October 20, 2023
Today saw the start of the new season of Australia’s A-League, with reigning Champions Central Coast Mariners making the 1,500 km journey to play Adelaide United.
Adelaide United Background
Adelaide United finished third in regular 2022/23 season, in which their average attendance was 10,359, but lost both matches in the semi-final to Central Coast Mariners to go out on a 1-4 aggregate score. Their one A-League title was in 2016.
In the close season The Reds lost two key players, with the departure of international winger Craig Goodwin ( 15 caps and 15 goals and 10 assists last season ) to Saudi side Al-Wehda and midfielder Louis D’Arrigo to Polish side Lechia Gdansk. Their only major signing was ex Portsmouth, Millwall, Fulham and Luton midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe, who has played over 350 competitive matches, with the vast majority of them being in the English Championship. Tunnicliffe was only on the bench today though.
Adelaide will be relying mostly on last year’s squad, and are reckoned by several pundits to have the best crop of youngsters in the A-League, with four of their squad away on International duty with the Australian Under 18s, and three teenagers were in the Adelaide starting XI with three more on the bench.
17 year-old Nestory Irankunda, born in Tanzania to Burundi parents, scored 8 goals last season and had made 35 appearances over the past two seasons, all from the substitutes bench He was starting a senior match for the first time today. 19 year-old wing-back Panashe Madanha was born in Zimbabwe and 18 year-old midfielder Jonny Yull was born in England. Highly rated 19 year old winger Bernardo Olivera was returning after missing most of last season with a metatarsal injury, and was amongst the substitutes. 21 year-old keeper Joe Gauci won his first cap for Australia earlier this year.
In addition to Tunnicliffe, Adelaide’s other foreigners are ex-Bolton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, Wigan and Carlisle striker Zach Clough, Japanese striker Hiroshi Ibusuki, who amongst others has played for Belgian side Eupen, and ex-Espanyol full-back Javi Lopez. Spanish midfielder Isaias, also ex-Espanyol, now counts as a naturalised Australian citizen.
Adelaide’s performance in the pre-season Australia Cup were not particularly encouraging, and the exited the competition in the last 16 with a 1-5 defeat at Western Sydney Wanderers.
Central Coast Mariners
Grand Final winners Central Coast Mariners have been a victim of their own success, as several of their better players have been noticed and moved on for more lucrative deals. 16 goal striker Jason Cummings ( 2 caps for Scotland, 3 caps for Australia ) signed for Mohun Bagan in the Indian Premier League, centre-back Nectarios Triantis joined Sunderland for a reported fee of £300,000, New Zealand defensive midfielder James McGarry ( 1 cap ) moved to Aberdeen, Middlesborough signed midfielder Samuel Silvera ( 1 cap ) and Beni Nkoloko joined Saudi side Al-Orobah, Oddly, ex-Torpedo Zhodino Brazilian journeyman Moresche signed for Iraqi side Naft Al-Basra.
Also leaving the Mariners was head coach Nick Montgomery, who became manager of Scottish side Hibernian and was replaced by ex-MK Dons boss Mark Jackson, who was sacked after relegation to League Two last season.
To fill some of the gaps, under 23 international striker Alou Kuol has returned from VFB Stuttgart, Colombian winger Angel Torres joined from Maltese side FC Balzan, and Brazilian right-back Mikael Doka signed as a free agent. Perhaps the best news for Mariners fans was that Brazilian forward/attacking midfielder Marco Tulio was still with club.
This is the fifth time these diaries have features the Central Coast Mariners, with the most recent being their opening AFC Champions League group fixture in September where they slipped to a disappointing 0-1 defeat against Malaysian side Terengganu. However, they bounced back to thrash Stallion Laguna of The Philippines 9-1 in Gosford to boost their hopes of progressing in the competition.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2023/09/terengganu-fc-1-0-central-coast.html
Matchday Information
The match was being played at the 16,500 capacity Hindmarsh Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as the Coopers Stadium, as a double header with the A-League Women’s fixture between these two clubs, with one ticket entitling entrance to both matches. Prices for adults ranged between A$30 to A$56.
The weather at the 19.45 local time kick-off was dry with temperatures around 17 degrees.
The match was being shown live in the UK on TNT Sport, and was also streamed on Bet365.com, who made Mariners slight favourites at 7/5 with Adelaide United at 31/20, and the draw at 14/5.
Adelaide were playing in their usual Spain style red shirts with black shorts and socks, whilst the Mariners were in their familiar yellow and blue.
Match Report
Central Coast Mariners made a lively start and with barely two minutes played a cross from Torres was headed off for a corner by Popovic. The set piece was sent long for Kaltak to head back to the near post but Farrell could only head over.
Torres then cut back in from right but his left footed shot was straight at Gauci, who made a comfortable caught. With 8 minutes gone, an audacious backheel by Tulio inside Adelaide United area put Wilson free, but the ex-Melbourne Victory man was denied by Gauci racing off line to make a great block.
After 10 minutes Irankunda showed good pace down the right wing but Paull got across to concede corner. The corner was cleared and the Mariners launched a quick counter attack involving Wilson, Nisbet and Torres and Mariners won another corner.
The Mariners kept up the pressure but from a free-kick from wide on the left, Doka chose to go for goal rather than cross, and Gauci made a comfortable save.
Adelaide had weathered the early storm and from a good move for the Reds, Halloran played Clough into the left-hand channel inside the Mariners area. Vukovic made the close range block, and after a mad scramble with Kaltak getting a kick from Kitto whilst making a block, Mariners cleared their lines. The injury to Kaltak’s knee forced the Vanuatu international to leave the pitch and to be substituted so the Mariners were forced into making a tactical change with Jacob Farrell moving to centre-back and Noah Smith taking the left-back berth.
