The title will go to runaway leaders Sydney with four rounds to play if Perth Glory can defeat Melbourne Victory on the road Saturday.

Sydney continued their winning ways against the Mariners despite looking well short of their best in the second half.

An early goal to Filip Holosko off a brilliant Michael Zullo cross (8') decided the contest as the Sky Blues sealed a record 13th clean sheet of the season.

Kwabena Appiah looked lively for the Mariners down the left and Roy O'Donovan missed a golden opportunity to equalise, sending his header wide (43'). 

Mariners goalkeeper Ivan Necevski also pulled off multiple sharp saves to keep the visitors in the contest.

Coming up against his former side, Necevski denied Bernie Ibini from the penalty spot (75') while he needed to dive full stretch to turn a Brandon O’Neill free-kick around the post.

The Sky Blues jumped out of the box in the opening match of a split Round 23 with Jordy Buijs firing an early warning shot when he blazed over the bar. 

Fellow defender Rhyan Grant mishit a chance to double his side’s lead before the break, while substitute Ibini also stuck the crossbar (78') following his penalty miss.

The Mariners were not without some chances of their own with Fabio Ferreira and Roy O’Donovan both spurning free headers in the first-half, but they struggled to find a route to goal after the interval.

The result sees the Sky Blues complete a season sweep of the Central Coast and move 14 points clear at the top of the table.

Meanwhile the Mariners remain in 9th spot and five points off the play-offs, their hopes of playing finals football all but extinguished.

GOALS

1-0 Sydney FC: Filip Holosko, 8’

Some crisp passing from the Sky Blues gave Michael Zullo the chance to whip in a dangerous cross to the back post, where Holosko charged onto the ball and volleyed home from the six yard line.