| 2007–08 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Lyall Gorman |
| Manager | Lawrie McKinna |
| Stadium | Bluetongue Stadium |
| A-League regular season | Premiers |
| A-League finals | Runners-up |
| Pre-Season Cup | 4th |
| Top goalscorer | League: John Aloisi (7) All: Sasho Petrovski (9) |
| Highest home attendance | 36,354 vs Newcastle Jets (24 February 2008) |
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.
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 Friendly | Central Coast Mariners | 3–0 | Malaysia | Lisarow |
Hutchinson  55'Woodcock 78'Owens 86' | Report | Stadium: Pluim Park Attendance: 2,000 Referee: James Lewis |
A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
Group stage
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Coast Mariners | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Queensland Roar | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| Sydney FC | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 July 2007 1 | Central Coast Mariners | 2–0 | Wellington Phoenix | Gosford |
| 18:00 | Wilkinson 3' Kwasnik 32' | Report | Stadium: Bluetongue Stadium Attendance: 8,136 Referee: Strebre Delovski |
| 21 July 2007 2 | Central Coast Mariners | 1–1 | Queensland Roar | Orange |
| 15:00 | Boogaard 6' | Report | Lynch 60' | Stadium: Wade Park Attendance: 3,531 Referee: James Lewis |
| 29 July 2007 3 | Sydney FC | 0–3 | Central Coast Mariners | Canberra |
| 15:00 | Report | Osman 36' Kwasnik 44'Gumprecht 51' | Stadium: Canberra Stadium Attendance: 5,735 Referee: Ben Williams |
Playoffs
| 4 August 2007 Semi-final | Central Coast Mariners | 2–3 | Perth Glory | Gosford |
| 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 playoff | Central Coast Mariners | 1–3 | Queensland Roar | Gosford |
| 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 FC | 0–1 | Central Coast Mariners | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney |
| 20:00 UTC+10 | Report Summary | Petrovski 7' | Attendance: 18,457 Referee: .svg.png){kind=small} Peter Green |
| 31 August 2007 | Central Coast Mariners | 3–0 | Wellington Phoenix | Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford |
| 20:00 UTC+10 | Mrdja 9', 35' Kwasnik 13' | Report Summary | Attendance: 9,052 Referee: Peter Green |
| 6 September 2007 | Queensland Roar | 0–1 | Central Coast Mariners | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
| 20:00 UTC+10 | Report Summary | Kwasnik 55' | Attendance: 8,815 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 16 September 2007 | Melbourne Victory | 0–0 | Central Coast Mariners | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| 17:00 UTC+10 | Report Summary | Vidmar  90+2' | Attendance: 27,351 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 23 September 2007 | Central Coast Mariners | 1–0 | Perth Glory | Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford |
| 19:00 UTC+10 | Petrovski 80' | Report Summary | Attendance: 9,274 Referee: Craig Zetter |
| 30 September 2007 | Adelaide United | 2–1 | Central Coast Mariners | Hindmarsh 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 Mariners | 1–1 | Newcastle Jets | Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford |
| 17:00 UTC+10 | Pondeljak 62' | Report Summary | Bridge 82' | Attendance: 12,622 Referee: Matthew Breeze |
| 14 October 2007 | Central Coast Mariners | 0–1 | Queensland Roar | Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford |
| 17:00 UTC+10 | Porter 31' | Report Summary | McCloughan 5' | Attendance: 8,113 Referee:  Peter O'Leary |
| 21 October 2007 | Wellington Phoenix | 1–2 | Central Coast Mariners | Westpac 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 FC | 3–2 | Central Coast Mariners | Sydney 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 Mariners | 2–1 | Melbourne Victory | Bluetongue 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 Mariners | 2–0 | Adelaide United | Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford |
| 17:00 UTC+11 | J.Aloisi 48' (pen.), 59' | Report Summary | Attendance: 11,680 Referee: Simon Przydacz |
| 18 November 2007 | Perth Glory | 0–1 | Central Coast Mariners | Members Equity Stadium, Perth |
| 19:00 UTC+9 | Summary | Owens 13' Jedinak 83' 88' | Attendance: 7,310 Referee: Craig Zetter |
| 25 November 2007 | Newcastle Jets | 0–0 | Central Coast Mariners | EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle |
| 17:00 UTC+11 | Report Summary | Attendance: 14,169 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 9 December 2007 | Queensland Roar | 2–1 | Central Coast Mariners | Suncorp 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 United | 1–2 | Central Coast Mariners | Hindmarsh 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 Mariners | 4–5 | Sydney FC | Bluetongue 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 Mariners | 2–5 | Melbourne Victory | Bluetongue 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 Glory | 1–1 | Central Coast Mariners | Members Equity Stadium, Perth |
| 19:00 UTC+9 | Rukavytsya 69' | Report Summary | Hutchinson 38' | Attendance: 6,727 Referee: Strebre Delovski |
