Early goal enough for Mariners win

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BULLISH Mariners coach Graham Arnold declared he had never seen his team in better early form after taking a first win for the season at the expense of Adelaide.

Central Coast's A-League title defence came to life Saturday night as Nick Fitzgerald's lone second-minute goal was the difference in a 1-0 victory.

Josep Gombau's Reds were true to their attack at all costs philosophy, but it played into the hands of Graham Arnold's savvy outfit at Bluetongue Stadium and Fitzgerald struck in just the second minute.

"I'm always happy when you make chances and we had enough chances to win three games of football tonight," Arnold said.

"This is the best start that we've had in the three years that I've been at the club - going into the fourth year.

"We do start slow and we're probably at about 50 per cent of where we will be in about another four, five weeks."

Mentioned as a potential Socceroos coach until Ange Postecoglou was appointed, Arnold added he was pleased the whole "charade" was over.

Adelaide again proved they will be terrific entertainment this season under Barcelona product Gombau, with a relentless press upfield despite the injury absence of hot striker Jeronimo Neumann.

"We play the way that we want to arrive (at) – we have the possession of the game," Gombau said, as his club's graveyard run in Gosford continued.

Yet Central Coast, coming off two draws, showed its hard-earned reign as champion won't be handed over easily. Arnold also expects last season's golden boot winner Daniel McBreen back in the selection frame for next weekend's derby against Newcastle after a stint in China.

Though Adelaide striker Sergio Cirio was allowed a shot on goal within the first minute, the Mariners got off to a stunning start thanks to a swift goal from recalled forward Fitzgerald.

The diminutive livewire found space on the right wing after a touch-on from Socceroos striker Mitchell Duke.

He cut back inside to roll a precise left-foot shot from just outside the box past The Great Wall of Adelaide – fringe Socceroos goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic – that rustled the far netting and gave his side a 1-0 lead in little more than 60 seconds.

Fitzgerald was completely unbothered in the lead-up as the Reds were caught napping on the break, a consistent theme of the first stanza.

Fitzgerald went within inches of a second goal in the 11th minute as gun playmaker Marcos Flores sent a rasping cross to the far post that his teammate could not quite locate with his outstretched feet.

Cirio and fellow Spaniard, the back-from-suspension midfielder Isaias Sanchez, were lively in trying to right the ship for Adelaide during an open first half and linked regularly down the left flank.

Yet Flores had another great look at goal in the 21st minute thanks to a sloppy turnover deep in defence from former Mariners centre-back Nigel Boogaard. The Argentine fired well over the bar from just outside the box.

Fabio Ferreira gave Reds striker Brent McGrath a sniff with a dangerous cross three minutes later, but towering Mariners central defender Zac Anderson made a decisive header away.

The 27th minute saw Flores release Mitchell Duke away down the right and the Socceroos striker rolled in an inviting cross that was desperately hacked away near the goal-line – only for a free-kick to be awarded just outside the box that Michael McGlinchey sent just over the bar.

Another marvellous, lunging ball from Flores set Duke loose on the right in the 35th minute. McGlinchey found himself with a decent sight on goal but pulled the shot left.

Cirio created space for another Adelaide shot in the 42nd minute but fired high at the end of a move again given life in midfield by Isaias.

Fitzgerald got another cracking chance in the 44th minute, after left-back Josh Rose delivered a neat ball straight to his feet that should have been buried. The forward was one-on-one with Galekovic and drilled a shot straight at the keeper, whose reflexes were good enough to slam the ball into the crossbar and away from danger.

Flores was given warm applause by the home crowd when replaced after 78 minutes, having given his former club – where he won the Johnny Warren Medal in 2011 – a tough night at the office.

Mile Sterjovski was his replacement and he made an immediate impact, firing a shot that hit the post and fell back to replacement striker Matt Simon, who somehow bounced his shot over the bar and missed another chance wide the following minute.

Cirio made a marvellous run into the box in the 88th minute, unable to find the net but winning a corner. It went to waste and despite a late flurry from both sides Fitzgerald's goal remained the difference. 

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