2007–08 Central Coast Mariners FC season

The 2007–08 season was the 3rd season of competitive football played by Central Coast Mariners. The Mariners ended the season as A-League Premiers after topping the table in the regular season, but runners-up in the Championship after losing to local rivals Newcastle Jets in the 2008 A-League Grand Final.

Central Coast Mariners
2007–08 season
ChairmanLyall Gorman
ManagerLawrie McKinna
StadiumBluetongue Stadium
A-League regular seasonPremiers
A-League finalsRunners-up
Pre-Season Cup4th
Top goalscorerLeague:
John Aloisi (7)
All:
Sasho Petrovski (9)
Highest home attendance36,354 vs Newcastle Jets
(24 February 2008)

In the transfer window the club signed experienced striker Sasho Petrovski and former Adelaide United midfielder Greg Owens. Left back Dean Heffernan also returned to the club after completing a loan spell with 1. FC Nürnberg. Club captain Noel Spencer was released, joining Sydney FC.

After a mixed pre-season, finishing fourth in the 2007 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup, the Mariners began the 2007–08 A-League in good form, undefeated for their first five games. Winless runs in October and January saw a number of clubs threaten Central Coast at the top of the table. This included a 5–4 loss to Sydney FC in December, breaking the record for goals in an A-League match. The mid-season addition of Socceroo John Aloisi proved successful, with the striker scoring a team-high seven league goals. A win over Wellington Phoenix in the final game of the regular season secured a first Premiership for the club, ahead of Newcastle Jets on goal difference. In the Finals Series, the Mariners advanced to the Grand Final by defeating the Jets 3–2 over two legs. The Jets, however, claimed the Championship with a 1–0 win in controversial circumstances at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Background

The Mariners ended the previous season in sixth, missing out on the Finals Series.

Transfers
In
No. Position Player Transferred from Fee Date Ref
22 FW Sasho Petrovski Sydney FC Free 12 February 2007 [1]
23 MF Mile Jedinak Sydney United Free 26 February 2007 [2]
12 MF Greg Owens Adelaide United Free 12 March 2007 [3]
8 DF Dean Heffernan 1. FC Nürnberg Loan return 6 June 2007 [4]
30 GK Andrew Redmayne Australian Institute of Sport Free 19 June 2007 [5]
4 MF Ian McAndrew Central Coast Lightning Free 1 August 2007 [6]
24 FW Damian Mori Adelaide City Free 21 September 2007 [7]
25 FW John Aloisi Free agent N/A 19 October 2007 [8]
26 DF Alvin Ceccoli Free agent N/A 3 January 2008 [9]
Out
No. Position Player Transferred to Fee Date Ref
14 DF Vuko Tomasevic Free agent N/A 25 January 2007 [10]
2 DF Wayne O'Sullivan Free agent N/A 25 January 2007 [10]
4 MF Noel Spencer Sydney FC Free 16 February 2007 [11]
8 MF Jamie McMaster Free agent N/A 18 April 2007 [12]
12 FW Stewart Petrie Free agent N/A 18 April 2007 [12]
1 GK John Crawley Retired N/A 19 June 2007 [5]
24 FW Damian Mori Free agent N/A 13 October 2007 [13]

Pre-season
22 May 2007 FriendlyCentral Coast Mariners3–0MalaysiaLisarow
Hutchinson  55'
Woodcock  78'
Owens  86'		 Report Stadium: Pluim Park
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: James Lewis

A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
Main article: 2007 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup

Group stage
Group B
Team Pld W D L GF GA BP Pts
Central Coast Mariners 321061310
Queensland Roar 31203216
Wellington Phoenix 31024425
Sydney FC 30120601
14 July 2007 1Central Coast Mariners2–0Wellington PhoenixGosford
18:00 Wilkinson  3'
Kwasnik  32'		 Report Stadium: Bluetongue Stadium
Attendance: 8,136
Referee: Strebre Delovski
21 July 2007 2Central Coast Mariners1–1Queensland RoarOrange
15:00 Boogaard  6' Report Lynch  60' Stadium: Wade Park
Attendance: 3,531
Referee: James Lewis
29 July 2007 3Sydney FC0–3Central Coast MarinersCanberra
15:00 Report Osman  36'
Kwasnik  44'
Gumprecht  51'		 Stadium: Canberra Stadium
Attendance: 5,735
Referee: Ben Williams

Playoffs
4 August 2007 Semi-finalCentral Coast Mariners2–3Perth GloryGosford
18:00 Mrdja  43'
Petrovski  90'		 Report Dragičević  23'
Bertos  55'
Tarka  78'		 Stadium: Bluetongue Stadium
Attendance: 5,967
Referee: Ben Williams
12 August 2007 3rd place playoffCentral Coast Mariners1–3Queensland RoarGosford
16:00 Simon  9' Report Milicic  30'
Marchinho  48'
Reinaldo  86'		 Stadium: Bluetongue Stadium
Attendance: 3,500
Referee: James Lewis

