Result: 3-3
Attendance: 9024
Man of the Match: This was very hard to pick since a lot of players had an up-and-down game. Captain reliable Travis Dodd was consistently dangerous throughout the night, running very direct at defenders which caused the Mariners all sorts of problems. He capped his game with a penalty. Sometimes his runs are a bit lucky as the ball often finds its way back to him after bouncing off a defender. But when you are willing to take defenders on, you make your own luck.
Special mentions: All of Pim’s call-ups have eventful nights. Galekovic was outstanding in the first half, pulling off two excellent and one world-class save, all from shots by Caceres. However, he had two howlers the in second, letting in a long shot from Jedinak that should have been comfortably saved and mistiming a rush-out, allowing Simon to get to the ball first which allowed the striker to round him and score. Jedinak had a rather quiet first half but bagged a second half double. Despite the goals, he still wasn’t as dominant as I have seen him this season. Like Jedinak, Matt Simon was quiet before he popped up late by winning a penalty and getting a goal. For Adelaide, Cassio was an every present danger and provided several dangerous deliveries into the box. Salley also had a good game as the defensive shield, particularly in the first half.
Missing in Action: Bradley Porter was very quiet playing on the left. Diego didn’t have a huge influence on the game either as Reid has really taken over in the play-maker role.
Adelaide Verdict: Two points dropped. This must have felt like a loss. After going 3-0 up earlier in the second half, it should have been all over. The Reds took the foot off the accelerator and lost all momentum. They really struggled to exert any control over the game in the second half and were lucky to not lose at the end.
Central Coast Verdict: An amazing come-back. They never really got going in the first half. And even when they drew level, their football still wasn’t as they fluent as showed against Perth. Given that they weren’t playing at their best and found themselves 3-0 down, the grinding performance gave them a much deserved point.
