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The Western Sydney Wanderers have enjoyed the fruits of a dominant first half to leave Gosford with the three points, thanks to a 2-1 victory over the Central Coast Mariners.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Central Coast Mariners 1
Western Sydney Wanderers 2
The Central Coast Mariners are once again at Gosford, with the Western Sydney Wanderers coming to do battle, as both teams continue the scrap for that sixth spot. Join The Roar live from 5pm for coverage of the match.
Central Coast, it is safe to say, are not having the season that they originally would have hoped to have.
Early signs were something of the Jekyll and Hyde variety (a thumping at the hands of local rivals Newcastle, a stunning win over Sydney), but ultimately, their last five have been the fairer indicator of their form: winless.
Paul Okon has huffed and puffed and blown all and sundry down in his press conferences, but ask any follower of football, and they will tell you that ultimately one thing always triumphs over any other factor: results. For Okon, as his team languishes in 9th spot, the results have been poor.
The added difficulty also being the issues surrounding Andrew Hoole, in the stands last week, and offerings from Sydney FC, not making life easy for anyone.
And while Central Coast are having their own problems, what to make of the Wanderers is anybody’s guess. For me, Gombau has done a solid job of putting together starting 11s with players not of his choosing.
Yes, a lot can be made of the hammering his side received at the hands of Sydney in the derby, but otherwise, the performances have not been as bad as the RBB would have you believe.
They were unlucky to a certain extent last week against Perth, in that the Bacchus red card might easily have stayed yellow in any other circumstances, and 11 v 11 is always a different game.
Ultimately, Gombau is still an impressive coach, who knows formations, tactics, and football better than most. It may ultimately be that edge that helps the Wanderers away from home.
Prediction
Both teams need a win. The Wanderers have that game in hand, yes, but now is the time to start running into form if you are even going to play finals.
With these last nine games, teams will not want to just be scraping into the finals, they will want to be there with an ability to make some noise.
However, I am going to give the Central Coast some credit here, and they should put up a fight at home, and while I can’t see them finishing the match riding on horses, I would expect they will come out strong, and take the game to the visitors.
Draw 1-1
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