Central Coast Mariners have drawn the second leg game of the Minor Semi-Finals with Newcastle Jets 1’Äì1, and advance to the preliminary final against either Sydney FC or Adelaide United, having a 2-1 advantage on aggregate. A football record crowd of 17,429 at Central Coast Stadium, seen by some as Lawrie McKinna's 'yellow army', and containing many who were new to the A-League urged the Mariners on. Central Coast, their main streets bedecked with yellow and blue all week, started the match with their noses already in front courtesy of the tough 1-0 away win at Newcastle in the first leg a week before. Newcastle coach Richard Money surprised some by leaving young guns Jobe Wheelhouse and Stuart Musialik out of the team, but fielded basically the same team as the week before, as did Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna.
Both teams came out to play, with early pressure at both ends. Central Coast wide defender Dean Heffernan was given a much more roving role than the week before and in the 5th minute he was stopped heavily in the penalty area but had lost possession of the ball a few metres before and could not really claim a penalty. Three minutes later it was Heffernan again who got in a shot on target that deflected off Paul Kohler and Newcastle's controversial goalkeeper Liam Reddy dived to his left to cover. With both teams using the flanks in attempts to get behind their opponents defence it was end to end stuff! In the 18th minute Mariners creative midfielder Tom Pondeljak got free of his marker at a corner from the left by Matty Osman and hit a scorching volley that Nick Carle virtually move his head in front of and the ball was cleared. Against the run of play in the 28th minute, but with plenty of Jets men up, Newcastle midfielder Matthew Thompson controlled a bouncing ball 25 metres out from the Mariners goal and his unexpected but well weighted lob sailed high and over keeper Danny Vukovic dropping just in front of the crossbar and into the goal, giving the Jets a 0-1 lead and levelling the legs 1-1. Alex Wilkinson also was getting forward at set pieces for the Mariners and he sent a glancing header goalward but wide of the upright from an Osman corner of the left. Matthew Osman had been causing real trouble on the left despite a virus during the week however this didn't pay off as he had to leave the field after 36 minutes, to be replaced by the experienced Damian Brown. The Jets were themselves looking to get forward to grab that vital extra away goal but just as Ante Milicic has winding up a for a shot Michael Beauchamp interceded. A counter-attack by the Jets had Vaughan Coveny free and on goal but he was run down by the left-back Dean Heffernan who made a risky but vital stop on the big Kiwi striker who was causing lots of problems.
The second half started in the same frantic pace and end to end as the first with the Mariners creating two good goal scoring opportunities in the first five minutes. Michael Beauchamp's header from a corner kick just went over the bar while substitute Damien Brown received a great ball from Pondeljak but a poor first touch with his right foot meant he couldn't get a strong shot in from the edge of the box. Brown was denied just a minute later in almost identical circumstances, getting behind Matteo Corbo but this time Reddy smothered the ball just as the former Parramatta Power flankman hit his shot. The Central Coast had the better of the possession and were again looking to come home stronger, with Heffernan and Brown constant threats and the battle between Coveny and Milicic and Clark and Beauchamp a delight to watch. Substitute Tarek Elrich found space wide on the right in the 72nd minute and a yellow-card to Heffernan as he checked his run. In the 78th minute Brown received the ball outside the area, on the right, and swung a curling cross to the far post where Heffernan had ghosted. He scored his 9th goal of the Hyundai A-League season with a strong header past Reddy. 1-1 and the 'yellow army' rose as one! Both sides battled on and the game moved into extra time. The Jets thought they had snatched it with the ball in the net by substitute Franco Parisi but a free kick had already been awarded seconds earlier, as well as a likely off-side ruling. The home side held on for a thrilling draw and the accolades of their huge and colourful crowd to progress through to next week's final. They will have to wait until Sunday evening though, looking 80km down the road south for the result of the Major Semi-Final between Sydney FC and Adelaide United FC as to whom they will play next. Best for home side, if one can single out anyone, were Socceroo squad defender Michael Beauchamp, Dean Heffernan, Andrew Clark, Andre Gumprecht. Matt Osman did sterling work before he went off and that was picked up by substitute Damian Brown. Vaughan Coveny again was outstanding for Newcastle, with a brighter Nick Carle and Matthew Thompson making the midfield a battle zone.
After the game Newcastle coach Richard Money was maintaining that his side was the better team on the night and had dominated the early play. He said that his team will need to look for more pace, and width, from its squad in the next season, and also that they need to move from being a football team in Newcastle to the football club of the Newcastle community. "Tonight, the FFA’Äôs decision to grant a license in the Hyundai A-League to the Central Coast was justified," said McKinna after the match. "To get such numbers from what is a small community speaks volumes for what this team has achieved here and we appreciate the support of every person who was here tonight, they really helped us get over the line." "I felt, even though we were one nil down, that we dominated the first half," said McKinna. "In the second half, we knew that if we conceded another goal we were in trouble and it’Äôs credit to the boys for handling such pressure and getting the goal that got us what we deserved". "Whether it’Äôs Adelaide or Sydney next week, we don’Äôt care! We’Äôre ninety minutes away from the Grand Final."