2011–12 Central Coast Mariners FC season

The 2011–12 Central Coast Mariners season will be Central Coast Mariners's seventh A-League season. It includes the 2011–12 A-League season as well as any other competitions of the 2011–12 football (soccer) season. This will include competing in the 2012 AFC Champions League.

Central Coast Mariners
2011–12 season
ChairmanPeter Turnbull
ManagerGraham Arnold
A-League premiership (regular season)1st
A-League championship (finals)3rd
Asian Champions LeagueGroup stage (3rd)
Top goalscorerLeague: Matt Simon, Bernie Ibini-Isei (7)
All: Patrick Zwaanswijk (8)
Highest home attendance14 838 vs Gold Coast United
Lowest home attendance6 883 vs Perth Glory
Average home league attendance9 628

Pre-season and friendlies edit

The 2011 off-season is longer than usual (March–October) as Football Federation Australia shifted the next season's start back to avoid clashing with the NRL and AFL finals.

In May, it was announced that the Mariners would play Celtic on their tour of Australia in July, a game which the Mariners won 1–0 through a late Troy Hearfield long range effort.

The Mariners also agreed to a deal with a new kit supplier, Hummel International.

Much of the news at the club in pre-season related to the future of young talent Mustafa Amini, who had attracted interest from many European clubs, including German champions Borussia Dortmund and Scottish side Celtic, amongst others. After an extended negotiation period, Amini was sold to Dortmund, and immediately loaned back to the Mariners until May 2012.[1]

Pre-season fixtures included the annual tour of the Australian Capital Territory, and a tour of New Zealand. Whilst in Canberra, the Mariners retained the Bank of Queensland Cup, winning their annual clash with Belconnen United FC 5–0. Overall, the Mariners enjoyed a successful pre-season, including wins over A-League opposition Perth Glory and Wellington Phoenix. They also won the annual Doug Turnbull cup, against Bankstown City Lions. The Mariners were a game away from a second consecutive undefeated pre-season (after not losing a pre-season game in the 2010 pre-season), however, they were beaten 3–1 by Auckland City FC in Auckland in their final friendly before the season proper. Michael Baird was the top-scorer in pre-season, scoring 7 goals.

Pre-Season triallists edit

Pre-Season fixtures/ friendlies edit

Games in New South Wales unless specified. Games in this section are in local time.

22 June 2011 Blacktown City Demons 0–3 Central Coast Mariners Gabbie Stadium, Seven Hills
Wednesday, 6:45 pm Report Adriano Pellegrino   35'
Michael Baird   40'
Adam McGeorge   87'
Attendance: 200
2 July 2011 Central Coast Mariners 1–0   Celtic FC ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Saturday, 7:30 pm Troy Hearfield   87' Report Attendance: 19 482
Referee: Matthew Breeze

2011–12 A-League edit

Fixtures for the 2011–12 A-League were announced in late May. Notable fixtures include a 2011 A-League Grand Final rematch in the opening fixture against Brisbane Roar, and the Mariners' traditional New Year's Eve match, this year against Gold Coast United.

October edit

The Mariners' season got off to a rough start, with no wins in their first three games, picking up only one point. This included a draw with Gold Coast United, thanks to a late Patrick Zwaanswijk equaliser, and a loss in The F3 Derby against Newcastle. However, they managed to kick start their season with a come from behind win over Perth Glory at Bluetongue Stadium, winning 2–1 with goals from Matt Simon and Bernie Ibini-Isei.

November edit

November was a successful period for the club, with the Mariners undefeated in their four games in the month. This included an eventful 3–2 win over Sydney FC in the New South Wales derby. Bernie Ibini-Isei was named the A-League's young player of the month for November.

December edit

The Mariners completed a second consecutive undefeated month in December, with four wins and one draw. This included wins in The F3 Derby as well as a win over rivals Brisbane Roar, and a 4–0 victory over Adelaide United in Adelaide- the side's biggest ever home loss. The annual New Year's Eve match was a nil all draw with Gold Coast United. Late in the month, it was announced that local long-serving striker Matt Simon would be leaving in early January to play for K-League side Chunnam Dragons. The Mariners ended 2011 on top of the A-League ladder. Mustafa Amini was named A-League young player of the month for December.

