An Adam Le Fondre hat-trick has helped strengthen Sydney FC’s bid for an A-League Males finals spot in a 5-0 win over the Central Coast Mariners.
Veteran striker Le Fondre, who had solely scored 3 times this season coming into Saturday evening’s sport, rediscovered the contact which had made him one of many competitors’s most-prolific finishers throughout his time in Australia.
The Englishman was joined on the scoresheet by Anthony Caceres and Bobo because the Sky Blues moved as much as fourth spot on the desk with a convincing victory at Gosford Stadium.
The win was important for Steve Corica’s males as they put together to host fifth-placed Adelaide on Tuesday earlier than starting their Asian Champions League marketing campaign later subsequent week.
After a tense opening half an hour Sydney acquired their opening objective when fullback Rhyan Grant despatched a supply into the field.
Trent Buhagiar was offside however he held his run and strike companion Le Fondre took one contact earlier than surging deep into the Mariners field and slotting previous Mark Birighitti.
The 35-year-old had been clearly getting some stick for his seniority and ran in the direction of the Mariners supporters and mimed as if to point he was hobbling with a strolling stick.
Beni N’Kololo and Jason Cummings fired warning pictures however the Mariners got here up empty on both aspect of the break.
It was to their detriment as a result of Sydney quickly struck when Grant once more made a pleasant break down the correct and Caceres raced between Mariners centre again Dan Corridor and teed the ball previous Birighitti into the again of the online.
N’Kololo once more examined Sydney goalkeeper Tom Heward-Belle however the Mariners’ lack of ability to transform probabilities price them dearly when Buhagiar made a break on the counter within the 57th minute.
Surging down the correct Buhagiar delivered from the sting of the field and Le Fondre escaped the attentions of Corridor to hit the ball along with his first contact and ship the travelling Sydney followers into raptures.
Barely two minutes had handed when Sydney lower the Mariners open down the alternative flank and after Buhagiar and Caceres mixed Le Fondre accomplished his hat-trick from the sting of the field.
The veteran ahead was given a richly-deserved early mark by Corica with substitute Bobo scoring in added time to wrap up the rout.