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.
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting on the live blog tonight. The football wheel never stops, the Young Socceroos and the Socceroos are in action later tonight early tomorrow morning, and of course there are a number of mouth-watering A-League fixtures this weekend. Enjoy your evening.
Midfielder
Guest
Go you good thing ... and Dim Sim got 4 goals in 15 minutes ... that will take some beating...
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
In the end it was sheer weight of possession that allowed the Mariners to come home with a wet sail. Matt Sim scored 4 goals and picked up a yellow card in a 20 minute cameo off the bench, with 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.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
Go the Marinators!! And thank you Liam for the feed and comments!
jamesb
Guest
Oh well, poor Palm Beach. They can go back now to been a location set for "home and away".
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
FULLTIME Mariners 5 def Palm Beach Sharks 0
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
Mariners 5 Palm Beach Sharks 0
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Matt Sim knocks Berisha out of the record books with the most goals in a game in the admittedly very young FFA cup. That was his best as he stepped around 2 players and drove home on his right foot.
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
3 minutes of time added on
AZ_RBB
Guest
CCM into a semi final.....surprise surprise.
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
89' GOALLLL Sim gets a hat trick, Fitzgerald has a shot which again is palmed away by VITAKANGAS straight into the path of Sim. Mariners 4 Palm Beach Sharks 0
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
88' Sim continues with his busy cameo picking up a yellow card to go with his brace. Mariners 3 Palm Beach Sharks 0
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
87' Lucas thought he was aways but a very late flag rules him offside.
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
85' Grzic goes into the refs book with a yellow after a late tackle on Cernak. Slater comes on as the Mariners final change as Cernak comes to the sideline. Mariners 3 Palm Beach Sharks 0
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
Change for the Mariners Kalik comes on for Trifiro Change for the Sharks Grzic for Mirkovic
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
35 games for the Palm Beach Sharks this season, huge effort from the team. 78' Mariners trying to finish off the game on a positive note and are searching for a 4th. Mariners 3 Palm Beach Sharks 0
jamesb
Guest
Sharks always struggle. Whether its the NRL, FFA Cup....
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
GOAL Sim gets his double, Trifiro with his third assist of the game with a beautifully timed pass. Sim ran onto it and finished it perfectly. Mariners 3 Palm Beach Sharks 0
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
The Skipper McKAY has a shot from distance trying to lob Reddy.
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
GOAL Mariners Super sub Matty Sim scores with his first touch. Trifiro drives a shot from distance, which Vitakangas parries away straight into the path of Sim who can't believe his luck. Mariners 2 Palm Beach Sharks 0