Perth Glory moved into 5th spot with a 4-0 victory over a nine-man Central Coast Mariners at nib Stadium.
The fans were still settling into their seats when Perth took the lead. Diego Castro’s lovely through ball found Chris Harold and the winger was upended by a careless tackle from Tomislav Uskok. Referee Adam Fielding had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Castro converted to give Perth the lead.
Despite the early deficit, the Mariners were spurred into action and refused to let the Glory have it all their own way. Roy O’Donovan nearly equalised when he connected with a Luis Garcia free kick, but his flick fell just wide of the post. The visitors continued to work hard throughout the half, and bar Andy Keogh hitting the post, didn’t find themselves under too much pressure.
Perth started the second half brightly and were aided by Mitch Austin, who was sent off for two poor tackles on Risdon. They didn’t take long to make their advantage count, as Andy Keogh stooped to head home. Luis Garcia then hurt the Mariners even more, picking up two yellow cards in quick succession. Keogh made it 3-0 from the spot soon when Montgomery bundled Risdon over in the box to all but secure the points. Harold put the icing on the cake in injury time, converting another Risdon cross.
Perth Glory
Ante Covic – 7: Had little to do all day long. I’m not sure he even touched the ball more than five times in the second half.
Josh Risdon – 9: Man of the match. Was his usual hard-working self, up and down the right hand flank. Kept Austin quiet, while also linking up well with Harold and Keogh further up the pitch. Was a constant source of irritation for the Mariners and provided two assists as he continued his excellent season.
Alex Grant – 7: Was on hand to make several telling interceptions and as usual, won the majority of his aerial duels. Kept O’Donovan quiet with relative ease.
Shane Lowry – 7: Had little to do all day, as he and Grant dominated their duel with O’Donovan.
Marc Warren – 8: Enjoyed a strong game at the back and made several good interceptions early. Was Perth’s best player in the first half, keeping the dangerous Fabio Ferreira quiet. Also found space to bomb forward in the second half and cause problems further up the pitch.
Chris Harold – 7: Was lively on the wing, although found himself well-marked by Josh Rose. Continued to combine well with Castro and Keogh and found more and more space as the game went on.
Gyorgy Sandor – 7: With his compatriot Krisztian Vadocz sitting deeper, was allowed more freedom to roam forward and Perth looked better for it. Had a couple of long range shots which he fizzed over the bar, but otherwise looked to create opportunities for his teammates first.
Krisztian Vadocz – 8: Has become something of an unsung hero at nib Stadium since his arrival. His distribution was quality and he worked hard to win the ball in the middle of the park on several occasions. The Hungarian has already established himself as a key player for Perth.
Richard Garcia – 6: Worked hard, but found it hard to get involved in the game. Nearly scored with a second half header, but that was his biggest involvement.
Andy Keogh – 8: Dropped deeper off the ball and continued his recent hard work. Once again, his partnership with Castro caused their opponents all sorts of problems. Scored a second half brace, the first a header, the second a coolly-taken penalty, extending his streak to five consecutive games with at least one goal.
Diego Castro – 8: Was on fire early, setting up Harold for the penalty incident before converting from the spot. Despite picking up a knock soon after, shook it off and continued to ask questions of the Mariners defence. Glory fans will be hoping he signs a new contract as soon as possible.
Substitutes
Mitchell Oxborrow – 7: Replaced Castro and was tidy in possession. Passing was generally on target.
Jamal Reiners – 7: Made a welcome return to the team and seemed to have lost none of his touch.
Dino Djulbic – 6: Continued his steady return from injury, although he had a quiet time at the back.
Central Coast Mariners
Paul Izzo – 7: Could do little about any of the goals, but made some vital saves which could have made the score even more embarrassing.
Jacob Poscoliero – 6: The youngster started strongly and made sure Garcia had no time or space on the ball. But he found himself under pressure in the second as Castro and Warren caused him problems.
Jack McGing – 6: Was made to work hard by Keogh, but didn’t let the striker dominate their contest. Unfortunately, the striker escaped from him to make it 2-0 early in the second half.
Tomislav Uskok – 6: Started poorly, gifting the Glory a penalty with a clumsy challenge on Harold, before misjudging a long ball which Keogh nearly got to. Was substituted in the first half after injuring himself in a fall.
Josh Rose – 7: Looked much stronger at full back than in the heart of defence, linking well with Mitch Austin. Found himself overwhelmed when the Mariners went down to nine men, as Risdon and Harold constantly found space on his side.
Nick Montgomery – 6: In his return to the first team, worked hard in the middle of the park. Covered Sandor well and was tidy in possession. Continued to run even as his teammates imploded around him, although he did give away a penalty.
Harry Ascroft – 6: Worked well with Montgomery to frustrate the hosts, but his influence waned as the game progressed and he found himself overrun in the second half.
Fabio Ferreira – 5: Really struggled in the first half as he found his every move thwarted by Warren. Was a ghost in the second and was hauled off after a disappointing shift.
Luis Garcia – 6: Looked good on the ball, and almost had an assist with a wicked free kick which O’Donovan diverted just wide. However, he managed to get himself sent off for two bookings in three minutes, the second a silly, late challenge on Vadocz.
Mitch Austin – 6: Like Ferreira, found himself well shackled by Risdon and his influence was curbed. Was sent off for two stupid, almost identical challenges on Risdon.
Roy O’Donovan – 6: Found himself isolated up front with little service, although he nearly scored from a Garcia free kick. A tough day all round for him.
Substitutes
Liam Rose – 6: Was a first half substitute for Uskok. Could do little as the Glory took over control in the second.
Bradley McDonald – 5: As to be expected, found it hard to get involved with his team down by two men and three goals.
Josh Bingham – 5: His only interaction of note was a yellow card and a stare-off with Warren.
