Adam Kwasnik struck again, totally against the run of play, when he fooled the Roar defence into crowding out the box at a corner…while he stood outside the penalty area, then rattled it home from distance.

Roar had chance after chance but couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard with squandered opportunities aplenty leaving the side frustrated at the final whistle.

“We’re just a disgrace up front,” said furious midfielder Danny Tiatto after the match. “We can’t keep on missing chances like that. It’s not good enough.

“We worked hard as a team but when we aren’t even hitting the target never mind converting the chances, it’s frustrating.

"It's absolute shit the way we played tonight.”

For the Mariners, it means they are now three wins from three and guaranteed top of the table for the next two weeks, despite struggling to overcome Roar’s relentless attack.

“We worked very hard tonight,” said goal hero Kwasnik. “They came at us but we’re very happy to get three points tonight.

“I hit the target and it went through a lot of players and I’m stoked.”

Despite a history of deadlock draws between the two, Central Coast Mariners travelled to Suncorp Stadium tonight to build on their perfect start to the season, knowing Queensland Roar just can’t win at home.

Equally though, the Mariners had never beaten Roar in the A-League – and their challenge wasn’t made any easier by Dean Heffernan and Danny Vukovic being away on international duty.

Roar had Craig Moore, Danny Tiatto and Hyuk-Su Seo back in the starting line-up after suspension, but with Tiatto walking a suspension tightrope. Just one yellow in this game would see another one match ban kick in.

Mariners had the first opportunity when Sasho Petrovski threaded a ball into the box, straight into the run of Adam Kwasnik. He took on Roar ‘keeper Liam Reddy and tried to delicately chip the ball into the net, but Reddy made himself big and denied the in-form striker.

The Mariners made a confident start, quickly taking control of the game, making slick passes around the pitch in midfield, teasing Roar into giving them an opening before trying to capitalise.

But Roar fought their way back into the match and earned a couple of early corners, although a Roar appeal for handball in the box by Nigel Boogaard found no favour with officials.

By the quarter hour, Roar were dominating the game, keeping the Mariners pegged back into their own half as Marcinho and Reinaldo stepped up the pressure, driving the game into the Mariners’ final third.

Marcinho looked the greatest danger, rattling off two shots in quick succession. The first was rushed, hitting it with his first touch instead of composing himself and he pushed it embarrassingly wide.

Moments later though he found himself running at goal after a pass from Reinaldo reached him outside the box and he let loose, but sent the ball just whistling over the bar.

By now, the Mariners were simply battling for a touch of the ball. Marcinho found himself once more in possession and sped past the Central Coast backline before unleashing yet another shot on goal, but once more it failed to meet its target.

Roar almost suffered another blow when Tiatto took a crippling shoulder injury after an apparently innocuous challenge with Petrovski. The burly Mariners striker barely appeared to make any contact with the Roar midfielder, but Tiatto was doubled up in pain, clutching his shoulder.

But Tiatto managed to pop the dislocated shoulder back in by himself on the sidelines – and then made a vital clearance from a freekick just minutes after suffering the injury.

As the first half drew to a close, Roar were impressive with complex series of passes, slowly building up their attacks to tempt out the tight marking and deep defence of the Mariners.

But while it was all one way traffic as Roar set up camp in the Mariners’ end, they just couldn’t find the back of the net.

At the other end, Roar’s defence kept an efficient backline which lured the Mariners into their offside trap and effectively kept them at a safe distance from the Queensland goal for most of the first half.

The visitors still managed to find a way through though. Petrovski created a chance when he found Gumprecht out on the wing, who played it into space for John Hutchinson.

He tried to drill it in from long-range, but once again it missed the target. Gumprecht tried his luck moments later from within the box but the finish was poor.

Roar came close to ending the stalemate when Matty McKay got into the box and pushed a tantalising ball into the six yard area with the Mariners back-up ‘keeper Matthew Trott beaten. It just needed a touch from Simon Lynch, but he was just off the pace to reach it and put it away.

