Central Coast Take the Top

Brisbane Roar 1 – Central Coast Mariners 2
After a slow start to the season, Central Coast Mariners have now won five straight and are unbeaten in their last eight, taking over the top of the ladder with a 2-1 away defeat of Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium. Just 10,006 showed up to see the slumping Roar give up two first half goals, one from Mustafa Amini (pictured) in the sixth minute and the other from Pedj Bojić in first half injury time. Kofi Danning pulled one back for the struggling home side when his 83rd minute shot deflected off of Patrick Zwaanswijk. The third straight loss for Brisbane, after thirty-six unbeaten, is a bit of a shock to the A-League hierarchy, though it can be at least partially explained by injuries and absences of Matt Smith and Thomas Broich. The Mariners are now top with a game in hand.

Newcastle Jets 1 – Sydney FC 2
Sydney FC came from a goal down, scoring twice in the final half-hour to defeat F3 rivals Newcastle Jets 2-1 at Ausgrid Stadium. Jeremy Brockie got the opener for the Jets off the volley in the 25th minute. But a reshuffling for the Sky Blues when Brett Emerton was removed due to injury at half-time led to increased offensive production. Rhyan Grant was the replacement and his cross led directly to Sydney’s first goal, a Bruno Carazine effort in the 59th minute. The visitors got the match-winner in the 84th when a poor Jets clearance came to Pascal Bosschaart whose ball back into the box was headed in by Juho Mäkelä. All three points for Sydney take them to fourth place, only trailing Melbourne Heart on goal difference. Newcastle barely hang on to a finals position despite the home loss.

Perth Glory 1 – Melbourne Heart 2
A dramatic 87th minute goal from Mate Dugandžić saw Melbourne Heart to yet another win, this time at the expense of Perth Glory. The 2-1 win at the nib Stadium came after the teams traded goals in a three minute spell in the first half. Matt Thompson opened scoring for Heart in the 33rd minute but was quickly equalized by Billy Mehmet in the 35th. The score remained until an Aziz Behich shot was saved by Danny Vukovic but headed in by Dugandžić. Heart stay clear of Sydney on goal difference while the Glory remain outside of the finals positions, currently seventh.

Round 1 A-League Team of the Week

Manager – Craig Deans (Newcastle Jets)

Goalkeeper – Ante Čović (Melbourne Victory)

Defender – Ivan Franjic (Brisbane Roar)

Defender – Matt Jurman (Brisbane Roar)

Defender – Pascal Bosschaart (Sydney FC)

Midfielder – Mate Dugandžić (Melbourne Heart)

Midfielder – James Brown (Gold Coast United)

Midfielder – Andrezinho (Perth Glory)

Midfielder – Fred (Melbourne Heart)

Forward – Ryan Griffiths (Newcastle Jets)

Forward – Chris Greenacre (Wellington Phoenix)

Forward – Billy Mehmet (Perth Glory)

Mehmet Scores on Debut to Lead Glory Past Adelaide

Perth Glory 1 – Adelaide United 0
A 76th minute header from new signing Billy Mehmet saw Perth Glory to a 1-0 win over Adelaide United at nib Stadium. The Glory were the better side throughout as Andrezinho terrorized the Reds’ defense and Travis Dodd, Shane Smeltz and Liam Miller, each player debuting for Perth, coming close to giving the home side a comprehensive victory. In fact, Eugene Galeković, Adelaide’s goalkeeper, was called on to repeatedly repel the Glory. In the end, substitute Tommy Amphelett’s cross found Mehmet’s head and was enough to take all three points from the season opener for the home side. Adelaide weren’t without chances, though, as Andy Slory, Bruce Djite and last season’s Golden Boot winner Sergio van Dijk all had shots saved by new Perth goalkeeper Danny Vukovic. The only down side to the match for Perth was the crowd of just 9452. But if the Glory play as well going forward as they did against Adelaide, especially after such a disastrous season in 2010/11, attendance will surely spike.

Gold Coast United 1 – Wellington Phoenix 1
And on the Gold Coast, a superb strike from James Brown in the 88th minute stole a 1-1 draw for Gold Coast United against Wellington Phoenix at Skilled Park. A 17th minute goal from Chris Greenacre gave the Phoenix a deserved lead as the visitors controlled the first half. Dani Sánchez, in particular, found spaces in the United defense, as Wellington were the better side for good portions of the match. Yet as the second half elapsed, Gold Coast started to create chances, namely through Peter Jungschläger, Dylan Macallister, Robson and finally Brown. Wellington will feel they lost out on two points but will be most disappointed with a trio of injuries as Sánchez, Paul Ifill and Vince Lia all exited during the match. For Gold Coast, the last-gasped equalizer came in stunning fashion but left some questions as to why it took so long to get a home goal against the Phoenix.