CENTRAL COAST CAN'T BACK IT UP

It has been donkey's years since the Mariners last backed up a cleansheet at home and in front of a sparse but passionately joyous home crowd, it would have been a pleasure to see them do so in style against United.

After a half-time spraying from Gertjan Verbeek (hope nothing was caught in that moustache) Ben Halloran was having none of that sentimentality, however.

Still, it remains a testament to Alen Stajcic's coaching ability that they could identify those lapses in concentration and fragile mental moments that led to their dispiriting 3-1 loss to the Reds at Hindmarsh, and turn it around in just a few weeks.

Sort of.

The problem is, no matter how good they are in periods, they seem equally capable of letting everything slip the next. But personally, we believe they are still getting better.

Stajcic's team were ruthlessly attacking, utilising Danny De Silva with momentous precision as the attacking midfielder drifted out wide and linked up his teammates - whether they be natural goalscorers like Milan Duric or fullbacks-cum-wingers like Lewis Miller - to devastating effect.

"We've had a really good week and training and we just want to finish this game off and make sure everyone has a great Christmas," an elated Jordan Murray said at half-time

"There have been lapses in concentration that we need to work on but we're feeling really good, we just need to focus."

It's that focus - the lack of capitulation - that's made all the difference for the Mariners in their wins this season. We can all remember the days of Mike Mulvey, when the Mariners would lose time and time again after going in front.

Those days seem to be slowly disappearing...in the same way that those Gosford fans are slowly trickling back through the gates.

1050 DAYS...FEELS LIKE YESTERDAY

The Mariners broke a whole suite of records this game, showing just how important wins like these really are for the club. The club's own reaction basically says it all...

Adelaide on the other hand have consistency issues of their own. It was troubling to see the lack of attacking options a club of this relative stature had on the bench.

With Al Hassan Toure missing in action for most of this game and James Troisi having a stinker, what was Gertjan Verbeek really to do? Sit and hope?

We now enter a really interesting situation where we're faced with one of the most even A-League tables in recent memory. Ninth place just convincingly beat fifth, with equal last-placers Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar both still just four points off finals.

If you thought adding more teams was going to reduce the ability of a top-six finals series seeming easily achieved, think again.

The more teams, the more chances for this salary cap league to throw up upsets, pure and simple.

IS DURIC 'THE CLEANEST STRIKER SINCE MARINKOVIC'?

We have to admit, Simon Hill rarely gets it wrong and he's pretty much bang on here. The Perth maestro was a legendary ball striker and the comparisons between he and Duric - who has been a revelation on the Coast - are well-founded.

His goal was truly was textbook stuff. The way he effortlessly faked out Nikola Mileusnic - not an easy thing to do against the pacey winger - to earn himself acres of space was the first magic trick.

It's the subtle things they don't teach you in school that make all the difference.

Then note the way he plants his feet early. In the lead up to the strike his body begins to progress through the motions nearly two seconds before he actually makes contact with the ball.

His arms swing wide venemously, almost willing the striker forward, before he lets rip. He's not head over the ball, in fact he leans his body back as he strikes. But it makes no difference because the perfect placement of foot on ball drives the shot directly into the target.

Who are your votes for the cleanest A-League ball striker of all time? Let us know in the Facebook comments.