Central Coast Mariners Youth continued their perfect start to 2012 with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Newcastle Jets Youth in week 11 of the National Youth League played at Adamstown Oval on Friday.
Central Coast Mariners Youth continued their perfect start to 2012 with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Newcastle Jets Youth in week 11 of the National Youth League played at Adamstown Oval on Friday.
A first half double from new signing Tomas Rogic helped the Mariners set up the win, with substitute Kwabena Appiah-Kubi-s 64th minute strike and Rogic-s 74th minute penalty making sure of all three points.
Andrew Hoole had given the Jets the lead in the fifth minute, however that was as close as the boys in blue and red came to their counterparts in yellow and navy, with the Mariners dominating the contest throughout.
Indeed, it was Mariners new-boy Rogic – playing at the top of Tony Walmsley-s diamond – who scored the leveller in the 28th minute, cancelling out Hoole-s well-taken early effort that had slipped under Mariners custodian Justin Pasfield.
After restoring parity, the away team began to truly take charge of the game and created chance after chance. Justin Hayward was proving a menace down the left side with his forceful play, and the ever reliable Mitchell Duke was looking as if he could burst the back of the net at any minute.
But it was Rogic on the stroke of half time who gave the Mariners the lead their first half play had warranted. Using his strength on the edge of the area, Rogic weaved into the box before slotting inside the far post.
The game took a little while to get going after the break however the Mariners- experience ultimately told in the 64th minute. Any youth league team featuring the likes of Rostyn Griffiths, Stuart Musialik, Brad McDonald and co is always going to be hard to stop, but it was young-gun Appiah-Kubi who found Central Coast-s third.
With the ball ricocheting back and forth in the area, the ball eventually fell to Appiah-Kubi who struck past Duncan with his right boot.
Looking fresh and eager for his game time, Appiah-Kubi burst forward in the 73rd minute and was dragged down by Jets midfielder-cum-defender Nick Cowburn. With the chance to secure his hat trick, Rogic stepped up and made no mistake in firing the ball into the back of the net.
The win lifts Mariners Youth, albeit potentially temporarily, into first spot on the NYL ladder.
Newcastle Jets 1 (Hoole 5-)
Central Coast Mariners 4 (Rogic 28-, 45-, 74- (pen), Appiah-Kubi 64-)
Central Coast Mariners (Youth): Pasfield (Gk), Caceres, Duke, Griffiths, Oates (c), Musialik, Hayward, Stanojevic, Rogic, McDonald, Gallagher
Substitutes: Bradasevic (Gk), Appiah-Kubi, Da Silva, Jenner
