John Hutchinson was given the perfect sendoff as an early Josh Rose strike saw Central Coast defeat Western Sydney 1-0 in Gosford.
Central Coast Mariners farewell a hero
There are not many players in the A-League who have spent a decade at one club, but John Hutchinson is one of them. The Central Coast Mariners faithful turned up in droves to farewell their Captain, who has been a player at the club since its founding all the way back in 2005.
After ten years of the A-League, it is hard to imagine the Central Coast Mariners lining up without the no nonsense midfielder. However, ‘Hutchy’ finishes up his career at Gosford with a list of impressive accolades under his belt. The retiring captain can boast of two premierships, three grands finals and one championship from his time at the club.
It was a fairytale ending for the Mariners legend, who was rewarded with a standing ovation and no doubt a sweet win in his final home game against the Wanderers.
Great result from the boys last night and a fitting send off for two @CCMariners legends! #ThanksHutch #ThanksSimmo pic.twitter.com/6c4S10Y6L4
— Matt Sim (@mattsim11) April 11, 2015
Scoreline opens in the first two minutes
If you missed the opening two minutes of this encounter, then count yourself as extremely unlucky. It felt like play had barely moved on from kick off before the Central Coast Mariners opened the scoring in the 2nd minute. The Wanderers’ usually reliable right winger Romeo Castelen was dispossessed by Anthony Caceres metres from the top of the penalty box, and Caceres quickly put the ball through to youngster Anthony Kalik. Josh Rose made Kalik’s quick pass to him count, staying composed to fire the ball past hapless Western Sydney custodian Dean Bouzanis. The goal was enough for the Mariners to take all three points, and notch up their fifth win of the season.
Tony Popovic gives youth another go
With nothing left to play for in the A-League and a lengthy injury list, Tony Popovic gave a handful of youth players some more minutes in the A-League. 18-year-old Johnathan Aspropotamitis was awarded his seventh start by Popovic, and partnered with Socceroo Matthew Spiranovic in central defence. Fellow youngster Aluisine Fofanah returned to the left wing, while cameos to the tricky Steve Kuzmanovski and defender Shayne D’Cunha occurred late in the match. However, an injection of youthful energy was not enough for the Wanderers to secure their fourth win of the season, and it was another frustrating performance for travelling Western Sydney fans. The loss to Central Coast puts the Red and Black side back at the bottom of the table, and firmly back in contention for dreaded wooden spoon honours.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
