The Mariners fairy tale has grown by another epic chapter, adding an Arabian night that Australian football will never forget.
A single goal from Alou Kuol was enough for the Central Coast to win the AFC Cup by defeating Al Ahed in Oman, becoming just the second Australian side to lift continental silverware and the first in almost a decade.
Coming five days after they lifted the A-League Premiers’ Plate, the victory secured the second part of a seemingly impossible treble. Only the A-League Championship remains, and few would bet against Mark Jackson’s side after this remarkable triumph.
At the end of an Asian voyage traversing six countries since this campaign began in September, the A-League’s smallest club will be the beneficiary of $2.3m in prize money and memories to last a lifetime. No wonder Jackson admitted to being “gobsmacked” afterwards.
In front of a clutch of travelling Mariners fans that fittingly included inaugural head coach Lawrie McKinna, Central Coast ultimately made light of what was their 40th game of the season and a 17-hour flight to Oman. They even won the Fair Play Award too, just proving that sometimes nice guys do come first.
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