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The Palm Beach Sharks‘ FFA Cup dream has come to an end after suffering a 5-0 defeat in the quarter final at the hand of the Central Coast Mariners.
In the end it was sheer weight of possession that allowed the Mariners to come home with a wet sail.
Matt Sim scored four goals and picked up a yellow card in a 20 minute cameo off the bench, while Isaka Cernak notched the opener in the first half.
The Palm Beach Sharks simply ran out of legs, but were gallant in defeat.
The Mariners are the first side through to the semi-final of the FFA Cup.
FINAL SCORE:
Palm Beach 0
Central Coast 5
The historic quarter final stage of the inaugural FFA Cup gets underway on the Gold Coast with the Palm Beach Sharks hosting the Central Coast Mariners. Join The Roar from 7.30pm (AEDT) today for live scores and coverage.
And then there were eight. A place in the semi finals of the FFA Cup is at stake for the winner of tonight’s clash between the Palm Beach Sharks and Central Coast Mariners.
The Sharks earned their place in the final eight with a 1-nil victory over South Springvale last start, while the Mariners downed another Queensland side in Olympic FC 3-1 to book their spot in tonight’s showdown.
It promises to be an entertaining clash as one side fights to keep their fairytale alive against their more heavily-backed opponents.
How Palm Beach can win:
The Sharks won’t be easy-beats, and with former Gold Coast United defender Kristian Rees in their line-up boast a player with big match experience.
Striker Chris Lucas is a noted poacher and will be keen to show his wares against an A-League side.
Playing at home is a huge advantage, and although they haven’t played a competitive fixture for a month, all their attention has been firmly fixed on the Mariners from the moment the draw was announced.
Their reaction of drawing the Mariners was priceless – the beers certainly flowed that night on live television, and they seem like a team who genuinely believe they can win.
That belief could be crucial tonight.
How the Mariners can win:
Confidence will be sky-high in the Central Coast camp after defeating archrivals the Newcastle Jets in their opening A-League fixture on Saturday.
The Mariners can never be accused of treating any competition with disrespect, and while they may be missing some of their highest profile players tonight, the players called in tonight know that a solid performance could aid their aspirations of forcing their way into the first eleven during what is a long A-League campaign.
To win the Mariners need to do what they do best and that is to control the midfield with possession based football. As professional athletes and coming off a long pre-season their fitness levels should be enough to outlast the Sharks and should be an advantage late in the match, particularly if extra time is required.
Likely Result:
The beauty of football is that it is played on the pitch and not on paper, and as a result anything can happen.
The longer this game goes scoreless the greater Palm Beach’s confidence will grow. The Mariners will want to avoid a penalty shoot-out at all costs, and are likely to come out all guns blazing.
Mariners to win 2-0.
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