Central Coast Mariners continue to believe

The mighty Mariners always know there will be enough in the tank to get the job done and it’s this astounding level of belief that has won them so many scrappy points when they are playing average football.

A first half flurry by Adelaide United was not enough to deter the league leaders as the Central Coast Mariners have walked away victors and extended their unbeaten run to 15 matches in an unlikely fashion.

The Mariners were not at their best yet pure self determination fueled three goals to Daniel McBreen, Adam Kwasnik and Josh Rose which proved effective sucker punches to void Adelaide’s goals from Sergio Van Dijk and Bruce Djite.

Matthew Ryan was again a stand out for the Mariners who showcased his talents that denied the Reds from walking away with anything. Full credit must go to Pedj Bojic who posted one of his best performances of the season to give the Mariners impetus. Central Coast did however miss Mustafa Amini (rested) which took away the creativity that usually stands them out from the pack.


The home side were flat throughout majority of the match and were only saved by their character and mental strength. These were deciding factors in the end with Coach Graham Arnold pinning it to “belief”.

“The positive attitude that runs through our change room is frightening, there is so much belief within the squad and myself.

“When I wanted to throw an extra man in the back at two all the boys yelled at me and said they wanted to go for it and that’s exactly what they did,” said Arnold.

After scoring first in the 14th minute the Mariners started on top however conceded two goals in the next five minutes, throwing them on the back foot for the remainder of the first half.


Winning games when a side is playing below their (albeit high) standards can sometimes be more valuable than a flawless performance and goal scorer Joshua Rose agrees determination is key.

“This strong sense of belief we have has been there from the start of the season. We make sure we stick at it and we get the points, that’s why we went for it at 2-2 and it paid dividends,” said .

Even though they are a relatively young squad a lot of the boys have plenty of game time under their belt and this has been a factor that significantly contributes to their performances week in week out.

Arnold has more depth than any manager in the A-League could dream of and knows he has more than enough men to get the job done. Coach for the away side, John Kosmina, is not so fortunate.

“We have got plenty of inexperienced players out there and in terms of game time the Mariners are light years ahead of us,” said Adelaide's Kosmina.

The win now puts the Mariners nine points clear at the top of the Hyundai A-League ladder and belief is stronger than ever. With their closest competitors Brisbane Roar finally starting to string results together again it certainly sets up a mouth watering Finals Series.