Central Coast Mariners edged Adelaide United 1-0 in their second pre-season friendly against a Hyundai A-League opponent on Thursday afternoon.
Central Coast Mariners edged Adelaide United 1-0 in their second pre-season friendly against a Hyundai A-League opponent on Thursday afternoon.
After being defeated 2-1 by Brisbane Roar in Bathurst on Saturday, Graham Arnold-s charges flew to the city of churches eager for another tough hit-out against a Hyundai A-League rival.
The Mariners were offered a stern test against Josep Gombau-s men, with Michael McGlinchey-s deflected shot striking an Adelaide defender in the 58th minute before nestling in the back of the net.
Central Coast and Adelaide entered the sheds at half time on level terms following a first 45 of few chances. Nick Fitzgerald and McGlinchey looked threatening in attack for the away team, while Jon McKain forced a sharp save from Mariners custodian Justin Pasfield 37 minutes in.
Both sides made numerous changes to their personnel at the break, but it was new father McGlinchey who had started the game who made the key play in the match. After a darting run, McGlinchey-s shot rebounded off a Reds defender and into Eugene Galekovic-s goal.
Former Melbourne Heart midfielder Matt Thompson, who is currently on trial with Adelaide, almost restored to the parity five minutes later however his strike was deflected wide.
The last real opportunity of the friendly fell to former Melbourne Knights midfielder Cameron Watson with 20 minutes to play, however he flashed his effort wide.
Central Coast Mariners Head Coach Graham Arnold was pleased with the display from players following the match.
“The boys did well today,” Arnold said. “Considering we only left the Coast this morning and had a long day of travel, to play the way we did and get 90 minutes under out belts with no injuries is fantastic. Collectively we were much better than against Brisbane.”
Arnold said he is looking forward to jetting to Indonesia for the 2013 Menpora Cup, where he believes his men will benefit from three tough games in ten days.
“It-s going to be good to get over to Indonesia where we will not only get three competitive matches, but also have the opportunity to do extensive video analysis work with our players in a camp situation,” he said.
Central Coast Mariners will depart for Indonesia on Monday 16 September.
