Mitchell was full of praise for his troops, especially experienced defenders Andy Todd and Chris Coyne, after a scoreless draw against an in-form Central Coast Mariners at Bluetongue Stadium.

The Mariners went into the match desperate to continue their outstanding form in front of goals, but struggled to break down Perth's strong defence.

Mitchell said it was vital his team backed up with another strong performance after downing Sydney last week.

"The way they've been playing to come to their ground and get a result is a good effort," Mitchell said.

"Andy and Chris were fantastic for us, I'm very happy."

Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna had high hopes for his team after it won its previous two matches in style.

He was disappointed his team could not score on its long-awaited return to Gosford but not too concerned about the result.

"It was probably a fair result," he said.

"We were a bit flat and they edged us on clear-cut chances."

"They're a good team, people need to give them credit."

"They beat Sydney 2-0 last week and they were at full strength."

Mariners captain Alex Wilkinson said: "We didn't create too much, it was a reasonable draw."