A true zero to hero story, Simon is now the leading scorer in the A-League with seven goals after failing to register a single effort last season.

Simon's crucial two strikes on the weekend in the Mariners' thrilling three goal comeback against Sydney FC have been the talk of the town.

And Simon says he's got more in store. "I set my goal at the start of the year of getting my first goal and I'd see what happens from there," he said after the game.

"But a couple of weeks ago I decided to set my goal of double figures and I'd be very happy to do that."

Injured Sydney FC defender Jacob Timpano watched the game from the sidelines at SFS.

He tells au.fourfourtwo.com a former Sydney fave could be the ideal mentor for the starlet. "Playing alongside Sasho Petrovski, who I know quite well, seems like he has that knack that Sash has in front of goals for popping them in.

"Matt's scored a few goals and come on in leaps and bounds. He's just got that knack of getting on the end of things.

"A lot of the boys have a lot of time for him. He's definitely one of the top strikers in the league right now."

Simon's story is one of the inspiring tales of the A-League. A Central Coast local, he first caught the eye in the 2007 Hong Kong Soccer 7s tournament where he bagged four goals for the U/21 Central Coast side, including two against Aston Villa in the final.

He also quit his job as a plasterer to train full-time with Lawrie McKinna's side with the club almost embarrassed not to be able to offer him a salary while he pursued his A-League dream.

After last season's learning curve in the A-League, a call up to the Olympics team and seven goals in this campaign shows the kid who played for Central Coast Lightning may well be one of the best ever pick ups in the league.

"I said even last season he never scored a goal but he created a lot of goals for us with his enthusiasm and hard work," said his coach Lawrie McKinna.

"And this year he came back from the Olyroos which was a big boost to his confidence and Matty then believed he could play at this level.

"Everyone knows he can play at this level."