Central Coast have one hand on the National Youth League title after overcoming Gold Coast United in a pulsating 6-3 goalfest at Owen Park on Sunday.
Central Coast have one hand on the National Youth League title after overcoming Gold Coast United in a pulsating 6-3 goalfest at Owen Park on Sunday.
Strikes to Nikola Stanojevic, Ben Jurman, Stuart Musialik and Mitchell Duke, together with a late brace to substitute Kwabena Appiah-Kubi, helped the Mariners edge closer to glory with a decisive triumph over the current NYL title-holders.
The Gosford club remain top of the table and are now on 35 points, with one match left – a home assignment against Sydney FC in the final week of the competition.
With a far superior goal difference to their nearest challengers, Perth and Brisbane, all they need is victory in their final outing against the Sky Blues to confirm their first ever youth title.
Gold Coast, on the other hand, are officially out of the championship race with their dream of three consecutive NYL trophies coming to a crashing halt on their own home turf.
It only took nine minutes for them to fall behind to the Mariners, with Stanojevic the quickest to react after a goalmouth scramble from a corner kick.
With a sea of bodies in the six yard box, Stanojevic managed to get a toe on the ball to prod it past a helpless Brendan White, who started in goal for the hosts.
Four minutes later the visitors doubled their margin through Jurman, who cracked a low, hard drive right into the bottom corner of the net.
United kept at it, though, and after 33 minutes found a reward for their persistence when Maceo Rigters’ pressure forced the Mariners into turning over possession in a dangerous area, before gently slipping the ball past custodian David Bradasevic.
Just minutes into the second half he had his double – the Dutchman was given far too much time and space at the top of the box, and he let rip with a trademark thunderbolt to level the scores.
But with 20 minutes to go in the match, the Mariners lead was restored – and then cemented – with a quickfire double through Musialik and Duke.
First, Musialik curled a free kick from the top of the danger area around the wall and past White – then seconds later, Duke netted with a delightful first-time shot to put the Mariners ahead 4-2.
United weren’t done with yet, though – substitute Kwame Yeboah closed the gap with his opportunist 79th minute strike, which presented itself after a harmless ricochet in the box.
But Central Coast striker Appiah-Kubi obviously didn’t receive the memo, coming on to score two late goals to confirm victory and bring his side closer to title supremacy.
Central Coast Mariners 6 (Stanojevic 9, Jurman 26, Musialik 70, Duke 72, Appiah-Kubi 82/86)
Gold Coast United 3 (Rigters 32/52, Yeboah 79)
