As Alex King’s whistle rang out at Industree Group Stadium, there was no amount of security or barriers on Earth that could have held them back. The Central Coast Mariners’ supporters, apostles clad in blue and yellow, streamed onto the pitch, unable to contain their joy. Their side had just written themselves into history, defeating Melbourne Victory 3-1 in Saturday evening’s A-League Men grand final and securing a historic treble of AFC Cup, premiership and now championship.
It was a remarkable win. An incredible comeback that almost defies explanation. But that the Mariners still exist at all is perhaps something of a minor miracle, so maybe the nature of this win shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
As time had expired, Victory was leading 1-0. Jason Geria, a defensive stalwart with just two goals to his name across 189 previous A-League appearances, had fired the visitors ahead in the 50th minute, passing the ball into the top corner of the net in a manner that gave Danny Vukovic no chance of getting a paw onto it.
The Mariners had desperately hurled themselves forward across the subsequent 40 minutes but they had crashed, like a blue and yellow wave, against a resolute Victory defence. And with each forlorn assault, it became almost impossible not to begin to reflect on the attacking talent that the club had lost, of the constant turnover that comes with being so good. Jason Cummings, Samuel Silvera, Marco Tulio, Garang Kuol, and Béni N’Kololo were all sold by the club over the past 18 months. Ángel Torres has been stood down as he faces sexual assault charges. Alou Kuol had started the game but was forced off at half-time after a sickening first-half head clash with Damien Da Silva.
But the Mariners don’t give up. So often across their history, this little club from Gosford has stared into the abyss. Parlous finances and abject results have threatened their very existence. They will still exist at the margins despite this win. But each time they’ve been able to pull themselves back from the edge, with the community that streamed onto the field on Saturday at their backs. And they found a way to do so again.
In the first minute of injury time, Ryan Edmondson flicked the ball to Ronald Barcellos on the edge of Victory’s area, with the Brazilian subsequently knocking the ball down to Josh Nisbet. The midfielder, who has gone from being written off for his diminutive stature to a Socceroo and the newly crowned Johnny Warren Medallist, then laid the ball off for the run of Edmondson, who struck true. Cue the pandemonium.
“[Nisbet] was all over the place at the end,” Mariners coach Mark Jackson said. “He just never stopped running. What an athlete.”
All of a sudden the mood in Industree Group Stadium went from utter despair to unbridled jubilation. It was the eighth time this season that Tony Popovic’s side had conceded a goal after the 85th minute to fall out of a winning position. This one was the most crushing; a goal apiece and extra-time beckoned, but the sense that destiny was behind the hosts was almost irresistible.
And so it came to pass. In the 97th minute, the Victory defence almost parted as Nisbet found Barcellos in space on the left, with the ball then cut back to the arrival of Miguel Di Pizio at the penalty spot. 18 years old, Di Pizio hadn’t even been born when Vukovic was in goal for the Mariners’ first grand-final appearance in the first year of the A-League, but here he was, firing the Mariners to back-to-back titles – the youngest scorer in grand final history.
In the 121st minute, Edmondson put a bow on things. From unwanted in the north of England to a Joe Marston Medallist as best afield in the A-League Men grand final. A hero in the tale of a team that will go down in folklore as one of the greatest sides in league history.
“I don’t know the [A-League] history much,” Jackson said. “All I can say is that this is a special group of players and staff and club. They’re a special bunch. They really are. And I can’t praise them enough.”