January edit

In January, the Mariners were again undefeated, extending their undefeated streak to a club record 15 games by the end of the month. Matt Simon left the club to go to South Korea, scoring a brace in his final game before moving overseas against Melbourne Victory. Trent Sainsbury, Joshua Rose and Bernie Ibini-Isei were re-signed, and Tom Rogic transferred to the team. Mitchell Duke, Jimmy Oates and Anthony Caceres were promoted from the youth team under the terms of their "senior" contracts for the 2012 AFC Champions League and future A-League seasons. The Mariners ended 10 January points clear at the top of the A-League table. On 31 January the Central Coast Mariners confirmed that they had secured the services of John Sutton for 4 months on a loan deal to cover the loss of Matt Simon. Mathew Ryan was named the A-League's young player of the month for January.

February edit

February saw the end of the Mariners' extended undefeated run, and two other losses in the month saw the lead at the top of the table reduced ahead of Brisbane Roar. Rostyn Griffiths was sold to Guangzhou R&F for what was rumoured to be a club record transfer fee, around the A$1 million mark. By the end of the month, the Central Coast Mariners youth team had all but won the 2011–12 A-League National Youth League title. Tom Rogic won the A-League young player of the month award for February- the fourth consecutive month in which the Mariners had won the award.

March edit

March was a mixed month for the club, with two wins, one draw and two losses in A-League matches. Wins in the last two games of the regular season earned the Mariners the 2011–12 A-League Premiership, ahead of Brisbane Roar. This earned the team a spot in the 2013 AFC Champions League. The Mariners campaign in the 2012 AFC Champions League began in March, with two draws.

April edit

On the field, April was a less successful month for the Mariners, with the team eliminated from the 2011–12 A-League finals by Perth Glory and suffering a loss to Seongnam Ilhwa in Seongnam after the two teams drew in Gosford in the 2012 AFC Champions League. Off the field, Mathew Ryan was awarded the A-League's young player and goalkeeper of the year awards, and Graham Arnold was awarded A-League coach of the year. Ryan, Patrick Zwaanswijk and Joshua Rose were named in the team of the season, with Arnold named as coach.

May edit

May saw the season finish with the end of the 2012 AFC Champions League group stage. A 5–1 win over Tianjin Teda FC- the club's first in the AFC Champions League- saw the Mariners travel to Japan needing to beat Nagoya Grampus to progress in the competition. However, a loss in this game saw the Mariners finish third in the group.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Central Coast Mariners 27 15 6 6 40 24 +16 51 Qualification for 2013 AFC Champions League group stage and finals series[a]
2 Brisbane Roar (C) 27 14 7 6 50 28 +22 49 Qualification for 2013 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off and finals series
3 Perth Glory 27 13 4 10 40 35 +5 43 Qualification for Finals series
4 Wellington Phoenix 27 12 4 11 34 32 +2 40
5 Sydney FC 27 10 8 9 37 42 −5 38
6 Melbourne Heart 27 9 10 8 35 34 +1 37
7 Newcastle Jets 27 10 5 12 38 41 −3 35
8 Melbourne Victory 27 6 11 10 35 43 −8 29
9 Adelaide United 27 5 10 12 26 44 −18 25
10 Gold Coast United 27 4 9 14 30 42 −12 21
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. ^ First place qualifies for the 2013 AFC Champions League group stage. Winning the 2012 A-League Grand Final automatically earns qualification for the 2013 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off, unless first place are champions.

2011–12 squad edit

Players who have been announced as contracted to the Central Coast Mariners senior squad for the 2011–12 season. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   AUS Mathew Ryan
2 FW   AUS Daniel McBreen
3 DF   AUS Joshua Rose
4 DF   AUS Pedj Bojic
5 MF   AUS Brad Porter
6 DF   NED Patrick Zwaanswijk
7 MF   MLT John Hutchinson
8 MF   AUS Rostyn Griffiths
9 FW   AUS Bernie Ibini-Isei
10 MF   AUS Adriano Pellegrino
11 MF   AUS Oliver Bozanic
12 MF   AUS Troy Hearfield
13 MF   AUS Stuart Musialik
14 MF   NZL Michael McGlinchey
15 MF   PNG Brad McDonald
16 DF   AUS Trent Sainsbury
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 FW   AUS Michael Baird
17 MF   AUS Tom Rogic
18 DF   AUS Alex Wilkinson
19 FW   AUS Matt Simon
19 FW   ENG John Sutton
20 GK   AUS Justin Pasfield
21 DF   AUS Sam Gallagher
22 MF   AUS Mustafa Amini
23 FW   AUS Adam Kwasnik
24 MF   AUS Anthony Caceres
25 FW   AUS Mitchell Duke
27 DF   AUS Trent McClenahan
30 GK   AUS Nathan Denham
31 GK   AUS Brody Crane
?? DF   AUS James Oates

