Central Coast Mariners have bagged their first win in 11 matches in all competitions after defeating bottom side Perth Glory 3-1 at Industree Group Stadium.
The Mariners made the breakthrough after just five minutes as striker Alou Kuol bagged his fourth goal of the campaign, heading an in-swinging cross beyond keeper Oli Sail and into the far corner.
Perth headed themselves level in the 10th minute as midfielder Nicholas Pennington thumped home a header from a corner to make it 1-1.
The reigning Isuzu UTE A-League Champions then re-established their lead at Industree Group Stadium in the 21st minute after Mikael Doka converted from the spot after he was initially brought down inside the box.
Perth had their chances to pull level but the Mariners made it 3-1 in the 58th minute as winger Christian Theoharous drilled a powerful low shot off the upright and into the back of the net from the edge of the box.
A first win in 11 games in all competitions, the Mariners remain 10th on the ladder and sit eight points outside the top six with four games left to play in their season.
Meanwhile Perth Glory’s hopes of avoiding a second-straight wooden spoon are getting slimmer every week with this result leaving them rock bottom of the Isuzu UTE A-League ladder with four games left to play.
Despite the Glory looking to threaten early on it took just five minutes for the Mariners to breach the league’s leakiest defence.
Collecting the ball out on the Mariners’ left, midfielder Alfie McCalmont whipped a right-footed delivery into the box which was glanced into the far corner by Kuol leaving Sail little choice but to pick the ball out of the Glory net after just five minutes.
However the away side responded well and dragged themselves back on level terms in the 10th minute.
After escaping the attention of Mariners winger Vitor Feijao at a corner, Glory midfielder Pennington then thundered a header past the leaping dive of Dylan Peraic-Cullen and into the back of the net to make it 1-1.
Glory’s parity didn’t last long though as the home side regained the lead from the penalty spot in the 21st minute.
Brought down by Glory’s Jaylan Pearman inside the box, Brazilian creator Doka then took it upon himself to put the ball in the back of the net and he coolly sent Sail the wrong way to make it 2-1.
The away side came close to levelling things up on the stroke of half-time but on-loan Sydney FC striker Patrick Wood was denied his first Perth Glory goal after Mariners keeper Peraic-Cullen pulled off a brilliant one-handed save to deny Wood inside the box.
Looking to rally in a bid to move themselves off the foot of the ladder Perth started well in the second-half and almost found the leveller.
Picked out by Trent Ostler’s clever cut-back, Socceroos striker Adam Taggart could only steer his header wide of the far post as Perth almost caught the Mariners cold at the beginning of the second stanza.
But while the away side couldn’t take their chances the home side certainly could as winger Theoharous bagged his side’s third of the afternoon.
Collecting the ball on the edge of the box from Feijao, Theoharous picked his spot and duly unleashed a rasping left-footed drive that flew across goalkeeper Sail and into the far corner after kissing the left upright.
In a rare bright spot for Perth Glory, defender Josh Risdon came on in the second-half to become the club’s all-time leading appearance maker in the Isuzu UTE A-League as he played game 157 for the Glory.
Looking to mark what was a memorable afternoon for him personally, Risdon almost bagged his first goal for the club in over 10 years, however the defender’s left footed effort clipped the crossbar before bouncing over.
