Victory over Adelaide United was enough to give Lawrie McKinna’s side a three-point lead over second-placed Queensland Roar and all but rubber stamp a place in the finals series.

Aloisi was perfectly placed to sweep in Andrew Clark’s cross from the right on 23 minutes. Sasho Petrovski doubled the advantage in the opening four minutes of the second half before Paul Agostino sparked hope of a home revival with a superb looping header.

His antics did little to endear him to the bulk of the Adelaide crowd but all the boos and jeers directed towards him weren’t enough to wipe the smile off his face.

Speaking at the final whistle he said: “Adelaide are a good side but I thought we played well tonight. We should have scored a few more, I probably could have scored a couple more. I enjoyed it, in front of family and friends. I was happy to score but mainly happy because we won.

“In the last five or six games we haven’t played that well. I thought this was one of our better games and we can keep on improving. We’re hoping we can improve five or 10 per cent every game, come finals time we’ll be ready to go.”

Adelaide made three changes for the clash with injury ruling out striker Nathan Burns and midfielder Diego. Dez Giraldi dropped to the bench. Jonas Salley, Kristian Sarkies and Isyan Erdogan were all handed starts by Aurelio Vidmar.

The visitors also made three changes with Lawrie McKinna bringing back Tom Pondeljak, John Hutchinson and Sasho Petrovski after a cocktail of injury and suspension. Adam Kwasnik, Damien Brown and Matt Simon were the men to make way.

There was a nervy start for the Adelaide defence with John Aloisi pouncing on a defensive error in the second minute. He lofted a cross to the back post having rounded Eugene Galekovic but the Reds were able to clear.

The Mariners earned a free-kick on seven following a foul by Salley but Hutchinson put too much meat on his delivery and the ball drifted out for a goal kick.

A terrific through ball by Richie Alagich put Travis Dodd in through the right channel moments later at the other end with the club’s vice-skipper earning his team a corner. The set piece itself was far less impressive than the move that earned it, coming to nothing.

Lucas Pantelis was perfectly placed inside the area to meet Cassio’s cross from the left on 16 minutes but produced a woeful air shot and the Central Coast defence was able to clear. Play switched to the other end but the visitors could not find a way through a wall of red shirts, a Sasho Petrovski shot comfortably blocked.

Andrew Clark’s 50th Hyundai A-League appearance took a sour turn on 18 when he became the first player to be booked for a poor challenge on Pantelis. The victim got to his feet and thumped an effort wide of the left post a couple of minutes later. As the 20 minute mark passed the game had really to spring into life with neither team really taking a grip of proceedings.

The game needed a goal and it arrived right on cue. The visitors took the lead on 23 courtesy of Adelaide boy John Aloisi. Cassio lost the ball and Clark whipped over a terrific ball from the right towards the back post. Aloisi was perfectly placed to fire past Galekovic under pressure from Robbie Cornthwaite.

Alagich should have levelled matters on the half hour. Cassio’s cross from the left was nodded down by Travis Dodd but the United right-back dragged his shot well wide of the right post.

Aloisi wriggled clear again on 32, Clark the provider once again, but the experienced striker’s right-footed effort was disappointing in the extreme as he got the better of Tomi Milardovic.

Paul Agostino picked up his first caution of the campaign for a poor challenge on former Socceroo teammate Tony Vidmar as the home side battled to find a way back into the contest.

After a quiet start the contest was really starting to spark into life with both teams showing good attacking intent, albeit the visitors having the better of things and showing a little more composure.

Aloisi was guilty of squandering a wonderful chance through greed on 43. As he burst clear of the United defence all he needed to do was square the ball to his left to hand Owens a simple tap-in. Much to his colleagues’ frustration he instead went for glory and ended up slashing a shot wide of the right post.

Pondeljak then tried his luck 60 seconds later and shaved the paint off the crossbar as the ball whistled past Galekovic.

