A-League wrap: Mariners give Simon fond farewell, Roar held

Central Coast Mariners extended their unbeaten run to 11 matches on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory at Bluetongue Stadium.

The match was a fitting farewell to Mariners striker Matt Simon, who netted both goals for the home side in his final match for the club before moving to K-League outfit Chunnam Dragons.

Simon gave the Mariners the lead after just 18 seconds, when Troy Hearfield teed him up for a stunning opener, and his second goal six minutes from the end sealed the win in what was an entertaining affair.

The win moved Central Coast six points clear of Melbourne Heart and Brisbane Roar on top of the A-League, while Victory are in eighth place after their third loss in succession.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Adelaide United’s resurgence under new coach John Kosmina continued at AAMI Park when they brought the high-flying Heart back to earth with a 3-1 thumping.

A brace from star Sergio van Dijk and another goal from Dario Vidosic ended the Heart’s five-match winning streak and catapulted the Reds into the top six.

The Newcastle Jets put their campaign back on track with a confidence-boosting 3-2 win over Gold Coast United at Ausgrid Stadium.

The home side grabbed the lead through a Jeremy Brockie header just two minutes before half-time and Brockie’s second gave Newcastle a 2-0 lead in the 64th minute.

Gold Coast launched a comeback, with goals to Ben Halloran and Adama Traore making it 2-2 with less than 15 minutes left to play.

But a textbook finish from substitute Labinot Haliti in the 79th minute handed Newcastle their first victory in a month.

Meanwhile, a Ben Sigmund header and a stoppage-time goal from substitute Paul Ifill sealed a 4-2 win for Wellington Phoenix over Sydney FC in New Zealand.

Sigmund scored the match-winner against Perth Glory in similar fashion in December, and Wednesday’s goal was just as important to the Phoenix’s top-six aspirations, before Ifill completed his comeback from a groin injury to provide the icing on the cake.

And an 80th-minute equaliser from Mile Sterjovski gave Perth Glory a 3-3 draw with Brisbane Roar at nib Stadium.

The Glory probably should not have needed the late intervention, after going two goals ahead in the first 24 minutes through Travis Dodd and Sterjovski.

But having missed a host of chances, the reigning champions struck back in fine style as Mitch Nichols pulled one back in the 40th minute before Erik Paartalu equalised on the stroke of half-time.

Nichols fired the Roar ahead in the 69th minute but Sterjovski was on hand to complete his brace with an 80th-minute penalty to secure a share of the spoils.