Transfers edit

Loan deals edit

Injuries edit

Name Position Injury Duration
  Mathew Ryan Goalkeeper Knee May 2011– September 2011
  Mustafa Amini Midfielder Osteitis pubis August 2011– October 2011
  Alex Wilkinson Defender Arm September 2011– October 2011
  Stuart Musialik Midfielder Hip September 2011– December 2011
  Rostyn Griffiths Midfielder Hip December 2011– January 2012

2011–12 A-League fixtures/results edit

All times AEST/AEDST, and PM

Regular season edit

29 October 2011 4 Central Coast Mariners 2–1 Perth Glory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Saturday 5:30 Matt Simon   27'
Bernie Ibini-Isei   45'
Report Travis Dodd   6' Attendance: 6 883
Referee: Ryan Shepheard
12 November 2011 6 Central Coast Mariners 0–0 Melbourne Victory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Saturday 7:45 Report Attendance: 10 521
Referee: Strebre Delovski
19 November 2011 7 Sydney FC 2–3 Central Coast Mariners Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Saturday 7:45 Nick Carle   77'
Brett Emerton   88'
Report Patrick Zwaanswijk   41'
Michael McGlinchey   66'
Troy Hearfield   82'
Attendance: 13 947
Referee: Strebre Delovski
26 November 2011 8 Central Coast Mariners 3–1 Melbourne Heart Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Saturday 5:30 Matt Simon   45+1'
Daniel McBreen   83' (pen)
Patrick Zwaanswijk   87'
Report Eli Babalj   78' Attendance: 7 242
Referee: Gerard Parsons
10 December 2011 10 Central Coast Mariners 2–0 Newcastle Jets Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Saturday 5:30 Rostyn Griffiths   25'
Matt Simon   59'
Report Attendance: 10 643
Referee: Strebre Delovski
17 December 2011 11 Brisbane Roar 1–2 Central Coast Mariners Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Saturday 7:45 Kofi Danning   83' Report Mustafa Amini   6'
Pedj Bojic   45'
Attendance: 10 006
Referee: Peter Green
23 December 2011 12 Perth Glory 1–3 Central Coast Mariners nib Stadium, Perth
Friday 10:00 Josh Mitchell   26'
Steven McGarry   84'
Report Bernie Ibini-Isei   49'
Pedj Bojic   60'
Matt Simon   64'
Attendance: 6 620
Referee: Matt Gillett
31 December 2011 13 Central Coast Mariners 0–0 Gold Coast United Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Saturday 6:15 Report Attendance: 14 838
Referee: Ryan Shepheard
4 January 2012 14 Central Coast Mariners 2–0 Melbourne Victory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Wednesday 7:45 Matt Simon   1', 84' Report Attendance: 12 284
Referee: Peter Green
7 January 2012 15 Sydney FC 0–1 Central Coast Mariners Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Sunday 4:00 Report Oliver Bozanic   9' Attendance: 11 866
Referee: Jarred Gillett
14 January 2012 16 Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Newcastle Jets Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Saturday 5:30 Patrick Zwaanswijk   59' Report Labinot Haliti   17' Attendance: 10 904
Referee: Matt Gillett
21 January 2012 18 Central Coast Mariners 3–2 Adelaide United Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Saturday 5:30 Daniel McBreen   15'
Adam Kwasnik   75'
Joshua Rose   78'
Report Sergio van Dijk   16'
Bruce Djite   19'
Attendance: 7 478
Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones
4 February 2012 19 Central Coast Mariners 0–2 Brisbane Roar Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Saturday 5:30 Report Paartalu   5'
Berisha   39'
Attendance: 10 217
Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones
18 February 2012 21 Central Coast Mariners 2–0 Wellington Phoenix Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Saturday 5:30 Tom Rogic   52'
Patrick Zwaanswijk   83'
Report Attendance: 7 845
Referee: Strebre Delovski
22 February 2012* 22 Gold Coast United 3–3 Central Coast Mariners Skilled Park, Robina
Wednesday 8:00 Chris Harold   10' (pen)
Ben Halloran   18'
Mitch Cooper   56'
Report Adam Kwasnik   4', 66'
Bernie Ibini-Isei   60'
Attendance: 1 141
Referee: Matthew Gillett
3 March 2012 24 Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Sydney FC Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Saturday 7:45 Troy Hearfield   91' Report Joel Chianese   56' Attendance: 8 658
Referee: Chris Beath
11 March 2012 25 Perth Glory 1–0 Central Coast Mariners nib Stadium, Perth
Sunday 7:30 Travis Dodd   24' Report Attendance: 6 502
Referee: Chris Beath
17 March 2012 26 Central Coast Mariners 1–0 Adelaide United Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Saturday 5:30 Bernie Ibini-Isei   47' Report Attendance: 7 275
Referee: Ben Williams
  • *Match rescheduled from 27 January 2012 due to flooding risk in and around Skilled Park.

