Both the Melbourne Heart and Gold Coast United head into Friday’s fixture looking to break eight-match winless streaks.
Both the Melbourne Heart and Gold Coast United head into Friday’s fixture looking to break eight-match winless streaks.
After a purple patch in December in which they notched five consecutive victories, the Heart’s form has nosedived dramatically.
John van ‘t Schip’s side have been unlucky at times, but consistently conceding second-half goals has not helped their cause.
Of the 14 goals the Heart have shipped in the past eight matches, 10 have come after half-time.
Another concerning statistic is that the Hyundai A-League’s newest side have let in five goals in the final 20 minutes of matches.
More recently, they have not been helped by the departures of Mate Dugandzic, Aziz Behich and Jason Hoffman on Olyroos duty while the injury to Fred has robbed them of some much-needed quality in the centre of the park.
The Heart’s poor form has not been due to a lack of chances though, with van ‘t Schip’s men firing 52 shots on target during the eight-match run, for just five goals.
The Central Coast Mariners have excited the league with their brand of football this season and with 131 shots on target this campaign, they are testing the goalkeeper 6.55 times a match.
With 52 in eight matches, Melbourne Heart’s record is almost identical at 6.5.
But that is where the similarities end.
Central Coast have bagged 31 goals from those 131 attempts on target at an average of a goal from every 4.22 attempts, while the Heart’s conversion rate in 2012 is a far more dismal one goal from every 10.5 attempts.
Without a win this year, Melbourne have an ideal chance to break that run against a struggling Gold Coast United.
Miron Bleiberg’s side were unlucky in their 2-1 home defeat to Adelaide United on Sunday, but their inability to score regularly has hurt them consistently this season.
They have scored just 21 goals from 20 matches, which sees them with the worst attacking record in the league.
The club’s top scorer is 21-year-old James Brown, with four goals, as the likes of Dylan Macallister, Maceo Rigters and Chris Harold have struggled to score consistently.
Amazingly, Gold Coast have conceded 14 goals in their winless run with 10 of them coming in the second half, just like Heart.
The coincidences do not stop there though, with United also having shipped five goals in the final 20 minutes, while both sides have drawn three fixtures and lost five in their winless streak.
These statistics indicate both sides are struggling to run out a match and that they are vulnerable late in matches.
That could mean a flurry of late goals at AAMI Park on Friday as both sides desperately search for a win.
