Central Coast Mariners have let slip a golden opportunity to kick off the John Hutchinson era in style, drawing 2-2 with rivals Newcastle in the F3 derby.
With the score level at one apiece, Oli Lavale looked poised to be the F3 derby hero on Saturday night after converting a penalty kick in the 60th minute at Polytec Stadium.
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But Lavale’s dream start to the A-League Men season turned into a nightmare in the 78th minute when the 21-year-old striker failed to clear a corner kick and instead nudged it into the Mariners’ net.
Ali Auglah had converted the first of two Mariners penalties in the 11th minute to get the hosts going, before Jets recruit Patrick Wood equalised in the 49th.
Much-loved club legend Hutchinson at least avoids opening his ALM account with a defeat as he attempts to guide the Mariners back to the top of the table.
Newcastle got their premiership defence underway after 13 players left in the off-season, among them star striker Lachie Rose (Dundee United), Clayton Taylor (Barnsley) and Eli Adams (Gamba Osaka).
They had the better of possession, but it was Central Coast who were braver with their chances.
Mariners winger Auglah forced the door open when he brilliantly danced past Jets duo Daniel Wilmering and Xavier Bertoncello into the box, before drawing in Thomas Aquilina for the penalty.
Auglah had proved difficult for Wilmering and Bertoncello to contain, with the match reaching a flashpoint just before halftime when Max Burgess took matters into his own hands.
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Burgess shoved Auglah to the ground just as the Mariners winger passed the ball, before remonstrating Wilmering and Bertoncello for simply letting the contest go by in front of them.
But Auglah didn’t take kindly to Burgess’s tackle, with the affair starting a team-wide spotfire in the 41st minute.
