Kosmina starts with a win.
Bridges starts with a win.
No matter who gets the credit, Sydney FC reversed some sad and sorry form and beat the competition leaders 3-2.
And if Sydney had got some luck back with the return to form the Central Coast side would have been slaughtered.
As it was, the two sides turned on a most entertaining first half and a gritty second period that should once again see blue shirts filling Sydney Football Stadium.
Large numbers of people were still queuing for tickets as the game started.
It was a good sign for crowd watchers, but it meant the late arrivals were missing some exciting football.
In the fifth minute Steve Corica, Sydney's new boy Michael Bridges and Juninho combined well to play Alex Brosque into the Central Coast penalty area for a good chance, thwarted by pressure from Tony Vidmar.
Mariners' new boy John Aloisi has a similar opportunity at the other end, but he let the ball get too close to goalkeeper Clint Bolton.
Juninho made a halting run into the right side of the Mariners penalty area and shot across the face of goal. And then in the ninth minute he slipped past two players on the edge of the area but shot straight to keeper Danny Vukovic.
Two minutes later Corica put the ball in the net for Sydney, but was ruled offside - one of 11 offside decisions against the home team.
Juninho received a pass back from Ruben Zadkovich, who he played into the Mariners penalty area. Zadkovich looked to have a chance, but was shut down.
Andre Gumprecht fouled Juninho and Bridges and Juninho had a misunderstanding but the game was still mostly in Sydney's hands.
Nigel Boogaard stopped Brosque meeting another good ball into the Mariners box and in the 16th minute Juninho neatly cut in left toward the penalty area and played for Corica running on. Corica hit the right post but Brosque was on hand to finish. Sydney were ahead.
Corica, Juninho and Bridges again combined well, but Bridges was just a bit too clever with his final flick on for Brosque. If it had come off it would have been magnificent. And even though it didn't … it was great to watch.
In the 19th minute Aloisi was just too late arriving at the left post after Central Coast pounced on a Sydney defensive error.
Boogaard started a move forward and ran the length of the pitch to be on the end of it, only to be stopped by Mark Milligan.
Then Milligan hit a great ball for Bridges down the left, but Boogaard stopped him.
Aloisi got his head on the end of a ball from the right but couldn't direct it at goal. Aloisi was looking dangerous in the air, but Tony Popovic allowed him little room to move.
In the 25th minute Popovic hit a perfect ball straight through into the box when it appeared he was going to pass wide to Zadkovich free on the left. But Brosque had made another wonderful run to meet the pass and score his second.
Central Coast replied immediately. A Greg Owens cross from the right was taken from Aloisi's head by Milligan but the ball only went as far as Tom Pondeljak on the left edge of the penalty area. He squared to an unmarked John Hutchinson who blasted in off the crossbar with his right foot.
Mariners' main tactic seemed to be crossing in for Aloisi's head. Sydney were probably guilty of paying too much attention to Aloisi and neglecting other Mariners pushing through midfield.
In the 32nd minute Bridges won a corner after chasing a long ball down the right. From the corner a diving header by Popovic put Sydney two goals ahead again.
Sydney kept firing on all cylinders. Brosque hit a low shot to Vukovic after being fed into the right side of the box by Juninho.
Mariners came down the left and looked again for Aloisi in the middle. Then Owens abandoned the script and came on his own through the guts; his shot to Bolton lost its impact as it passed through the legs of Sydney defenders.
Owens then set up Mile Jedinak for a long shot wide.
Boogaard almost got on the end of a Tom Pondeljak free kick, Gumprecht had a dig after Hutchinson couldn't get through on the edge of the penalty area, and Boogaard fouled Bridges.
Owens started a move in his own half and was very nearly on the end of a great return as he arrived in the Sydney penalty area.
At the beginning of the second half, Juninho rushed a shot over the crossbar when Sydney missed several attempts to bury a free kick from Ufuk Talay near half way.
Talay fouled Hutchinson as Sydney struggled to clear from outside their own penalty area.
Corica nutmegged Dean Heffernan and almost got Sydney in another scoring position after a one-two with Bridges.