The next chance fell to the Mariners in the 23rd minute but Tulio’s first time snap shot was weak and dribbled wide of the goal.
However, the tide was turning and two minutes later the impressive Irankunda made a great run past Farrell to by-line, and from his pull back, Clough on the turn hit the post from 10 yards. From the subsequent corner, Ibuski rose the highest to make the header but Vukovic made a fine diving save at the base of his right-hand post.
Torres rushed a shot high and wide for the Mariners after which for Adelaide, Irankunda made a great run then moved inside, but his left footed shot from the edge of the area was saved by the sprawling keeper.
On the half-hour mark Kuol made a good tackle on Popovic near the half-way but caught his knee in the turf in the process and suffers a bad looking injury. Central Coast were forced into making a second substitution in the opening 30 minutes.
Adelaide stepped up the pressure as the Mariners re-jigged again and hesitant keeping by Vukovic allowed Irankunda to jump and win a header when the keeper should have easily gathered, but the keeper recovered to claim the loose ball. However, the reprieve was only temporary as in the 38th minute Ibuski teed up Ben Halloran 12 yards out on left side of area. The former Fortuna Dusseldorf and Heidenheim player’s side footed effort hit the bar, bounced over the line, hit the bar again and then rolled over the line to make it 1-0 to Adelaide.
The game became frantic with action at both ends. Substitute Wenzel Halls collected a loose ball but his first time left footed attempt from 20 yards slipped just wide and a minute later the same player was found by Torres but the shot was straight at the keeper.
At the other end Ibuski’s acrobatic hook sailed over, then the ball twice went across the face of the Mariners 6 yard line, with Clough just unable to get on the end of the second one.
With 6 minutes added time being played due to the two injuries, Mariners created four half-chances. Tulio sent a 25-yard effort just over, and was then crowded out by Popovic close to the 6 yard box. Torres then skipped past Kitto on the right wing but under pressure could only poke weakly towards goal then the Colombian cut back onto his left foot but his 20-yarder went a couple of feet over.
Adelaide went into the dressing rooms with a 1-0 lead. The Mariners had dominated the early exchanges but Irankunda was to the fore as the Reds came back into the game, and after creating several good chances they probably deserved their narrow advantage. The Mariners were rocked by the two enforced changes, but still looked dangerous going forward, and if felt as if there were a few more goals still to come in the second half.
The end-to-end nature of the match continued at the start of the second period as almost immediately another ball went fruitlessly across the Mariners 6 yard box, following which Torres showed good chest control and then laid off to Wenzel-Hall, but the 20 yard effort went harmlessly wide.
Irankunda continued to be a handful for the Mariners defence and in the 51st minute he took a touch to run past Paull but Vukovic saved from a narrow angle.
A nice move from the Mariners ended with Wilson wasting a good position on the left by sending a speculative shot across the face of goal and well wide when their looked to be better options.
With 58 minutes played, Torres spotted a good run by Wenzel-Halls and put him clear in the right-hand side of the home area but with an acute angle Gauci spread himself to save with an outstretched leg, and Torres blazed the rebound high over the bar on the volley.
The turning point arrived in the 61th minute when Wenzel Halls brought down Kitto making an under-lapping run into the Mariners’ area. Clough sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot to make it 2-0.
The Reds should have further increased their lead 4 minutes later as with the keeper and a defender committed and on the floor, it looked like Ibuski must score, but somehow he lost his balance and failed to even make contact with the ball, and although Clough came in to shoot Vukovic somehow made a close range save on the floor.
In the 68th minute it was then the Mariners turn to miss a great chance. Theoharous’ stinging left-footed effort was palmed out by Gauci at his near post, and Tulio 6 yards out should have scored from the rebound, but could only spoon the ball over the bar.
Adelaide substitute Musa Toure then made a clear dive to try to win penalty but only received a yellow card as a reward.
With 77 minutes on the clock Farrell brought down Toure in midfield to be shown a yellow card and just over a minute later he brought down the same player as he sped down the right just outside the Central Coast area. The referee had little option other than to show a second yellow and send off Farrell.
Bernado Oliveira took the subsequent free kick and Nick Ansell evaded Paull for a free-header six yards out giving Vukovic no chance to make it 3-0.
With the result effectively decided, the Mariners defence fell apart in the closing stages and they were indebted to a string of fine saves by Vukovic to keep the score to 0-3.
Toure ran through the heart of Mariners defence but Vukovic stood tall and got in the way of the goal-bound shot, then the Mariners sloppily gave the ball away at the back and three first time passes set-up Oliveira to be one on one with the keeper, but again Vukovic made another important save. Finally, Halloran was played into right hand channel but with just the keeper to beat his shot struck Vukovic’s shoulder as he spread himself.
At the final whistle, Adelaide United had obtained some revenge for their semi-final elimination at the hands of the Mariners last season, and fully deserved the three points. In particular, 17 year-old Nestory Irankunda looks to be a special talent, and should be on the radar of all the top clubs ( and Brighton ! )
It was a disappointing start for the Central Coast Mariners, but they would probably be more concerned with the potential long-term impact of the injuries to Kaltak and Kuol.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUXHW7bdu-0
Adelaide United : Gauci – Madanha, Popovic, Ansell, Kitto – Yull, Isaias, Clough ( Oliveira ) - Halloran, Ibuski ( Toure ), Irankunda ( Tunnicliffe )
Central Coast Mariners : Vukovic – Doka, Kaltak ( Smith ), Paull, Farrell – Nisbet, Marco Tulio, Balard ( Steele )– Torres, Kuol ( Wenzel-Halls ), Wilson ( Theoharous )
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