2007–08 Hyundai A-League fixtures
24 August 2007 Sydney FC0–1Central Coast MarinersSydney Football Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Petrovski  7' Attendance: 18,457
Referee: Peter Green
31 August 2007 Central Coast Mariners3–0Wellington PhoenixBluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+10 Mrdja  9', 35'
Kwasnik  13'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 9,052
Referee: Peter Green
6 September 2007 Queensland Roar0–1Central Coast MarinersSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane
20:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Kwasnik  55' Attendance: 8,815
Referee: Mark Shield
16 September 2007 Melbourne Victory0–0Central Coast MarinersTelstra Dome, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Vidmar  90+2' Attendance: 27,351
Referee: Mark Shield
23 September 2007 Central Coast Mariners1–0Perth GloryBluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:00 UTC+10 Petrovski  80' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 9,274
Referee: Craig Zetter
30 September 2007 Adelaide United2–1Central Coast MarinersHindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+9:30 Djite  19', 88' Report
Summary		 Petrovski  37'
Vidmar  65'  79'		 Attendance: 11,019
Referee: Matthew Breeze
7 October 2007 Central Coast Mariners1–1Newcastle JetsBluetongue Stadium, Gosford
17:00 UTC+10 Pondeljak  62' Report
Summary		 Bridge  82' Attendance: 12,622
Referee: Matthew Breeze
14 October 2007 Central Coast Mariners0–1Queensland RoarBluetongue Stadium, Gosford
17:00 UTC+10 Porter  31' Report
Summary		 McCloughan  5' Attendance: 8,113
Referee: Peter O'Leary
21 October 2007 Wellington Phoenix1–2Central Coast MarinersWestpac Stadium, Wellington
17:00 UTC+12 Elrich  24' Report
Summary		 Heffernan  16'
Petrovski  90+1'		 Attendance: 10,560
Referee: Peter Green
28 October 2007 Sydney FC3–2Central Coast MarinersSydney Football Stadium, Sydney
15:00 UTC+10 Brosque  16', 26'
Popovic  32'		 Report
Summary		 Hutchinson  27', 56' Attendance: 17,652
Referee: Mark Shield
4 November 2007 Central Coast Mariners2–1Melbourne VictoryBluetongue Stadium, Gosford
17:00 UTC+11 Petrovski  83',  73'  90'
Pondeljak  88'		 Report
Summary		 Keenan  22'
Hernández  77'
Vargas  90'		 Attendance: 11,354
Referee: Mark Shield
10 November 2007 Central Coast Mariners2–0Adelaide UnitedBluetongue Stadium, Gosford
17:00 UTC+11 J.Aloisi  48' (pen.), 59' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 11,680
Referee: Simon Przydacz
18 November 2007 Perth Glory0–1Central Coast MarinersMembers Equity Stadium, Perth
19:00 UTC+9 Summary Owens  13'
Jedinak  83'  88'		 Attendance: 7,310
Referee: Craig Zetter
25 November 2007 Newcastle Jets0–0Central Coast MarinersEnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 14,169
Referee: Mark Shield
9 December 2007 Queensland Roar2–1Central Coast MarinersSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane
18:00 UTC+10 Vidmar  21' (o.g.)
McKay  28'		 Report
Summary		 J.Aloisi  13' Attendance: 16,442
Referee: Ben Williams
14 December 2007 Adelaide United1–2Central Coast MarinersHindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+10:30 Agostino  70' Report
Summary		 J.Aloisi  24'
Petrovski  48'		 Attendance: 11,123
Referee: Peter Green
22 December 2007[14] Central Coast Mariners4–5Sydney FCBluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:00 UTC+11 Jedinak  3'
J.Aloisi  16'
Vukovic  17'
Owens  63' (pen.)
Kwasnik  86'  90+4'		 Report
Summary		 Fyfe  33'
McFlynn  50'
Biddle  71'
Santalab  76'
Talay  90+5' (pen.)		 Attendance: 17,514
Referee: Matthew Breeze
31 December 2007 Central Coast Mariners2–5Melbourne VictoryBluetongue Stadium, Gosford
18:00 UTC+11 Jedinak  32'
J.Aloisi  63'		 Report
Summary		 Caceres  4'
Allsopp  23', 61'
Thompson  36'
Muscat  43' (pen.)		 Attendance: 18,686
Referee: Mark Shield
6 January 2008 Perth Glory1–1Central Coast MarinersMembers Equity Stadium, Perth
19:00 UTC+9 Rukavytsya  69' Report
Summary		 Hutchinson  38' Attendance: 6,727
Referee: Strebre Delovski
12 January 2008 Central Coast Mariners1–2Newcastle JetsBluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:00 UTC+11 Kwasnik  9' Report
Summary		 Holland  6'
J. Griffiths  52'		 Attendance: 19,238
Referee: Matthew Breeze
19 January 2008 Central Coast Mariners2–0Wellington PhoenixBluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:00 UTC+11 Aloisi  52'
Kwasnik  90+4'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 9,849
Referee: Kevin Docherty