Finals edit

31 March 2012 Major semi-final leg 1 Brisbane Roar 2–0 Central Coast Mariners Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Saturday 5:30 Henrique   8'
Erik Paartalu   86'
Report Attendance: 15 081
Referee: Strebre Delovski
8 April 2012 Major semi-final leg 2 Central Coast Mariners 2–3 Brisbane Roar Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Sunday 5:00 Patrick Zwaanswijk   29'
Adam Kwasnik   32'
Report Thomas Broich   2'
Mitch Nichols   25'
Henrique   65'
Attendance: 9 846
Referee: Jarred Gillett

2012 AFC Champions League edit

The Mariners qualified for the 2012 AFC Champions League as runners up in the 2010–11 A-League. In December 2011, they were drawn in group G, along with Nagoya Grampus of Japan, Tianjin Teda FC of China and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma of South Korea.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SIC NGY CCM TTD
1   Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 6 2 4 0 13 5 +8 10[a] Advance to knockout stage 1–1 5–0 1–1
2   Nagoya Grampus 6 2 4 0 10 4 +6 10[a] 2–2 3–0 0–0
3   Central Coast Mariners 6 1 3 2 7 11 −4 6 1–1 1–1 5–1
4   Tianjin Teda 6 0 3 3 2 12 −10 3 0–3 0–3 0–0
Source: WorldFootball.net
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Nagoya Grampus are tied on their head-to-head record (2 pts, 0 GD, 3 GF), and so are ranked by their overall goal difference.
7 March 2012 1 Tianjin Teda FC 0–0 Central Coast Mariners TEDA Football Stadium, Tianjin
Wednesday 11:00 Report Attendance: 19 800
Referee: Abdullah Al Hilali
3 April 2012 3 Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Seongnam Ilhwa Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Tuesday 7:00 Adam Kwasnik   50'
Joshua Rose   61'
Report Everton Santos   57' Attendance: 5 018
Referee: Valentin Kovalenko
1 May 2012 5 Central Coast Mariners 5–1 Tianjin Teda FC Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
Tuesday 7:30 Daniel McBreen   10', 20'
Joshua Rose   49'
Michael McGlinchey   71'
Mustafa Amini   85'
Report Liao Bochao   72' Attendance: 4 155
Referee: Mohamed Abdelkarim Al-Zarooni

