Western Sydney Wanderers 0-5 Central Coast Mariners

In the result of the Y-League’s third round, Head Coach Nick Montgomery’s Mariners marched into Marconi Stadium and put five past a highly rated Wanderers set up and flipped Conference B’s prognosis on its head.

It was former Goulburn Valley Suns flyer Alou Kuol who set the tone for the visitors, the youngster continuing his rapid adjustment to life in an A-League setup as he netted twice in the first half to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead heading into the dressing rooms.

The Golden Boot winner in Victoria’s NPL2 in 2019, the raw talent that Kuol possessed was never in question heading into 2019/20 – the only question mark whether he could adjust to life away from Victoria and the tactical demands of playing an A-League setup.  

Early signs, though, seem to indicate that the Mariners have got themselves a gem.

Young Socceroo Dylan Ruiz-Diaz added a third goal for the Mariners in the 57th minute of the contest, before Harry McCarthy made it 4-0 in the 74th and Michael Katsoulis added a cherry on the sundae in the 93rd minute.

Though times may have been tough in Gosford in recent seasons, history demonstrates that the Mariners do have an ability to pump out junior talent with the best of them and, having finished the 2018/19 Y-League season with a wet sail, the current crop assembled under Montgomery are quickly proving themselves as a group to watch.

Newcastle Jets 6-1 Canberra United

Newcastle recorded their first win of the season in thumping fashion in Sunday’s other contest, pantsing Canberra United 6-1 at the No.2 Sportsground.

Played through by Pat Langlois, Blake Archbold ensured his side got off to a perfect start when he fired home in just the fourth minute of play before Sam Donnellan made it 2-0 from the spot just four minutes later.  

Kosta Petratos turned in a Cole Mutton cross in the 23rd minute to make it 3-0 to the hosts but Nikola Ujdur fired back for Canberra in the 27th minute to reduce the deficit back to two.

But a second Jets penalty – this time converted by Petratos – restored the three-goal lead in the 37th minute.

Langlois made it 5-1 in the 53rd minute before Jack Simmons added an exclamation point to the victory when he fired home in the 92nd minute to make it a half-dozen for the side from the Hunter.