16-year-old Haine Eames bagged his second goal of the season as Central Coast Mariners played out a 1-1 draw with Perth Glory at HBF Park.
The Glory applied pressure from the off and were duly rewarded after just eight minutes when Adam Taggart found the bottom corner with a fierce low effort after some excellent work from Lachie Wales in the build-up.
Perth certainly had their chances to win the game and the Mariners had goalkeeper Dylan Peraic-Cullen to thanks for keeping the scores level as he denied Taggart late on in the piece to ensure it finished all square in the West.
The result leaves Perth sat in second-last on the ladder while the Mariners have now set a new club-record having registered four consecutive draws for the first time in Isuzu UTE A-League history.
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Looking to put their opponents on the back-foot early on, Glory striker Taggart sent a warning message to the Mariners backline; drilling a powerful effort wide of the target after he was afforded too much time and space on the edge of the area.
Paying the price for their sluggish start, the Mariners then found themselves 1-0 down after just eight minutes and it came from the boot of Taggart.
Carrying the ball through midfield, Wales’ flicked pass fell kindly for Taggart on the edge of the box and the striker did the rest, dispatching the ball beyond Mariners keeper Dylan Peraic-Cullen with the aid of a deflection off the legs of the sliding Trent Sainsbury.
The Mariners finally threatened at the other end for the first time in the 27th minute as striker Ryan Edmondson shrugged off the challenge of defender Tomi Mrcela however he powered his header straight at keeper Oli Sail.
The visitors then went close to pulling themselves level before the break but Sail pulled off an excellent low save to turn Christian Theoharous’ left-footed effort round the post.
Despite going down and receiving treatment for what looked to be a potential knee issue, Taggart should have then doubled Perth’s lead on the stroke of half-time.
Left completely unmarked on the edge of the area, Taggart received the ball infield but curled his effort wide of the far post in what was a huge let-off for the Mariners.
Starting the second-half with more energy thanks to a triple-change which saw talented forward Miguel Di Pizio make his return from a knee injury, the Mariners bagged their equaliser in the 61st minute thanks to a bit of help from the opposition goalkeeper.
Teed up by Mikael Doka on the edge of the box, the impressive Haines took aim from distance and while his low shot looked to be a routine save for Sail, the ball squirmed under the goalkeeper’s large frame and into the back of the net in a moment he won’t want to see again.
Substitute Joel Anasmo had two good chances to bag the leveller but couldn’t supply the finish; first failing to connect with a glorious ball across the face of goal before then slamming a shot from close range into the midriff of defender Trent Sainsbury.
Throwing everything forward in an attempt to find the winner, Glory midfielder Nicholas Pennington attempted an audacious scissor-kick from a Nathaniel Blair cross which flew agonisingly wide of the far post in the 86th minute.
Mariners keeper Peraic-Cullen was then called into action a minute later, standing tall to thwart Taggart after the Socceroos forward had capitalised on some hesitation in the Central Coast defence.
The chances kept coming as the game became more stretched with Blair this time firing over from the edge of the box in the 89th minute after creating some space for the shot.
The result leaves Perth sat down in 11th spot on the ladder while the Mariners’ wait for a win in Western Australia goes on given they’ve now not tasted victory away to Perth since 2021.