| 12 January 2008 | Central Coast Mariners | 1–2 | Newcastle Jets | Bluetongue 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 Mariners | 2–0 | Wellington Phoenix | Bluetongue 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 1 | Newcastle Jets | 2–0 | Central Coast Mariners | EnergyAustralia 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 2 | Central Coast Mariners | 3 – 0 (a.e.t.) | Newcastle Jets | Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford |
| 18:00 UTC+11 | Kwasnik 37' Petrovski 74', 95' | Summary | Attendance: 19,112 Referee: Ben Williams |
| 24 February 2008 Grand Final | Central Coast Mariners | 0–1 | Newcastle Jets | Sydney 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[a] |
| 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[b] | 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:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
- ^ 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. - ^ 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 | ){kind=small} | ){kind=small} | ||||
| 1 | GK | AUS | Matthew Trott | 4 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | FW | AUS | Matt Simon | 4 (14) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 (16) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | AUS | Paul O'Grady | 2 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 (5) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | AUS | Ian McAndrew | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | AUS | Brad Porter | 5 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (4) | 0 | 5 (7) | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | MF |  GER | André Gumprecht | 8 (6) | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 | 5 | 1 | 13 (9) | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | AUS | John Hutchinson | 18 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | DF | AUS | Dean Heffernan | 15 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 17 (2) | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | AUS | Nik Mrdja | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 (2) | 1 | 6 (2) | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | AUS | Tom Pondeljak | 13 (5) | 2 | 2 (1) | 0 | 2 (2) | 0 | 17 (8) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | DF | AUS | Damien Brown | 7 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | AUS | Greg Owens | 10 (2) | 2 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 11 (4) | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | AUS | Tony Vidmar | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 19 (2) | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| 15 | DF | AUS | Andrew Clark | 12 (5) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 (7) | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | AUS | Nigel Boogaard | 13 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 (1) | 1 | 20 (2) | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | AUS | Matthew Osman | 6 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 11 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | AUS | Alex Wilkinson | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | AUS | Adam Kwasnik | 12 (7) | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 20 (7) | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 20 | GK | AUS | Danny Vukovic | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 22 | FW | AUS | Sasho Petrovski | 18 (1) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 25 (1) | 9 | 11 | 1 |
| 23 | MF | AUS | Mile Jedinak | 19 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| FW | AUS | Damian Mori | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 25 | DF | AUS | John Aloisi | 12 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | AUS | Alvin Ceccoli | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | AUS | Andrew Redmayne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
References
- ^ "Petrovski signs with Mariners". News.com.au. 12 February 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ "Jedi signs permanent deal for 2007–08" (Press release). Central Coast Mariners FC. 26 February 2007.
- ^ "Mariners snap up Owens". The World Game. 12 March 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ "Heffernan returns to the Central Coast". ESPN FC. 6 June 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Out with the old, in with the new" (Press release). Central Coast Mariners FC. 19 June 2007.
- ^ "Mariners sign teenage defender". Fox Sports. 1 August 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ Smithies, Tom (21 September 2007). "Mariners land old boy Mori". =Fox Sports. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ Henderson, Philip (19 October 2007). "Mariners confirm signing John Aloisi". ESPN FC. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ "Ceccoli back as 'ancient mariner'". Fox Sports. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Mariners axe A-League skipper Spencer". The Sydney Morning Herald. 25 January 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ Cockerill, Mike (16 February 2007). "Mariner finds his way to Sydney for the Asian experience". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ a b "New deals for Mariners duo". The World Game. 18 April 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ "Pacesetters Central Coast Mariners are "down to the bare bones"". The Daily Telegraph. 13 October 2007.
- ^ Match postponed due to heavy rain affecting pitch conditions.