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Central Coast Mariners vs Central Coast Selection |
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|---|---|---|
A-League Pre-season Warm up |
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| Central Coast Stadium | ||
| Central Coast Mariners | Central Coast Selection | |
| 6 | SCORE | 1 |
| 17 | Shots | 6 |
| 7 | Corners | 4 |
| 0 | Yellow Cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
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The scoreline, 6-1 to the Mariners, was wholly irrelevant at Central Coast Stadium, as Usain Bolt brought the masses to the stadium to see what all the fuss was about.
While all the attention was on Bolt, all action on the field in the first half was the Mariners blowing out cobwebs, and scoring goals at will. Jack Clisby helping himself to a first half double, his first coming only 20 seconds into the contest.
Bolt watched on intently all night, just waiting for his moment, which arrived with 20 minutes to go. He came on and gave the crowd what they wanted, with some runs here, some jogs there, some soft touches, and a couple of chances.
From a footballing perspective, Mulvey will be happy with a first half clinic, but less enthusiastic that saw his experimental side draw the second half 1-all, with the Select team scoring a nice little goal from a free kick.
But tonight was about Bolt, and only time will tell what the Bolt experiment says about the game of football in Australia.
Final score
Central Coast Mariners – 6
Central Coast Select – 1
So the journey for Usain Bolt begins, in a pre-season hit-out between the Central Coast Mariners and a Central Coast selection, with all eyes being on how the 100m and 200m sprinting phenomenon handles the match. Join The Roar for live scores and updates from 7:30pm (AEST).
Regardless of merit or substance, the long and short of it is that the Usain Bolt experiment means that not only is a Central Coast Mariners pre-season game being talked about and scrutinised, but it is being televised as well.
It will not be a matter for the Mariners, and indeed the A-League and FFA, as to what they do with that added exposure in a meaningful way.
The easy question to ask will be how Bolt handles the pressure, and while that may seem like a big question, let’s remember that this is a three-time Olympian who is the fastest man ever to stand on a racetrack, so ultimately, while Bolt’s performance will be heavily scrutinised and questioned, you would wonder whether Bolt is indeed going to feel any pressure.
There will be a lot to think about in this match.
Mike Mulvey had a huge job on his hands coming to the Central Coast, particularly given how this club finished last season, so while doubtless Mulvey would have preferred to go without the added distraction of ‘the Bolt experiment,’ he will still know that he has a team to build, and a competition to prepare for, so perhaps he might look at this as an opportunity to use the coverage, and indeed, Bolt’s professionalism, to kick-start his campaign.
Is this game going to be make or break for Bolt? Hardly, given that the amount of coverage to date dictates that the Mariners try to make this work as best they can.
But the criticisms will be locked and loaded if Bolt fails, in fact they will probably be readily handed out if Bolt succeeds, and for the sake of the Central Coast Mariners and the A-League, it will be important that Usain Bolt doesn’t necessarily star, but at least looks like he belongs.
Prediction
It likely doesn’t matter, but while the Mariners should get the chocolates (a loss here might actually be a bigger story than Bolt), it wouldn’t surprise me if Bolt himself manages to get on the scoresheet.
Central Coast Mariners 4-0.
Join The Roar for live scores and updates from 7:30pm (AEST), and don’t forget to leave a comment.
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