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Fair shake of the sauce bottle, Reds!

Adelaide season has sunk to a new low, beaten at home by a team that sports something akin to cabana wear and usually plays in the shadow of giant condiments. But, as Paul Marcuccitti notes, it should come as no surprise: United’s history is littered with disastrous losses to the Central Coast Mariners.

Nov 07, 2016, updated Nov 07, 2016
No-one is really sure if Gosford actually exists. Photo: Tim Clayton / AAP

No-one is really sure if Gosford actually exists. Photo: Tim Clayton / AAP

We don’t talk about the Central Coast Mariners hoodoo much do we?

And that’s probably fair enough. We are told that they are based in Gosford. Then we open Google Maps to see if there really is such a city and find that it’s near a place called Wyoming.

The pictures of soccer matches played in this Gosford include giant sauce bottles behind a goal and a team that once used these shirts.

the view most remember from Central Coast Mariners Stadium is the sauce bottles, lovely view beyond #beINEuro16 pic.twitter.com/K13f1cVhMN

— Tracie Haywood (@trjhc) July 3, 2016

So it is reasonable – and perhaps convenient – to focus on whether these things are parts of an elaborate hoax instead of dwelling on how often Adelaide United has been undone by Central Coast.

Oh yes, the Reds won the four meetings before yesterday’s encounter, however, as early as the A-League’s inaugural season, calamity would often strike in matches against the Mariners.

Mariners players celebrate with fans after the Round 5 A-League match between Adelaide United and the Central Coast Mariners at Cooper Stadium in Adelaide, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AAP Image/David Mariuz) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Mariners players celebrate their victory over Adelaide with fans who have made the trek from Gosford, which may or may not exist. Photo: David Mariuz / AAP

Old-timers will remember United missing a spot in the competition’s first ever grand final in 2006 because of a 1-0 loss, at Hindmarsh, to Central Coast. The goal? A tap in for the Mariners’ Tom Pondeljak which resulted from a defender fluffing his clearance.

In the last round of the 2008-9 season the Gosford-based team even managed to frustrate United in a match the Reds won. To clinch the premier’s plate Adelaide needed to win by two goals while the Mariners’ finishing position couldn’t be changed by the result. So of course the final score was 1-0.

The Reds suffered a run of nine consecutive losses to the Mariners from Boxing Day 2010 to 14 December 2013, when a 4-0 win took some pressure off new United coach Josep Gombau. (Was that really less than three years ago?)

A return to losing ways in February 2015 – at the supposed stadium with the giant sauce bottles – confirmed two things: 1) despite some hope, 2014/15 probably wouldn’t be the Reds’ season; and 2) even when they were having a bad run of results, you could never write Central Coast off against United.

Yesterday’s match reminded me a little of that loss early last year. The Reds were expected to win; they took a 1-0 lead in the first half (having missed a couple of other good chances); and seemed to switch off in the second half.

United players react after scoring penalty goal during the Round 5 A-League match between Adelaide United and the Central Coast Mariners at Cooper Stadium in Adelaide, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AAP Image/David Mariuz) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Sadly, it was all downhill from here. Photo: David Mariuz / AAP

United does have a long list of players who are injured or unavailable but I’m not sure that’s an excuse for the lack of concentration – or application – which allowed the Mariners to score twice.

The first Central Coast goal resulted from a turnover made possible by two United players who had important roles in last season’s title winning squad: Iacopo La Rocca and George Mells.

From defence La Rocca puts Mells under pressure with an awkward pass, the young midfielder concedes possession and then United’s Italian centre back is out of position for the resulting attack.

A wonderful strike from Connor Pain put Central Coast in front but on that occasion the build up to the goal was easier than it should have been.

And that really summed up the difference in the second half. The Mariners defended well but the Reds didn’t apply enough pressure when Central Coast had the ball.

Head Coach of the Central Coast Mariners Paul Ikon during the Round 5 A-League match between Adelaide United and the Central Coast Mariners at Cooper Stadium in Adelaide, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AAP Image/David Mariuz) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Paul Okon celebrates another possession. Photo: David Mariuz / AAP

Which was odd because that should be the obvious thing to do when facing the Mariners. Their coach, Paul Okon, is a member of Australia’s depressingly large group of believers in possession-based soccer. As we continue to see here and overseas, it usually breaks down – teams that reject the philosophy know how to set themselves up against it.

United will need to lift before high flying Brisbane visit Hindmarsh on Friday night or that first win might come as late, or even later, than it did last season (when the Reds didn’t triumph until round 9). Roar’s visit will be followed by two tough road trips – to Perth and Sydney.

Optimists might point out that United still managed to finish top despite a slow start in 2015-16 but that’s not easily repeated.

And the other oddity that occurred last season certainly can’t be repeated now – the Reds recording three wins over the team from mythical Gosford.

Paul Marcuccitti is a co-presenter of 5RTI’s Soccer on 531 program which can be heard from 10am on Saturdays.

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