2006–07 Central Coast Mariners FC season

The 2006–07 season was the second season of competitive football played by Central Coast Mariners. The club ended the 2006–07 A-League in sixth, and so did not qualify for the finals. They failed to retain their A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup title, losing to Adelaide United in the final.

Central Coast Mariners FC

2006–07 season
Manager	Lawrie McKinna
A-League	6th
A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup	Runners-up
Top goalscorer	League: Adam Kwasnik (7) All: Adam Kwasnik (9)
Highest home attendance	13,119 (vs Adelaide United, 25 November 2006)
Lowest home attendance	4,644 (vs Queensland Roar, 9 September 2006)
← 2005–06 2007–08 →

In the transfer window, Central Coast signed Australian international Tony Vidmar and defender Vuko Tomasevic. The short term contracts of Brad Porter and Jamie McMaster were also extended.

The Mariners began the season in good form and reached the final of the 2006 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup. However, they failed to retain the title after losing in a penalty shoot-out to Adelaide United. The team were winless for the first five games of the A-League season, before a resurgent period featuring only two losses, to Adelaide Newcastle Jets in eleven games. However, the team failed to win any of its final five games and missed the finals series by five points as a result. Central Coast's top goalscorer was Adam Kwasnik, who scored nine goals.

Background

See also: 2005–06 Central Coast Mariners FC season

Transfers

On the back of the Mariners' highly successful first season, expectation arose as to the big-name players that could potentially join Central Coast. There were strong rumours about Stan Lazaridis, Ned Zelic and Paul Okon coming to the Mariners, but none eventuated. However, on 3 August 2006 Tony Vidmar announced he was joining the Mariners, signing a two-year deal.^[1] Vidmar was the Mariners' first marquee signing.

In

No.	Position	Player	Transferred from	Transfer type	Date	Ref
14	DF	Vuko Tomasevic	Marconi Stallions	Free transfer	4 July 2006	[2]
13	DF	Tony Vidmar	Unattached	Free transfer	4 August 2006	[3]
30	GK	Matthew Trott	Central Coast Lightning	Injury replacement deal for John Crawley	10 July 2006	[4]
	FW	James Holland	NSWIS	Short term contract	12 July 2006	[5]
	MF	Oliver Bozanic	NSWIS	Short term contract	20 July 2006	[6]
	MF	Mile Jedinak	Sydney United	Short term contract	5 August 2006	[7]
	FW	Matt Simon	Central Coast Lightning	Short term contract	10 August 2006	[8]
	FW	Damian Mori	Adelaide City	Injury replacement deal for Nik Mrdja	27 September 2006	[9]

Out

No.	Position	Player	Transferred to	Transfer type	Date	Ref
14	MF	Leo Carle	Unattached	Free transfer	2 May 2006	[10]
13	FW	Russell Woodruffe	Unattached	Free transfer	2 May 2006	[10]
	FW	Damian Mori	Brisbane Roar	Free transfer	22 November 2006	[11]

Pre-season

The Mariners competed in the QNI North Queensland Trophy against A-League club Melbourne Victory, Chinese Super League team Changchun Yatai and the Young Socceroos finishing a respectable third.

The Mariners also played two friendly matches prior to the season commencing.

Gladesville Spirit v Central Coast Mariners

8 June 2006 (2006-06-08)	Gladesville Spirit	1–4	Central Coast Mariners	Sydney
	Ciano 42'	Report	Petrie 20' Kwasnik 36', 44', 51'

Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne Victory

17 June 2006 (2006-06-17) QNI North Queensland Trophy	Central Coast Mariners	2–2 (4–2 p)	Melbourne Victory
	Pondeljak 40' Petrie 52'	Report	Allsopp 65' Brebner 90'	Attendance: 3,000
	Penalties
			Fred Claudinho Byrnes Allsopp Brebner

Australia U20 v Central Coast Mariners

20 June 2006 (2006-06-20) QNI North Queensland Trophy	Australia U20	0–3	Central Coast Mariners	Townsville
		Report	Porter McMaster O'Grady	Stadium: Townsville Sports Reserve

