Substitute Troy Hearfield earned Central Coast a massive scalp as his well-taken goal gave the Mariners a 1-0 win over the Scottish soccer giant Celtic in a pre-season friendly at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
The match between last season’s Australian and Scottish league runners-up produced few clear cut chances.
But new recruit Hearfield, formerly of Wellington and Newcastle, curled in a shot from the edge of the area in the 87th minute after Celtic had failed to clear a cross from the left.
Another second half substitute, Trent Sainsbury, cleared the ball off the line just before the end of the 90 minutes, as Celtic had an appeal for hand ball turned down.
Neither goalkeeper was forced into a significant save in the first half.
Celtic put a couple of attempts wide and the Mariners had a good spell just before the break, forcing several corners and having two shots blocked.
Clearly not enthused by the on-field fare, a few spectators in the 19,482-strong crowd tried to create their own entertainment by running on to the field during the halftime break and in the second half.
Attacking the end where the biggest block of their supporters were gathered, Celtic showed a little more urgency in the second half.
The game finally came to life after an hour, with each side earning good chances within the space of a minute.
Mariners goalkeeper Justin Pasfield foiled substitute Anthony Stokes with his legs before Adriano Pellegrino headed wide from a cross from impressive Mariners leftback Josh Rose.
Celtic handed debuts to two off-season signings, defenders Adam Matthews and Kelvin Wilson, and included just three starters from their Scottish Cup final-winning team.
The Mariners started with six of their run-on side from the A-League grand final loss to Brisbane Roar.
Celtic play Perth Glory next Saturday and Melbourne Victory four days later.
They start their domestic campaign in five weeks, while the Mariners still have more than three months before their first A-League fixture.
Hearfield was playing his first game for the Mariners following a spell in Indonesia.
“Pretty much as soon as I hit it, it was one of those ones that you just know when it was going in,” Hearfield said.
Mariners’ coach Graham Arnold felt his team performed exceptionally well.
“I think our defensive structure was again fantastic but just our execution in the final third was a bit rusty,” Arnold said.
He felt it was definitely the best time of the tour to catch Celtic, who only arrived in Australia on Wednesday.
Celtic coach Neil Lennon was very pleased with his team’s effort given the short preparation time for the game.
“The players condition and the quality, particularly second half, it was a remarkable performance when you consider the week they’ve been through,” Lennon told reporters.
“They’ve been travelling all the way over on Tuesday and Wednesday and then one day’s training, played very very well second half and controlled the game.
“I thought they scored with their one shot on target but overall I’m delighted with the performance.”
He felt referee Matthew Breeze could have awarded two penalties, one for a handball and another for a foul in the closing minutes but praised the Mariners and was especially impressed with Rose.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Joe Lolley was outstanding for the Sky Blues, scoring a brace as Sydney FC equaled their biggest ever victory.
Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
Central Coast Mariners' star striker Angel Torres has been stood down from playing in the A-League Men after he was charged with sexual assault. …
Mathew Leckie played a pivotal part in Melbourne City claiming an 8-nil win; playing a role in several of his team's goals.
The Mariners must deal with possibly their toughest challenge yet - Kyrgyzstan’s FK Abdysh-Ata Kant in the first leg of the semifinal.
The loser of the Sydney Derby will be under immense pressure entering the final three matches of the season.
