Australia NewsMariners Hit Fury For Five |
CENTRAL Coast Mariners followed up their four-goal showing in Melbourne by going one better with a 5-1 victory over North Queensland Fury in Townsville.
Nik Mrdja struck twice for Lawrie McKinna's side with Pedj Bojic, Ahmad Elrich and John Hutchinson also on target - not bad for a team that has supposedly struggled for goals.
The Mariners showed their class with a frenzied 15 minute period that saw Bojic (22) and Mrdja (35) score.
The visitors then capped it off after the break with Mrdja netting a second just before the hour followed by Elrich (62) and Hutchinson (82).
Fury suffered for a lack of cohesion and polished finishing which even extended to their marquee skipper Robbie Fowler, who struggled for meaningful possession with only Rostyn Griffiths finding the onion bag in the 68th minute.
The class of the goalkeepers was a stark difference with the host's Paul Henderson suffering a horror night, while the visitors Danny Vukovic survived one-on-one with an attacker and then kept out a series of rapid shots to show why he's regarded as one of the best in the country.
North Queensland had their first opportunity of the game in the second minute when a cross into the box found Fred Agius, but he lifted the ball over the crossbar.
David Williams had a chance less than a minute later when a horror back pass to Vukovic saw the ball roll into the Fury man's path, only for it to be cleared.
Fowler intercepted a header meant for a defender in the 19th minute and after a one-two with Daniel McBreen raced into a gapl but ended up buried in the turf after hard contact.
Central Coast made their first opportunity of the night count after a long ball in the 22nd minute from Dean Heffernan found Bojic wide right, allowing him to shoot into the far corner past Henderson.
Nik Mrdja doubled the pain 13 minutes later with a low, penetrating free kick from just outside the 18-yard box peeling through the wall and past a diving Henderson to make the score 2-0.
Adam Kwasnik pulled the trigger minutes later but his shot hit the post much to the luck of a flat-footed Henderson whose night was going from bad to worse.
The home side had a last ditch chance before the break with Fowler letting loose directly in front and then taking the rebound for McBreen to fire into Vukovic and then wide of the post in a frantic shooting frenzy.
Dyron Daal, brought off the bench in the 51st minute, made an immediate impact with a curling shot at the goal denied by the corner of the goal frame.
The Mariners quickly put a stop to the uprising, with Mrdja galloping through defenders and despite two team mates lining up unmarked, shot into the left corner to make it 3-0 in 59th minute.
Ahmad Elrich added another nail in the coffin three minutes later, slotting past a defenceless Henderson to make it 4-0
The home side were lucky to get on the scoreboard when a shot veered through a crowded box and into Griffiths who deflected it into the net in the 68th minute.
Mariner Hutchinson then took a perfectly weighted long ball on the break and fended off two defenders to knock in the fifth goal of the night with eight minutes remaining.
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