Central Coast Mariners v Changchun Yatai

22 June 2006 (2006-06-22) QNI North Queensland Trophy	Central Coast Mariners	1–2	Changchun Yatai
	Kwasnik 87'	Report

Australia U20 v Central Coast Mariners

24 June 2006 (2006-06-24) QNI North Queensland Trophy	Australia U20	1–2	Central Coast Mariners
		Report

Central Coast Lightning v Central Coast Mariners

28 June 2006 (2006-06-28) Central Coast Football Charity Plate	Central Coast Lightning	0–2	Central Coast Mariners	Lisarow
19:00		Report	Kwasnik 30' Brown 57'	Stadium: Pluim Park Attendance: 1,900

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  AUS John Crawley 2 MF  EIR Wayne O'Sullivan 3 DF  AUS Paul O'Grady 4 MF  AUS Noel Spencer (captain) 5 MF  AUS Brad Porter 6 MF  GER André Gumprecht 7 MF  MLT John Hutchinson 8 MF  ENG Jamie McMaster 9 FW  AUS Nick Mrdja 10 MF  AUS Tom Pondeljak 11 MF  AUS Damien Brown 12 FW  SCO Stewart Petrie 13 DF  AUS Tony Vidmar

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 DF  AUS Vuko Tomasevic 15 DF  AUS Andrew Clark 16 DF  AUS Nigel Boogaard 17 MF  AUS Matthew Osman 18 DF  AUS Alex Wilkinson 19 FW  AUS Adam Kwasnik 20 GK  AUS Danny Vukovic 21 FW  AUS James Holland Short term deal 15/07/06-19/08/06 22 MF  AUS Oliver Bozanic Short term deal 22/07/06-19/08/06 23 MF  AUS Mile Jedinak Short term deals 12/08/06, 12/11/06-11/01/07 24 FW  AUS Matt Simon Short term deals 12/08/06, 05/05/07-21/01/07 25 FW  AUS Damian Mori Short term deal 06/10/06 - 19/11/06 30 GK  AUS Matthew Trott Short term deal

See also: List of Central Coast Mariners F.C. players

Coaching staff

• Football Manager: Lawrie McKinna
• Head Coach: Ian Ferguson
• Development Manager: Alex Tobin
• Strength & Conditioning: Andrew Clark

Pre-Season Cup

Main article: 2006 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup

Group stage

The Mariners were put in Group A, along with Adelaide United (3rd in 2005-06 A-League season), Perth Glory (5th) and Melbourne Victory (7th). They had two home games in the three-game round-robin series, with one played at Wade Park, Orange, New South Wales, against Adelaide United, and the other at their traditional home, Central Coast Stadium.

Central Coast started their defence of the Pre-Season Cup well, defeating Perth Glory - the team they defeated in the 2005 Pre-Season Cup final - 2–1 at Central Coast Stadium, Gosford in front of 5,682 spectators. Both Central Coast strikers, Stewart Petrie and Adam Kwasnik, scored early goals.^[12][13] They followed this up with a gritty nil-all draw at Wade Park against last year's minor premiers, Adelaide United. Coach McKinna said after the game he was, "quite contented with the result".^[14] For their final Group A game, they travelled to Melbourne's Olympic Park, where they downed the Melbourne Victory 3–1, with Adam Kwasnik, Paul O'Grady and Noel Spencer all scoring for the Mariners.^[15]

Central Coast played their "bonus" fourth group-crossover round against the Queensland Roar. The "bonus" round awarded "bonus points" based on goals scored (one point for two goals, two points for three goals and three points for four or more goals). On this occasion, the Mariners and Roar drew 0–0, and both earned the conventional one point for a draw.^[16]

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Qualification
Central Coast Mariners	8	4	2	2	0	5	2	Advance to semi-finals
Adelaide United	8	4	2	2	0	2	0
Melbourne Victory	6	4	1	1	2	5	7
Perth Glory	3	4	0	3	1	2	3

Central Coast Mariners v Perth Glory

15 July 2006 1	Central Coast Mariners	2–1	Perth Glory	Gosford
18:00	Petrie 7' Kwasnik 8'	Report	Bertos 62'	Stadium: Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 5,682 Referee: James Lewis

Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United

22 July 2006 2	Central Coast Mariners	0–0	Adelaide United	Orange
15:00		Report		Stadium: Wade Park Attendance: 4,344 Referee: Simon Przydacz

Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners

29 July 2006 3	Melbourne Victory	1–3	Central Coast Mariners	Melbourne
15:00	Thompson 3'	Report	Kwasnik 36' O'Grady 63' Spencer 76'	Stadium: Olympic Park Stadium Attendance: 6,593 Referee: Craig Zetter

Brisbane Roar v Central Coast Mariners

6 August 2006 Bonus	Brisbane Roar	0–0	Central Coast Mariners	Toowoomba
15:00		Report		Stadium: Clive Berghofer Stadium Attendance: 4,571 Referee: Peter Green

Finals

Finishing on top of Group A, with Adelaide United relegated to second on goal differential, the Mariners took on the Newcastle Jets in a fiery local derby in the playoff stage. Newcastle took the lead in the 25th minute, before Stewart Petrie converted a penalty in the 53rd minute. The game progressed into extra time, and a 96th-minute header from Paul O'Grady gave the Mariners a chance to defend their Pre-Season title in what was their fourth consecutive domestic final in as many competition entries.^[17][18]

In the grand final, they lost to Adelaide United 5-4 on penalties, after the score was tied 1-1 after extra time. Carl Veart scored early for Adelaide before the Mariners levelled in the 77th minute through attacking midfielder Andre Gumprecht. In the penalty shootout, Stewart Petrie was the only player to miss on either side, hitting the crossbar.^[19]

Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets

12 August 2006 Semi-final	Central Coast Mariners	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Newcastle Jets	Gosford
18:00	Petrie 53' (pen.) O'Grady 96'	Report	Coveny 25'	Stadium: Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 7,567 Referee: Ben Williams

Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United

19 August 2006 Final	Central Coast Mariners	1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p)	Adelaide United	Gosford
18:00	Gumprecht 77'	Report	Veart 7'	Stadium: Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 10,463 Referee: Simon Przydacz
	Penalties
	McMaster Petrie O'Sullivan Spencer Hutchinson		Alagich Owens Aloisi Qu Veart

2006-07 Hyundai A-League fixtures

Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners

27 August 2006	Sydney FC	1 : 0	Central Coast Mariners	Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+10	Fyfe 52'			Attendance: 19,274 Referee: Mark Shield

Perth Glory v Central Coast Mariners

3 September 2006	Perth Glory	2 : 0	Central Coast Mariners	Members Equity Stadium, Perth
	Young 81' Colosimo 52'			Attendance: 7,229 Referee: Craig Zetter

Central Coast Mariners v Queensland Roar

9 September 2006	Central Coast Mariners	0 : 0	Queensland Roar	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
				Attendance: 4,644 Referee: Peter O'Leary

Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners

17 September 2006	Melbourne Victory	1 : 0	Central Coast Mariners	Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
	Thompson 51'			Attendance: 17,617 Referee: Angelo Nardi

Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets

23 September 2006	Central Coast Mariners	1 : 1	Newcastle Jets	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
	Hutchinson 12'		Griffiths 84',   90' Okon  75'	Attendance: 8,439 Referee: Simon Przydacz

New Zealand Knights v Central Coast Mariners

28 September 2006	New Zealand Knights	0 : 1	Central Coast Mariners	North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
	Duruz  87' Bunce  83'		Kwasnik 85' (pen.)	Attendance: 1,632 Referee: Peter O'Leary

Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners

6 October 2006	Adelaide United	3 : 1	Central Coast Mariners	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
	Burns 90' Rees 58' Veart 25'		Mori 38'	Attendance: 10,493 Referee: Ben Williams

Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC

13 October 2006	Central Coast Mariners	3 : 1	Sydney FC	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
	Mori 52', 90' O'Grady 40'		Carbone 12'	Attendance: 11,567 Referee: Simon Przydacz

Central Coast Mariners v Perth Glory

20 October 2006	Central Coast Mariners	2 : 1	Perth Glory	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
	Pondeljak 2', 87'		Despotovski 58'	Attendance: 8,496 Referee: Matthew Breeze

Queensland Roar v Central Coast Mariners

28 October 2006	Queensland Roar	1 : 1	Central Coast Mariners	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
	Reinaldo 49'		Mori 21'	Attendance: 13,727 Referee: Mark Shield

Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners

3 November 2006	Melbourne Victory	3 : 3	Central Coast Mariners	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
	Allsopp 4', 68' Thompson 10' Vargas  21' Muscat  45'		McMaster 6' Petrie 11' Kwasnik 23' (pen.)	Attendance: 28.118 Referee: Peter Green

Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners

11 November 2006	Newcastle Jets	3 : 1	Central Coast Mariners	EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
	Bridge 6' Carle 17' Rodriguez 79'		Mori 40'	Attendance: 14,026 Referee: Matthew Breeze

New Zealand Knights v Central Coast Mariners

19 November 2006	New Zealand Knights	0 : 2	Central Coast Mariners	North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
			Mori 65' Mrdja 90+5'	Attendance: 2,139 Referee: Peter Green

Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United

25 November 2006	Central Coast Mariners	2 : 0	Adelaide United	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
	Kwasnik 55' Petrie 59'			Attendance: 13,119 Referee: Mark Shield

Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC

3 December 2006	Central Coast Mariners	0 : 0	Sydney FC	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
				Attendance: 12,457 Referee: Matthew Breeze

Central Coast Mariners v Perth Glory

10 December 2006	Central Coast Mariners	1 : 0	Perth Glory	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
	Kwasnik 12'			Attendance: 8,089 Referee: Peter O’Leary

Central Coast Mariners v Queensland Roar

16 December 2006	Central Coast Mariners	2 : 3	Queensland Roar	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
	Kwasnik 29' (pen.), 77' (pen.)		Griffin 40' Vidosic 63', 80'	Attendance: 7,132 Referee: Matthew Breeze

Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne Victory

31 December 2006	Central Coast Mariners	1 : 2	Melbourne Victory	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
	Kwasnik 52'		Fred 23' Thompson 26'	Attendance: 15404 Referee: Mark Shield

Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners

5 January 2007	Newcastle Jets	1 : 0	Central Coast Mariners	EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
	Rodriguez 25'			Attendance: 14,828 Referee: Mark Shield

Central Coast Mariners v New Zealand Knights

11 January 2007	Central Coast Mariners	0 : 0	New Zealand Knights	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
				Attendance: 10,637 Referee: Ben Williams

Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United

21 January 2007	Central Coast Mariners	1 : 3	Adelaide United	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
	Pondeljak 77'		Burns 10', 49', 66'	Attendance: 8,128 Referee: Simon Przydacz

Table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Melbourne Victory (C)	21	14	3	4	41	20	+21	45	Qualification for 2008 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series
2	Adelaide United	21	10	3	8	32	27	+5	33
3	Newcastle Jets	21	8	6	7	32	30	+2	30	Qualification for Finals series
4	Sydney FC	21	8	8	5	29	19	+10	29[lower-alpha 1]
5	Queensland Roar	21	8	5	8	25	27	−2	29
6	Central Coast Mariners	21	6	6	9	22	26	−4	24
7	Perth Glory	21	5	5	11	24	30	−6	20
8	New Zealand Knights[lower-alpha 2]	21	5	4	12	13	39	−26	19	Disbanded at end of season

Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:

1. Sydney FC were penalised three competition points following round 18 due to salary cap breaches which occurred during the 2005–06 season
2. New Zealand Knights cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
21	6	6	9	22	26	−4	24	4	4	3	13	11	+2	2	2	6	9	15	−6

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Player statistics

The Mariners used a total of 23 players during the 2006–07 season and there were nine different goalscorers. There were also two squad members who did not make a first-team appearance in the campaign. Alex Wilkinson and Adam Kwasnik both featured in all 27 competitive matches the side played in the campaign.

The team scored a total of 30 goals in all competitions. The highest scorere was Kwasnik, with nine goals, followed by Damian Mori who scored six goals. Mile Jedinak was the only player sent off in the season.

