Be part of a bumper crowd at the Bluetongue on Saturday as the Mariners aim to secure the Premier’s Plate.
Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United
Saturday 17th March, 5.30pm
Be part of a bumper crowd at the Bluetongue on Saturday as the Mariners aim to secure the Premier’s Plate.
Bluetongue is unquestionably the place to be on Saturday as Central Coast Mariners have the chance of sealing the Premier’s Plate in front of the Yellow Army.
If the ladder leaders can win their match-up with Adelaide and if their neighbours Newcastle can do them a favour against Brisbane, then the title will be theirs.
With an afternoon of joyous celebration a genuine possibility, why would you even consider being anywhere else? Get a ticket, get your colours on and sing your side to title glory.
The disappointment of defeat in Perth last weekend was tempered by the Roar’s failure to win, and with the title so close to becoming reality, the Yellow & Navy will be determined to turn around their poor recent form by beating Adelaide.
One thing is certain as well, entertainment is guaranteed at Bluetongue Stadium on Saturday, as the two encounters so far this term have produced a whopping nine goals, with both matches resulting in wins for the Mariners.
At Hindmarsh, the Yellow & Navy put in one of their best displays of the season with a 4-0 thumping of the Reds that left nobody in any doubt as to their championship credentials.
In contrast to that stunningly fluid display, the ladder leaders showed that they have the kind of grit and guts to win trophies when they came from behind to beat United in New South Wales. 2-1 down to their visitors, they found another gear and came back to win by the odd goal in five.
While United’s finals hopes were realistically over long before it became a mathematical certainty, they still have their ACL campaign to focus on, and so will be looking for a good result in Gosford to boost their confidence going into their next game against Gamba Osaka.
On Sunday, they did the Mariners a massive favour too, by denying their title rivals a win. In fact, The Reds were the better team against Brisbane Roar for long periods at Suncorp Stadium and took the lead after a quarter of an hour through Iain Ramsay.
Only an equaliser 20 minutes from time prevented them from taking all three points. Make no mistake, Adelaide United will provide a tough test on this all-important weekend.
All eyes will be on New South Wales this Saturday, as the title race nears its conclusion.
Regardless of how Brisbane get on down the road, it is absolutely vital that the Mariners pick up three points. If things go according to plan, then the celebrations will go on long into the night in Gosford.
At the very least, a win will take Graham Arnold’s players into the final weekend of the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season with their destiny in their own hands and with the Premier’s Plate within their grasp.
Whatever happens, you should be at this final home league game of the campaign to spur your side on and to show your appreciation for the incredible effort and entertainment they have offered up over the past few months. Be at the Bluetongue – glory beckons.
