You’re still going to apply the baguette to our peach.
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I don’t think there will be that much rotation for this game. More likely Jackson will rest a few in the AFC Cup game, which should be a pretty comfortable win at home.
Meanwhile, our back four could well be either JCP-Matthews-JGR-Grant or King-JCP-JGR-Grant. I’d be licking my lips if I was Central Coast.
I’m already shitting my pants at the thought of Torres, Theoharous and co running through our midfield and straight at either of those back 4’s.
We’ll go 1-0 up in the first 20 minutes.
We’ll hold on until about the 70th minute, then Brattan will get sent off after contesting a header, missing the ball and headbutting the Mariners player. The resulting free kick will see a mad scramble in the box, before the ball being cleared. There will be claims of handball against JGW, who is on a yellow card.
The referee will make a big show and dance about going and looking at the VAR monitor. 3 and a half hours, and 3,768 views from 3 different angles later, the referee has made up his mind, and awards a penalty because the ball ever so slightly brushed the back of the hand of JGW. So slight did it brush, it would have been difficult to have picked up on snicko in cricket. The referee awards a second yellow card to JGW. We go down to 9.
As the VAR and referee spent 3 and a half hours debating over the handball, all the fans have packed up and gone home. Daniel McBreen has fallen asleep in the commentators chair, and is mumbling in his sleep about it being typical of Mariners, “fucking shit!”. Teo Pellizzari has lost interest in the match, and has gone down a Wikipedia rabbit-hole, researching Palm Trees and interesting facts about Gosford, and the Central Coast region.
Torres will step up for the penalty, and Redmayne will begin his Wiggles routine, a hop skip and a jump here there, a barrel roll along the line there. The referee awards Redmayne a yellow card for his antics. Torres takes the shot, but he skies the ball so high, it bursts through the palm trees and out of the stadium onto Central Coast Highway, where it causes a 3-car accident.
Redmayne celebrates by doing a hot-potato celebration. However the linesman calls over the referee and informs him he believes there was encroachment by Redmayne. The referee consults with the VAR, and it’s back to the monitor for review. A further 2 hours later and the VAR and referee agree that Redmayne has encroached off his line by a mere blade of unpainted grass. In fact, the blade of grass in question actually has a tiny, miniscule speck of paint, invisible to the naked eye, except for the VAR’s exceptional super zoom.
Redmayne uses some choice words towards the referee, which earn him his second yellow card.
Daniel McBreen falls off his commentator’s chair, and grunts loudly, rolls over on the studio floor and continues snoring.
A barely awake Ufuk Talay fails to rouse Adam Pavlesic whose fallen asleep next to Jack Rodwell who was going to make a surprise inclusion in the game, however has been ruled out indefinitely once more after he failed to negotiate the steps on the tean bus, and has actually broken his leg , so he calls upon Rhyan Grant to take the gloves.
Torres steps up again to take the free kick, but by this point it’s almost 3am in the morning. He’s so tired all he can do is muster this weak dribble along the ground. Grant saves, and boots the ball so far up field to in the hope Fabio is awake enough to run on to it, however a strong breeze coming off Brisbane Water picks the ball up and floats it back towards the goal. Grant flaps desperately but the ball cross the line, even Robbie Slater agrees it’s a goal, however the ground staff removed the nets hours previously and they’ve packed them away and gone home. The ball can’t be located as the lights have also been turned off hours ago, and nobody can find a ballboy, because their parents took them all home hours ago as well.
The match is abandoned, with Sydney FC winning 1-0, and down to 8 men.
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I tip my hat to your narrative skills, better than they taught in my creative writing degree.
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Look forward to catching the end after stumbling back out of Central Coast Leagues.
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Redmayne will get sent off this game with a handball outside of the box, Ryan Grant will step up in goals for the remaining 30min of the game
At least there will be no rushing to the station for the last train home.
Plenty of time for a early morning amble for the first train to Central
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3:16am train out of Gosford Sunday morning so that 3:00am game time finish is just perfect.
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Central Coast awaaaaaay! 
Don’t forget the supplies
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Any tips for parking in Gosford? Is there street parking available?
You should be sweet to use this car park.
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I normally park on the western side of the train station. A bit of a hilly walk, but can find a spot within 10 mins walk normally.
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Railway carpark on the western side of the station. Free on weekends.
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Gosford away being essentially cancelled for The Cove last season has really brought the energy this year.