Key

No. = Squad number Pos = Playing position Nat. = Nationality Apps = Appearances

GK = Goalkeeper DF = Defender MF = Midfielder FW = Forward

= Yellow cards = Red cards

Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute. Players with number struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	A-League		Pre-Season Cup		Total		Discipline
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	AUS	John Crawley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	DF	IRE	Wayne O'Sullivan	14	0	2	0	16	0	1	0
3	DF	AUS	Paul O'Grady	13 (1)	1	4 (1)	2	17 (2)	3	5	0
4	MF	AUS	Noel Spencer	16	0	6	1	22	1	5	0
5	DF	AUS	Brad Porter	3 (3)	0	(3)	0	3 (6)	0	0	0
6	MF	GER	Andre Gumprecht	11	0	6	1	17	1	2	0
7	MF	AUS	John Hutchinson	6 (10)	1	(1)	0	6 (11)	1	2	0
8	MF	AUS	Jamie McMaster	19	1	5	0	24	1	9	0
9	FW	AUS	Nik Mrdja	3 (3)	1	0	0	3 (3)	1	1	0
10	MF	AUS	Tom Pondeljak	16	3	0	0	16	3	0	0
11	DF	AUS	Damien Brown	14	0	6	0	20	0	1	0
12	FW	SCO	Stewart Petrie	18	2	5	2	23	4	4	0
13	DF	AUS	Tony Vidmar	15	0	2	0	17	0	4	0
14	DF	AUS	Vuko Tomasevic	8 (3)	0	6	0	14 (3)	0	1	0
15	DF	AUS	Andrew Clark	8 (3)	0	5	0	13 (3)	0	3	0
16	DF	AUS	Nigel Boogaard	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	MF	AUS	Matthew Osman	13	0	2	0	15	0	4	0
18	DF	AUS	Alex Wilkinson	21	0	6	0	27	0	2	0
19	FW	AUS	Adam Kwasnik	19 (2)	7	6	2	25 (2)	9	4	0
20	GK	AUS	Danny Vukovic	20	0	6	0	26	0	1	0
21	FW	AUS	James Holland †	0	0	(3)	0	(3)	0	1	0
22	MF	AUS	Oliver Bozanic †	0	0	1 (1)	0	1 (1)	0	0	0
23	MF	AUS	Mile Jedinak	8	0	(1)	0	8 (1)	0	2	1
24	FW	AUS	Matt Simon	(3)	0	(1)	0	(4)	0	0	0
25	FW	AUS	Damian Mori †	8	6	0	0	8	6	1	0
30	GK	AUS	Matthew Trott	1	0	(1)	0	1 (1)	0	0	0

References

1. "Socceroo legend signs on with the Central Coast". Central Coast Mariners official website. 4 August 2006. Archived from the original on 22 August 2006. Retrieved 4 August 2006.
2. "A-League's Mariners sign Tomasevic". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 July 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
3. "Vidmar to resume playing with Mariners". ABC News. 4 August 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
4. "Trott added to Mariners roster for short term". 10 July 2006. Archived from the original on 24 August 2006.
5. "Local youth bound for Glory". 12 July 2006. Archived from the original on 24 August 2006.
6. "Promising youngster pens short-term deal". 20 July 2006. Archived from the original on 25 August 2006. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
7. "Jedinak to debut in Toowoomba". 5 August 2006. Archived from the original on 24 August 2006.
8. "Local youth added ahead of derby blockbuster". 10 August 2006. Archived from the original on 22 August 2006.
9. "Mori becomes a Mariner". ABC News. 27 September 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
10. "Boogaard, Hutchinson and Kwasnik pen new deals". 2 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 August 2006.
11. "Sydney FC determined to shut out Mori". Sydney Morning Herald. 24 November 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
12. "Mariners, Sydney FC notch preseason wins". ABC Sport. 16 July 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2006.
13. "Mariners impress with first up victory". Football Federation Australia (Central Coast Mariners Website). 15 July 2006. Archived from the original on 22 August 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2006.
14. "Mariners earn tough draw against reigning Premiers". Football Federation Australia (Central Coast Mariners Website). 22 July 2006. Retrieved 12 July 2006.^{[permanent dead link]}
15. "Mariners' title defence on track after win". Football Federation Australia (Central Coast Mariners Website). 29 July 2006. Archived from the original on 22 August 2006. Retrieved 13 August 2006.
16. "Mariners book home semi-final after stalemate". Football Federation Australia (Central Coast Mariners Website). 6 August 2006. Retrieved 13 August 2006.^{[permanent dead link]}
17. "Mariners set up title defence after derby win". Football Federation Australia (Central Coast Mariners Website). 12 August 2006. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 13 August 2006.
18. 2005 Pre-Season Cup, 2005 World Club Qualification, 2005-06 A-League, 2006 Pre-Season Cup
19. "Adelaide takes title in shootout". Football Federation Australia (A-League Website). 20 August 2006. Archived from the original on 24 August 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2006.

External links