Tasmania is famous for the horror of its Colonial jails; somehow, after a brutal first half flogging the Mariners got out of jail.
I was worried about this game; more anxious than I have felt for any game this season. The events of the last week with up to six players, and who knows which other players too, possibly leaving in the dreaded January transfer window have the potential to totally destroy this greatest ever Mariners team. Who would turn up on the day, not physically but mentally with distractions of Europe and Asia and big dollars spinning inside their heads?
Melbourne Victory is never an easy opponent and with master coach Ange Postecoglou openly revelling in the Mariners woes how would the Mariners perform for this very important clash? Poorly, is the answer, very poor indeed. Only Mat Ryan, poor finishing and good luck helped the Mariners go into the sheds just 0-1 down.
Right from the start Victory dominated the game, their midfield strolling through at will leaving Bojic exposed to the double threat of Rojas and Traore. The Mariners didn’t help their cause constantly giving the ball away.
Archie Thompson is one of my favourite all time A League players, but his fatal weakness despite all the goals he has scored is he is useless in front of goal. Thank goodness; bless him. Twice he butchered golden opportunities. But if Victory don’t put the chances away they must know they are vulnerable and a rare piece of good football by the Mariners, with excellent work from McBreen, saw Kwasnik prove that it is not only Archie who can miss great opportunities.
I couldn’t believe how sloppy the Mariners were and it was no surprise when they conceded a penalty after clumsy work from Montgomery. How Monty was allowed to stay on the park is a mystery as he already had incurred a yellow. Arnie took no chances and eventually replaced the disappointed Monty with Ollie Bozanic who had been very unlucky not to start the game. Mercifully, Rojas hit the post to miss the penalty.
It looked as if the Mariners may just hold on, Flores shooting too close to trouble Ryan, but Victory swept through the non-existent midfield and Flores tucked the ball past the diving Ryan. It was far less than they deserved, they should have had two or three goals by this time.
Arnie then took the long walk to the dressing room, sent there by the officials, I don’t know why but he must have been seething at what he was seeing. All my fears about this game were coming true.
A tactical change was made at half-time, probably by Moss with illegal instruction from Arnie: Kwasnik was replaced by Ibini; McGlinchey moved centre mid and McBreen went up top. The changes worked, sort of, the Mariners improved, Ibini showed great skills at running by people although the final decision let him down. Rose was getting more into the game and Victory were losing their sparkle.
McBreen shot wide after nice approach play; Sterjovski volleyed a difficult chance over after rare sustained pressure; Coe brilliantly stopped McGlinchey at the near post. At last the Mariners were giving cause for hope that we could rescue this.
A terrible pass out of defence let in Rojas but Ryan blocked the first attempt and then produced a superb gravity defying leap to tip Rojas’s second attempt over. And then Adrian Leijer, a career Victory thug, produced the clumsiest of challenges and conceded a penalty. McBreen said thank you and easily beat Coe from the spot.
Rose cut through and was just wide as the Mariners went for the winner. Nabout dived and Zwaanswijk got booked. Milligan couldn’t quite get to the cheeky free kick which completely fooled the Mariners defence. Zwaanswijk just failed to get a touch to Sterjovski’s free kick. At the end the players on both sides were out on their feet, clearly the trip to Tassie is more taxing than it seems. Victory can only blame themselves for letting the Mariners off the hook for an unlikely draw.
MoM Mat Ryan – saved us totally
2 points Sterjovski – consistently good throughout
1 point McBreen – worked really hard in difficult circumstances.
