FORTY minutes into Saturday’s National Premier Leagues 3 match against St George City, the Western NSW Mariners held a 2-0 lead and were looking a good chance of posting their first win of the season.
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But 50 minutes later when the final whistle blew at Mudgee’s Glen Willow Stadium, it was the Saints who were the 9-2 victors.
A pair of goals in the four minutes leading into the half-time break, then two in quick succession in the second stanza, stung the Mariners. With their disappointment came a drop in intensity.
“They got a free kick in the 41st which they got in, then they got another goal in about the 44th minute,” Mariners coach Andrew Fearnley said.
“So we went from being in a very strong position to 2-all, which was a bit deflating.
“We started the second half positively well, we had a couple of chances, they had a couple of chances. But when they scored the third goal, they scored the fourth goal really quickly, within two minutes.
“It was just a difficult task from there. They are a good squad with a good front four and we were guilty of not keeping intensity and we got punished for that.”
While the game ended in disappointment, the Mariners gave an indication of their potential in the first half.
The Mariners struck twice – via Jaiden Culbert and Matt Hobby – to have the then fourth-placed Saints under pressure.
Even after their rivals drew level at 2-all the Mariners continued to press, but the Saints’ attack proved more clinical when it came to taking their chances.
Geoffry Lino finished with four goals for the visitors, while Michael Luopis bagged himself a brace.
“I think we needed to get into half-time at 2-0, but these things happen,” Fearnley said.
“Once they got to two goals [ahead] it certainly hurt and they kept playing with good intensity and we didn’t match it.
“We had chances in the second half, we probably didn’t stop playing with the ball as much, but when it was 4-2, 5-2, we just hurt and didn’t recover well and transition went out the window a little bit.
“They took their chances, they didn’t have an awful lot of chances but they took them, they were very clinical.”