2007–08 Finals series
27 January 2008 Major SF Leg 1Newcastle Jets2–0Central Coast MarinersEnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
18:00 UTC+11 A. Griffiths  22'
J. Griffiths  85' (pen.)		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 22,960
Referee: Matthew Breeze
10 February 2008 Major SF Leg 2Central Coast Mariners3 – 0 (a.e.t.)Newcastle JetsBluetongue Stadium, Gosford
18:00 UTC+11 Kwasnik  37'
Petrovski  74', 95'		 Summary Attendance: 19,112
Referee: Ben Williams
24 February 2008 Grand FinalCentral Coast Mariners0–1Newcastle JetsSydney Football Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11 Vukovic  90+5' Summary Bridge  64' Attendance: 36,354
Referee: Mark Shield

Home-and-Away Season
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Central Coast Mariners 21 10 4 7 30 25 +5 34 Finals Series and 2009 AFC Champions League Group stage[lower-alpha 1]
2 Newcastle Jets (C) 21 9 7 5 25 21 +4 34
3 Sydney FC 21 8 8 5 28 24 +4 32 Finals Series and 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship
4 Queensland Roar 21 8 7 6 25 21 +4 31 Finals Series
5 Melbourne Victory 21 6 9 6 29 29 0 27
6 Adelaide United 21 6 8 7 31 29 +2 26
7 Perth Glory 21 4 8 9 27 34 −7 20
8 Wellington Phoenix[lower-alpha 2] 21 5 5 11 25 37 −12 20
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. First place qualifies for the 2009 AFC Champions League Group stage.
    Winning the 2008 A-League Grand Final earns qualification for the 2009 AFC Champions League Group stage, unless the Grand Final winners are also first place, in which case the Grand Final runner up qualifies.
  2. Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.

Player statistics
Key

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 A-League finals Pre-Season Cup Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK  AUS Matthew Trott 4 (1)000206 (1)000
2 FW  AUS Matt Simon 4 (14)00 (2)0115 (16)100
3 DF  AUS Paul O'Grady 2 (4)0000 (1)02 (5)020
4 MF  AUS Ian McAndrew 0 (1)000000 (1)000
5 MF  AUS Brad Porter 5 (3)0000 (4)05 (7)001
6 MF  GER André Gumprecht 8 (6)00 (3)05113 (9)130
7 MF  AUS John Hutchinson 183304025370
8 DF  AUS Dean Heffernan 15 (1)1002 (1)017 (2)170
9 FW  AUS Nik Mrdja 32003 (2)16 (2)310
10 MF  AUS Tom Pondeljak 13 (5)22 (1)02 (2)017 (8)200
11 DF  AUS Damien Brown 7 (1)0003010 (1)020
12 MF  AUS Greg Owens 10 (2)21 (1)00 (1)011 (4)220
13 DF  AUS Tony Vidmar 150301 (2)019 (2)062
15 DF  AUS Andrew Clark 12 (5)00 (2)01013 (7)050
16 DF  AUS Nigel Boogaard 13 (1)0304 (1)120 (2)150
17 MF  AUS Matthew Osman 6 (1)0005111 (1)100
18 DF  AUS Alex Wilkinson 120305120110
19 FW  AUS Adam Kwasnik 12 (7)5315220 (7)820
20 GK  AUS Danny Vukovic 170303023012
22 FW  AUS Sasho Petrovski 18 (1)6324125 (1)9111
23 MF  AUS Mile Jedinak 192305027281
24 FW  AUS Damian Mori 3000003000
25 DF  AUS John Aloisi 127300015740
26 DF  AUS Alvin Ceccoli 3030006000
30 GK  AUS Andrew Redmayne 0000000000

References
  1. "Petrovski signs with Mariners". News.com.au. 12 February 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  2. "Jedi signs permanent deal for 2007–08" (Press release). Central Coast Mariners FC. 26 February 2007.
  3. "Mariners snap up Owens". The World Game. 12 March 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  4. "Heffernan returns to the Central Coast". ESPN FC. 6 June 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  5. "Out with the old, in with the new" (Press release). Central Coast Mariners FC. 19 June 2007.
  6. "Mariners sign teenage defender". Fox Sports. 1 August 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  7. Smithies, Tom (21 September 2007). "Mariners land old boy Mori". =Fox Sports. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  8. Henderson, Philip (19 October 2007). "Mariners confirm signing John Aloisi". ESPN FC. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  9. "Ceccoli back as 'ancient mariner'". Fox Sports. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  10. "Mariners axe A-League skipper Spencer". The Sydney Morning Herald. 25 January 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  11. Cockerill, Mike (16 February 2007). "Mariner finds his way to Sydney for the Asian experience". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  12. "New deals for Mariners duo". The World Game. 18 April 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  13. "Pacesetters Central Coast Mariners are "down to the bare bones"". The Daily Telegraph. 13 October 2007.
  14. Match postponed due to heavy rain affecting pitch conditions.
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