Squad stats edit

No. Pos. Name A-League Finals AFC Champions League Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals    
1 GK   Mathew Ryan 21 0 3 0 6 0 30 0 1 0
2 FW   Daniel McBreen 23 2 2 0 5 2 30 4 3 0
3 DF   Joshua Rose 27 1 3 0 5 1 35 2 6 1
4 DF   Pedj Bojic 24 2 3 0 4 0 31 2 11 0
5 MF   Bradley Porter 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0
6 DF   Patrick Zwaanswijk 26 6 3 1 6 1 35 8 9 0
7 MF   John Hutchinson 19 0 3 0 6 0 28 0 9 0
8 MF   Rostyn Griffiths 18 2 0 0 0 0 18 2 5 0
9 FW   Bernie Ibini-Isei 26 7 3 0 6 0 35 7 0 0
10 MF   Adriano Pellegrino 7 0 0 0 1 0 8 0 2 0
11 MF   Oliver Bozanic 20 1 3 0 5 0 28 1 1 0
12 MF   Troy Hearfield 26 2 2 0 4 0 32 2 0 0
13 MF   Stuart Musialik 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 MF   Michael McGlinchey 27 1 3 0 6 1 36 2 2 0
15 MF   Brad McDonald 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 DF   Trent Sainsbury 8 0 1 0 2 0 11 0 3 1
17 FW   Michael Baird 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0
17 MF   Tom Rogic 9 2 3 0 4 0 16 2 2 0
18 DF   Alex Wilkinson 24 0 3 0 6 0 33 0 3 0
19 FW   Matthew Simon 14 7 0 0 0 0 14 7 2 0
19 FW   John Sutton 6 1 2 0 2 0 10 1 1 0
20 GK   Justin Pasfield 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
21 DF   Sam Gallagher 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 0
22 MF   Mustafa Amini 16 2 2 0 4 1 22 3 1 0
23 FW   Adam Kwasnik 16 4 3 2 5 1 24 7 5 0
24 MF   Anthony Caceres 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
25 FW   Mitchell Duke 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
27 DF   Trent McClenahan 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 1 0
30 GK   Nathan Denham 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 GK   Brody Crane 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
?? DF   James Oates 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Top scorers edit

Total Player Goals per Round
 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
7   Matt Simon 1 1 1 1 1 2
  Bernie Ibini-Isei 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
6   Patrick Zwaanswijk 1 1 1 1 1 1
4   Adam Kwasnik 1 1 2
2   Rostyn Griffiths 1 1
  Mustafa Amini 1 1
  Pedj Bojic 1 1
  Daniel McBreen 1 1
  Tom Rogic 1 1
  Troy Hearfield 1 1
1   Michael McGlinchey 1
  Oliver Bozanic 1
  Joshua Rose 1
  John Sutton 1
A goal was scored from a penalty kick
Two goals were scored from penalty kicks

References edit

  1. ^ "Dortmund snare Amini from A-League". ESPN soccernet. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  2. ^ "Pasfield heads to Mariners". Sportal. 29 November 2010. Archived from the original on 2 December 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  3. ^ "Troy Hearfield leaving Phoenix". Dominion Post. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d "Mariners Swoop on New Signings". Fourfourtwo Australia. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Mariners Snap Up Musialik". Fourfourtwo Australia. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  6. ^ "Rogic signs with Mariners". The Canberra Times. 4 January 2012. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  7. ^ "McClenahan added to Mariners AFC Champions League squad". Central Coast Mariners official website. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  8. ^ "Arnold maps out next assault". Central Coast Mariners FC. SBS. 15 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  9. ^ "Mariners release Perez". Central Coast Mariners FC. A-League. 23 March 2011. Archived from the original on 3 April 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  10. ^ "Sheffield United snap up Mariners starlet". Central Coast Mariners FC. A-League. 14 January 2011. Archived from the original on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  11. ^ "Chris Doig departs for Indonesia". FFA. 28 February 2011. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  12. ^ a b "Mariner Musti Bundesliga bound with BVB". Central Coast Mariners official website. 4 July 2011. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
  13. ^ "Hyundai A-League 2011/12 transfers". A-League official website. 26 August 2011. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  14. ^ Former rising star given another chance for shot at Glory Retrieved at 18 November 2011
  15. ^ "Central Coast Mariners set for financial boon with Russian consortium showing interest in takeover". Foxsports Australia. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  16. ^ "Rostyn Griffiths Off To China- Official". FourFourTwo Australia. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  17. ^ "Astute Arnold keeping cards close to his chest". Central Coast Mariners official website. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.[dead link]
  18. ^ "Official: Striker Sutton set for Central Coast". Central Coast Mariners FC. 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  19. ^ a b "Mariners Kwasnik sets sail for China". Foxsports. 21 March 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  20. ^ "Hutch Heads for the Blades". FourFourTwo Australia. 3 July 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.

External links edit