But Sydney has lost their flair up front and were less composed in defence.
In the 54th minute Jedinak copped a yellow card for bringing down Bridges who was breaking toward goal. Then chasing the Talay free kick into the penalty area Bridges was pulled down by Heffernan. Sydney had a penalty. Brosque was given the chance to take his hat trick but he hit the left post. This was clearly a psychological boost for the visitors. It was still 3-1. But not for long.
Clever play by Gumprecht on the top right corner of the Sydney penalty area ended with a square ball in to Hutchinson who put away his second, this time with his left foot.
After a mistake by Corica as Sydney tried to clear a foray by Sasho Petrovski, Owens made a good run into the right side of the Sydney box where he shot to the right of goal.
Boogaard made good head contact on a ball arriving outside the right post, but his direction let him down.
Vidmar got his yellow for chopping down Brosque.
Corica made a superb run into the right side of the Mariners penalty area after beating two players on the left side of the pitch and leaving the ball briefly with Juninho. Corica probably should have shot himself but back-heeled for Juninho who was shut down.
Pondeljak made a similar run but his shot hit Iain Fyfe's heel and only went for a corner.
Corica was again classy on the left, skipping through Central Coast players before launching a long ball to Bridges who overpowered Vidmar but chipped to the left of goal.
Sydney allowed Petrovski to have a shot that forced Bolton to make a diving save inside the right upright.
Bridges made a pretty flick-on for Brosque who was fouled by Heffernan.
Sydney didn't seem to have reckoned on Heffernan's speed: successive balls down the right only to see Brosque outpaced.
Juninho had a go himself, shooting from the left of the Mariners' penalty area. It was a solid shot but no trouble for Vukovic.
Central Coast were now giving Sydney some of their own medicine: much better movement for one another.
Zadkovich finally got Brosque into the right corner but Brosque fell over the ball tyring to beat Pondeljak. Gumprecht was frustrated he couldn't beat Nikolas Tsattalios in the opposite corner and fouled him. And was replaced by Matthew Simon.
Corica got away on a clean break but didn't back himself against the legs of Owens and ended up going nowhere.
Aloisi was disappointed his ball across the face of goal was too early for three team mates running in.
Brosque got away on the right, turned to goal and then played outside to Bridges whose low shot forced a save from Vukovic. That was Bridges' last hurrah. He was replaced by David Zdrilic and received exuberant applause from the Sydney fans.
Heffernan beat Brendan Santalab and then beat and was fouled by Talay on the left edge of the Sydney penalty area. Santalab then intercepted a pass across the pitch for Heffernan and scooted off towards the Mariners goal. His 50 metre run was wasted when he played to close to Vukovic as he rounded the last defender.
Simon was felled by Bolton as both went for a cross from the right.
In four minutes of time added on Sydney tried to shut the game down. Corica looked buggered. When Sydney conceded a free kick in their own half every Central Coast player, including Vukovic went forward. Sydney cleared and Zdrilic shot from 60 metres with no keeper home. The ball cleared the heads of the last two Mariners but slowed sufficiently in the penalty area for Pondeljak to clear in the goal box.
An amusing end to an entertaining game.
There was a bit more interest that usual in the post match media conference.
John Kosmina complimented Brosque but said Popovic was outstanding. He said Central Coast couldn't break the Sydney defence down: both goals came from outside the penalty area. And Sydney toughed it out at the end.
Now they just needed to make the second 45 minutes like the first 45 minutes.
Popovic, echoing comments from his new coach, said if the penalty had gone in it would have been a different game.
Kosmina said Sydney should have defended differently against the Mariners goals. "We'll be better off mentally and physically from today's experiences."
Central Coast's Lawrie McKinna thought his team had given their worst performance of the season. They were flat against Sydney's movement up front, he said, and there was poor communication on the park. There wasn't enough support for the lone striker and they weren't picking up the crumbs.
But he gave credit to his players for plugging away. Unfortunately Jedinak and Heffernan will be suspended for the next game and he again would have to reorganise the defence.