Blockbuster encapsulates A-League's quality on and off the pitch

Not since John Aloisi dribbled from half-way to seal Sydney FC’s premiership against the Melbourne Victory in the final round in 2010 has there been a more decisive regular season game than tonight’s blockbuster between the Mariners and the Wanderers.

With only five rounds left in the regular season, a point separating them and a sell-out crowd of 20,000 expected at Bluetongue, including one of the A-League’s biggest away gates, it promises to be another great night in this most amazing of seasons.

While the rain has been about the past few days, it will do little to dampen the enthusiasm of a crowd that will be heaving with passion, which hopefully doesn’t spill over into anything stupid.

With the Wanderers filling up the away bays at an alarming rate throughout the week, expect the Red and Black Bloc to dominate the noise and colour.

This will be especially apparent on the TV given that the away fans occupy the Eastern terrace which faces the Fox Sports cameras.

With at least seven bays of Wanderers fans in the bottom terrace and at least two in the grandstand above them, the RBB will have a huge support cast.

But don’t underestimate the home fans for a second.

The Mariners mightn’t have the same sort of active support culture or numbers as the Wanderers, but on the big occasions they can generate an atmosphere of their own to inspire their wonderful team.

Two that come to mind in recent times are the round three clash against Sydney FC this season, when the fans came expecting to see Alessandro Del Piero only to go home with a 7-2 win, and Matt Simon’s farewell match on Big Wednesday last season.

On both occasions, fixtures this correspondent was at, the pride and passion of the Mariners fans came to the fore.

It has become popular, in recent times, to bash the people of the Central Coast for either not filling up their stadium or generating big atmospheres week-in, week-out.

Often lost in the discourse is that, in an area where the unemployment rate might be a little higher than some of the big cities, perhaps there isn’t as much discretional spend for entertainment. Economic reality.

With the Mariners being looked after by the FFA at the back-end of this season, with a high percentage of home games to help them with their Asian Champions League travels, it’s perhaps no surprise the Coasties can’t show up to them all.

This week, for example, they will have had three games in eight days, a stretch for even the most committed fan.

While there may have been some disappointment at the size of the Bluetongue crowd in Wednesday night’s ACL opener against Suwon Bluewings, there can be no mistaking the fact they now know their football and love their team.

This is a crowd now well in tune with the finer detail of the game.

Sitting among them on Wednesday night it was obvious they knew what was going on, fully engaged in what I thought was a fascinating contest.

They applauded when there was a nice passage of play, jeered in frustration at an out-of-sorts Mile Sterjovski, identified that Jose Rose wasn’t at his best, and called for Mitchell Duke to come off the bench.

It was a far cry from opening season of the A-League, when I often sensed many in the crowd where there more for the social occasion.

Now they are a rusted-on supporter base, and even if they don’t make as much noise as the RBB or have the same intimidating feel, they deserve more recognition than they get.

Certainly they have a team worthy of the support, one yet to lose at home this season, scoring 29 goals in their 10 games in Gosford. Fourteen have come in the past three wins against Adelaide, Wellington and the Victory.

Match that up against a Wanderers side who have now won seven on the spin and haven’t lost on the road since December 2, and it is a real premiership showdown.

Indeed, the Wanderers have won five and drawn one of their past six on the road, and won their past four away.

It’s as intimidating an away record as you are likely to take anywhere.

But the Mariners are the only team the new club are yet the beat, and Tony Popovic will be looking for a bit of revenge for the 2-0 loss at home early in January when they were missing four of their most influential players.

That night, without Michael Beauchamp, Youssouf Hersi, Mateo Poljak and Dino Kresinger, their depleted midfield  was over-powered by Daniel McBreen, as I wrote at the time.

This time though it will be a full-strength Wanderers outfit that will engage the Mariners in one giant arm-wrestle.

When Poljak and Iacopo La Rocca have both been available, there have been few teams able to physically intimidate the Wanderers.

But the Mariners, with Patrick Zwaanswijk, John Hutchinson, Bernie Ibini and Duke all likely to come back into the 11 after not starting on Wednesday, will be manned-up for the battle.

What they have done so well this season is out-run teams, especially with Pedj Bojic providing much penetration from deep on the right.

His battle here with Mark Bridge will be a beauty, like so many others across the pitch.

With Duke and Ibini adding much dynamism since Tom Rogic’s departure, McBreen always a handful and Michael McGlinchey adding creativity, the Mariners are as likely as anyone to test the organisation of Tony Popovic’s structure.

For much of the season the Wanderers have looked almost impenetrable, as compact and in-tune with their defensive responsibilities as you will see anywhere.

But a dynamic Mariners will test this more than anyone else.

Why? Well, they have both the physical game to go with an ability on the ball.

Where the Mariners have fallen a little short a few times this season has been on the tactical side.

Generally though this has been away from home. Graham Arnold has invariably had his side primed at home.

There’s very little separating these two high quality sides, and this should be as tense, tight and high quality as game as we have seen here.

With enough quality on the pitch in the likes of Shinji Ono, McGlinchey, Youssouf Hersi, Ibini, Mark Bridge, Duke and McBreen, there should be at least a goal, even against the stingiest of defences, as both these are.

It’s the type of game that offers so much and shows how far the A-League has come this season, high quality on and off the pitch.