Aloisi then tried his luck with a 20 metre free-kick after a foul on former Adelaide midfielder Greg Owens. The shot clipped the wall and rolled out for a corner that duly came to nothing.

As the rain sheeted down the referee’s whistle brought proceedings to a halt as the teams trooped off under the gaze of new Socceroo coach Pim Verbeek.

Hutchinson saw a powerful strike deflected off target two minutes into the second period, teed up superbly by Petrovski. Aloisi then turned sharply in the area to earn his side another corner. From the resulting delivery Aloisi flicked on Pondeljak’s corner, the ball was scuffed half clear but only to Petrovski who gratefully gobbled up the chance from close range.

Pantelis should have halved the deficit on 50 but dragged a decent opportunity wide of the left post with his weaker foot. The Mariners broke quickly with Galekovic having to get down smartly to gather a shot from Mile Jedinak.

Sarkies was desperately unlucky on 53 as his long range screamer thudded back off the left post with Agostino’s follow up header tipped over by Vukovic – a raid that lifted a home crowd which had earlier been stunned into near silence.

Owens fired wide with an overly ambitious effort on 56 while Aloisi was smartly closed down in the area by Erdogan as he attempted to get another shot away inside the area.

Vidmar turned to Olyroo striker Bruce Djite on 58 with Salley the man to make way as United probed for a way back into the match.

Djite was welcomed to the contest by Dean Heffernan moments later, the Mariners’ defender earning a booking for his challenge.

Milardovic headed into the side-netting following a United corner floated in from the left but still Vukovic had to dirty his gloves with more than an hour of the game played.

Heffernan crashed well wide of the left post having been teed up by Owens on 64 just moments before the home team made a second change, Milardovic making way for Shaun Ontong.

Petrovski should have made it 3-0 on 65 but couldn’t force the ball beyond Galekovic from close range, the home keeper stretching out his right arm to block. Credit to the keeper but Petrovski really should have buried both the chance and Adelaide United.

Petrovski was in the thick of it again moments later, fending off two United defenders and crossing into the area from the right byline. Aloisi chose to connect with a spectacular overhead kick but got his angles horribly wrong and the ball rolled out for a goal kick.

Aloisi missed a sitter on 70, sliding Heffernan’s cross wide of the left post just moments before Adelaide hauled themselves back into the contest. Agostino rose to meet Cassio’s cross from the left and his header looped over Vukovic to make it 2-1, the United captain’s fourth goal in three games.

All of a sudden the home side and the home fans found fresh hope after grabbing a lifeline. Mariners substitute Adam Kwasnik crashed an effort wide as tempers began to fray with Hutchinson and Vidmar booked in quick succession.

Sarkies rifled wide of the right post from the edge of the area on 77 while Kwasnik was well placed to clear a menacing cross from Djite. All of a sudden the previously rock-solid Mariners defence, in which skipper Alex Wilkinson and right-back Clark had sparkled, suddenly found itself under the cosh.

Dodd got an excellent connection to a Sarkies corner from the right on 80 minutes but couldn’t steer his header past Vukovic.

Petrovski was booked for diving moments later although he protested his innocence to the referee as he tried to push clear of the home defence.

Dodd then spurned a glorious chance, planting a free header high and wide after a ball in from the right.

Agostino should have done better on 83 having been picked out by Dodd while United substitute Dez Giraldi bizarrely ran on to the pitch to return a ball that hadn’t actually gone out of play.

Giraldi was then thrown into the fray at the expense of Pantelis as an increasingly absorbing contest moved into its final two minutes.

Three minutes of stoppage time wasn’t enough for United to find an equaliser as the league leaders secured a fifth away win of the campaign.

FourFourTwo says... Paul Agostino's header set up a tense finish at Hindmarsh but really the Mariners should have been well out of sight by that stage. John Aloisi was delighted with his goal but should have had at least a hat-trick and was guilty of selfishness on a couple of occasions. Adelaide for the most part was very disappointing and Vidmar has some work to do before the club can start to plot its finals campaign.