With injury time running out, just before the whistle, Roar were almost gifted a goal when Trott tried clear his lines but the kick was charged down by Reinaldo. Luckily for the visitors, the rebound spun harmlessly over the touchline.

In the second half, Roar came out looking for goals, pushing hard at the Mariners to see if they would crack.

Their third corner of the match gave them an early opportunity when Simon Lynch found himself in the area with the ball at his feet but couldn’t send it home. Moments later another burst into the Mariners box had Roar appealing for a penalty but referee Mark Shield backed the ugly challenge.

It really was a Roar onslaught though and Hyuk-Su unleashed a screamer, bang on target which was spilled by the Mariners keeper but just slipped past the post to spare his blushes.

The Roar attack was relentless in the opening minutes of the second half as they edged closer and closer to getting their opener. Reinaldo tried another shot, this time at close range, but it was safely gathered by Trott.

It seemed like only a matter of time until Roar got their reward...but it was Mariners who scored, completely against the run of play in the 55th minute.

A rare Mariners corner from Damien Brown found Kwasnik by himself well outside the box and he unleashed a low shot that threaded its way through the crowded penalty area, beating everyone until it rippled the back of the net.

With their confidence renewed by the 1-0 lead – and Roar shell-shocked – Mariners suddenly found themselves in the driving seat and a frustrated Roar began giving away needless freekicks.

Roar still had chances though - Massimo Murdocca slipped a ball through to Marcinho in the box, who went past three defenders and looked certain to score but contrived to be confounded yet again.

Mariners had their tails up though and began to look like the dangerous side they have in their previous two outings. At one stage they had forwards falling over themselves as they queued up to shoot.

Roar regrouped with Marcinho taken off and Mitch Nicholls brought on after 66 minutes as they looked for an equaliser. He was immediately in the action with a speedy run down the left wing before turning it back for Murdocca but the shot came to nothing.

Ante Milicic also joined the action at Simon Lynch’s expense just as Josh McCloughan twisted and turned in the box before his shot was blocked in the box as the Mariners once again denied Roar.

Roar were renewed with the two substitutions and they turned the screw on the Mariners. A series of superb crosses floated into the Mariners box from both wings but Reinaldo just couldn’t find the height to connect.

Milicic had the ball at his feet after Reinaldo missed another header but the shot was saved well by Trott. Seconds later he pulled off another great save when Reinaldo finally connected with another cross and looked to have done enough but Trott made a superb diving one-handed save to knock it clear in mid-air.

Roar were all over the Central Coast but the Mariners' defence, led superbly by Tony Vidmar, and Trott’s growing confidence continued to keep them at bay. They made one final change with Hyuk-Su relieved, swapped for Michael Zullo.

Petrovski was sacrificed to bring on Matt Simon for the Mariners, Nik Mrdja having gone off earlier, as the Central Coast focussed on protecting their lead.

The Roar pressure was intense, and the Mariners’ deep defending led to some frantic scenes in their own penalty area, but Trott was always up to the saves that were asked of him.

Queensland played some beautiful football, playing the ball well out of defence and through midfield before setting up their strikers, but a late attempt by Reinaldo exposed the side’s shortcomings.

Through on goal with time and space, he unleashed his shot..but it was woefully off target. They desperately need a reliable striker that can score them their matchwinners.

Or in this case, even an equaliser would have done. The boos of the Roar fans at the final whistle told their own story.

FourFourTwo Says:
Mariners didn’t deserve to win this – Roar dominated the game almost entirely from the fifth minute onwards. But their South American strikers just ain’t bringing home the samba for the side – and until they have a striker who can, they will continue to struggle. Mariners won because they have three brilliant strikers who will make the most of the slightest opportunity. Roar don’t. It makes for an exciting, if frustrating, game – but must be soul-destroying if you were one of the 8,814 Roar fans who turned out on a wet Thursday night wanting to see their side win at home.