Central Coast Mariners’ hopes of winning a first ever Australia Cup were dashed on Wednesday night after they suffered defeat at the hands of NPL Victoria side Heidelberg United. This is what we learned.
Heidelberg United 3-1 Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners’ first competitive hit-out since claiming an unprecedented treble did not go to plan as the Isuzu UTE A-League champions were knocked out of the Australia Cup in a 120-minute thriller that saw them go down 3-1 to Heidelberg United.
A new-look Mariners outfit, featuring debutants Adam Pavlesic, Alfie McCalmont, Lucas Mauragis and Vitor Feijao, took the game to extra time when Mikael Doka cancelled out Joshua Pin’s first-half opener on Wednesday.
But two goals in extra time meant a premature end in the Australia Cup for Mark Jackson’s side.
It’s been an off-season of upheaval in Gosford with Mariners head coach Jackson and his football department tasked with rebuilding a side which did something no other Australia team had ever done before in season 2023-24.
Having claimed the Premier’s Plate, Isuzu UTE A-League Championship and the final iteration of the AFC Cup, it’s little surprise that clubs from overseas came calling for some of the Mariners’ best players.
Veteran goalkeeper and club captain Danny Vukovic announced his retirement, Championship-winning defenders Jacob Farrell and Dan Hall left for Portsmouth and Auckland FC respectively while key midfield duo Max Balard and Josh Nisbet both headed for Europe meaning several first team replacements were required.
Signed from Sydney FC, goalkeeper Pavlesic endured a difficult evening on his debut culminating in the mix-up which saw Heidelberg seal the win deep into extra time however there were positives for Jackson and his staff to take away from the defeat.
Of the new faces to start for the Mariners, left-back Mauragis was particularly impressive.
Recruited from rivals Newcastle Jets and tasked with filling the boots of Farrell, Subway Olyroos defender Mauragis proved to be a constant threat down the Mariners’ left and played his part in their goal, picking out Doka to make it 1-1 on the night.
Potentially acting as a window into Jackson’s tactics heading into the new Isuzu UTE A-League season, Mauragis operated much higher on the left-hand side in comparison to that of Farrell last season.
Often taking up a position on the left-hand side of what became a back three whilst in possession, Farrell would sit deeper allowing right-back Storm Roux to play higher up the field; however their roles were reversed on Wednesday night with Mauragis the player moved higher up and Roux sitting back.
Losing the core of a side was always going to be a challenge and replacing players of the calibre of Balard and Nisbet in particular was always going to be tough given the individual roles they performed.
However in Northern Irish midfielder McCalmont, the Mariners may have found someone who could somewhat replicate the output of reigning Johnny Warren Medallist Nisbet in time, given his dynamic, box-to-box style.
Another player Mariners fans will be hoping can light up Industree Group Stadium and the Isuzu UTE A-League this coming season is Brazilian attacker Feijao.
Managing 45 minutes on debut before being replaced by striker Ryan Edmondson at half-time, Feijao was lively and clearly someone the side will look to to make a difference this season.
Another positive on the night for the Mariners was the fact academy graduate Sasha Kuzevski featured in the first team for the first time in over 500 days.
Having recently signed his first professional contract with the club after battling back from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which saw him ruled out for all of last season, the 23-year-old came on as a second-half substitute in place of goal scorer Doka.
While it certainly won’t be used an excuse by the Mariners coaching staff, the fact former Western United assistant John Anastasiadis’ Heidelberg are currently 24 games into a fiercely competitive NPLM VIC campaign meant it was always going to be a tough outing for a side playing their first competitive game of football since May 25 and with four new players in the starting line-up.
That said, defeat in the Round of 32 for the second year running will come as a bitter blow for a side who now has exceedingly high standards when it comes to playing their own style of football and, crucially, winning matches.
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