Mariners, Roar secure important wins in Round 8 of the Foxtel Y-League

Brisbane Roar’s Foxtel National Youth League title defence shows no signs of slowing down, while Central Coast Mariners picked up another crucial win in a weather-affected clash in Gosford.

And Adelaide United’s finals hopes took a blow after they drew a blank in their clash with Melbourne City.

There were only three games played over the weekend as the fixture between Canberra United and the Newcastle Jets was postponed due to the forecast of extremely hazardous air quality in the Canberra region.

Catch up on all the action from Round 8 plus see all the fixtures for the upcoming round of fixtures.

Tongyik goal enough to sink Wanderers

Central Coast Mariners kept pace with Group B leaders Sydney FC thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers at Pluim Park.

In a match that kicked off at 8.45am due to heatwave conditions on Saturday, it was Ruon Tongyik’s early goal which proved the difference.

Tongyik, a former Wanderers player, was on hand to slam home a rebound on six minutes after a fine initial save from keeper Nick Suman.

Both sides maintained an excellent tempo in the stifling conditions and created a number of opportunities but neither were able to add to the score.

Then midway through the second half, the decision was made to abandon the rest of the match due to extreme heat, with the Mariners awarded a 1-0 win.

The result takes the Mariners level on 14 points with the Sky Blues, although Sydney FC have a game in hand,while the Wanderers have four points from five games.

FT | With the safety of participants and spectators in mind, this morning's #YLeague match against the @wswanderersfc has been ended in the 65th minute due to the extreme ambient temperatures recorded.
The result stands at 1-0. #CCMFC #CCMvWSW pic.twitter.com/6Q7eqMo5Wn

— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) January 3, 2020

Roar outclass Glory to go top

Brisbane Roar moved to the top of the Group A standings thanks to their 2-0 win over Perth Glory at AJ Kelly Park.

A goal in each half from Dylan Wenzel-Halls and Oscar Woods spurred the home side to victory over a stubborn Glory outfit.

Wenzel-Halls opened the scoring inside nine minutes, latching on to a ball from Keegan Jelacic and firing home powerfully past the keeper.

Glory enjoyed a strong start to the second half but fell further behind on the hour mark.

Stefan Mauk, getting some valuable minutes in the Y-League, provided the assist for Woods to apply the finishing touch.

The visitors thought they should have won a penalty soon after when Giordano Colli went down under a challenge from ‘keeper Macklin Freke, but referee Max Crane thought otherwise.

Roar have now moved top of the table in Group A, one point ahead of Melbourne Victory, who have a game in hand.

Glory are bottom of the standings with two points from seven matches.

All square between City and the Reds

Adelaide United missed the chance to close the gap on the top two in Group A after a goalless draw with Melbourne City.

The first half was one of very few chances as both sides were content to be patient and control possession.

While the second-half followed much the same pattern, there was more goalmouth action with both sides having chances to take all three points,

The best opportunity probably fell to City’s Samuel Morrison a couple of minutes from time.

The striker turned on a dime inside the box before firing a powerful shot towards the top corner but United keeper Cameron Cook pulled off an outstanding save to ensure the points would be split.

Adelaide sit third in Group A on 10 points, three behind second-place Melbourne Victory, while City have now drawn four and lost two of their six games for the season.

FT| It’s our second consecutive draw as the points are split at CB Smith Reserve. #MCYvADL #YLeague pic.twitter.com/iZHOCGH5B2

— Melbourne City Youth – LIVE (@MelbCityYouth) January 5, 2020