj Bojic coughed up possession at left back when he went down with cramp, and Brad Porter handballed the corresponding cross in the box when his attempted chest down went horribly wrong.
Vukovic saved Sterjovski’s initial strike from the spot but the Glory striker kept his composure, regaining the ball and slicing it past the ‘keeper.
Wayne Srhoj’s header hit the crossbar in the 85th minute but it was the Mariners who snatched the winner, with Velaphi’s howler helping Central Coast to their second win of the season.
“Everybody did their job tonight and we’ve deserved a wee bit of luck over the last few weeks and we certainly got that at the end,” Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna said.
“The boys did well.
“(Nicky) Travis did well in his first start, he ran out of legs in the second half.
“(Michael) McGlinchey was bobbing up all over the place and kept possession well.” Glory coach Dave Mitchell refused to lay the blame on Velaphi.
“He’s come in and apologised to all the players but Tando’s made some great saves during the season and at the end of last season and he’s a great goalkeeper,” Mitchell said.
“He’ll learn from it, as we all will.
“There’s nothing you can say in that instance … just tell him to keep his chin up.”
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