Brisbane Roar coach Ange Postecoglou hailed his side’s gut-busting performance in defeating Central Coast 3-2 at Bluetongue stadium in Gosford on Saturday – their third Hyundai A-League game in a week.
After losing last weekend to Adelaide, Roar defeated Fury 2-0 on Wednesday night in Brisbane and backed that up with three hard-fought points over Central Coast today.
Postecoglou acknowledged the players were feeling it after a schedule he believed they weren’t ready for. But he paid tribute to their resolve, particularly in the final 20 minutes when the Mariners equalised and had the momentum going into the final stages of a physical contest.
“It was a gutsy effort; the boys are out on their feet. We kind of knew at half-time that it would have to be a gutsy effort,” he said after the game.
“The boys weren’t ready to play three games in a week and to be honest, when we conceded the second I thought we’ll just have to hang on here but we actually lifted, and I thought that was our best period.”
Two superb strikes from Tommy Oar and Sergio Van Dijk gave the Roar an early two goal lead. But an error from skipper Craig Moore handed the Mariners an easy goal to give the home side a lifeline just before half-time.
And Gold Coast substitute Dylan Macallister turned hero heading home with 15 minutes left to tie the game at two apiece before McKay’s winner in time added on. McKay was ecstatic at scoring his winner and joked about his lack of goals after nabbing his first of the season.
“I haven’t hit the target this season so about time. It was a good time to do it. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot by conceding two goals.”
McKay was at a loss to explain how the visitors allowed Central Coast back into the game, saying the side sometimes needs a wake-up call.
“We always seem to push on when we concede. It’s a silly thing; we should be switched on all the time.”
Postecoglou added it had been a few memorable days with the two wins giving his side valuable impetus going into the Boxing Day blockbuster with rivals Gold Coast.
“Today, the heart and the effort the boys put in were fantastic,” said the coach. “And it was only seven days ago we were at the depths of despair. And now we’re sitting fourth.”
