Arnold lauds Mariners masterclass

Central Coast coach Graham Arnold described his side’s clinical 2-0 defeat of arch-rivals Newcastle at Gosford as a ‘sensational performance.’

The victory at Bluetongue Stadium means the Mariners moved equal top of the A-League and have now gone seven games unbeaten, including four wins in succession.

The last time the Mariners tasted defeat was against Newcastle in round three when the Jets scored a 1-0 victory.

Saturday night’s win is the perfect preparation for the Mariners’ top of the table clash against the Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

“It was a sensational performance on a difficult pitch,” Arnold said.

“To play football like we did was excellent. Conditions weren’t easy but we put in a very good performance.”

“It was very good but we’re not getting carried away, we’re only 10 games into the season. There’s a long way to go.”

In a warning to rival sides, Arnold believes his team has plenty of improvement left in them.

“We’re building and will need to keep getting better,” Arnold said.

Frustrated Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond said his team looked flat for long periods.

“The first 20 or 25 minutes were not too bad, we started pretty brightly,” he said.

“Then we started to drop towards the end of the first half and we didn’t come out with a great deal of vigour in the second half.”

“I think it’s a mental thing. At the moment we’re just inconsistent, the goal is to keep getting better.”