The Western NSW Mariners men's quest to avoid relegation from National Premier Leagues 3 to NSW State League has become a lot harder after they suffered a 5-1 home defeat to Inter Lions on Saturday.
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Now at the halfway mark in the NPL3 home and away season, Mariners sit at rock bottom in 14th, three points behind Parramatta FC and Granville Rage and nine points off safety from relegation.
Mariners were trailing 2-0 at half-time in Saturday's game at Proctor Park and conceded a goal just after the break from the spot before James Christie pulled one back, but two late goals from Inter handed Mariners the loss.
It wasn't until right at the end they scored two mores goals, which was quite disappointing. 3-1 might've been a fair scoreline.
- Mariners men's coach Mark Rooke
Coach Mark Rooke said the first half performance was well below par.
"We weren't on the same page, [Inter] were far better in the first half," he said.
"I thought we set up well and they warmed up well and went out with some good intensity, but they were far more intense then we were.
"We had a few chances in that first half but we weren't good enough, with or without the ball, which was disappointing.
He said while the second half showed more intent, conceding a penalty just two minutes after the break "set us back", but after the game was all but decided the side settled in.
"We created four or five really good chances but we were just wasteful, which was really disappointing," Rooke said.
I thought we set up well and they warmed up well and went out with some good intensity, but they were far more intense then we were.
- Mariners men's coach Mark Rooke
"It could've sent us back to 3-all but we didn't take those chances.
"It wasn't until right at the end they scored two mores goals, which was quite disappointing. 3-1 might've been a fair scoreline.
"Once again, we played well during a period of the match, but we didn't play for 90 minutes."
Due to a restructure in Football NSW's pyramid, the bottom five teams in NPL 3 - currently Camden Tigers, Hawkesbury City, Parramatta FC, Granville Rage and the Mariners - will be relegated to NSW State League.
The women's Mariners also failed to get the win, but got much closer than their men counterparts.
A goal from University of NSW FC captain Hayley Marshall was the difference, as the Mariners lost 1-0 to their Sydney rivals at Mudgee's Glen Willow in NSW NPL 2.
However, the women's side are enjoying a far better season than their male counterparts in NPL3, as they sit in eighth spot from 12 teams.
They've managed three wins from 13 games in 2019, as well as three draws for a total of 12 points.
Both sides have a week off due to the long weekend before taking for the field at Jack Brabham Park on June 8 and 9.
The men play SD Raiders at 3pm on the Saturday, while the women take on Sutherland Shire FA at 1.05pm on the Sunday.
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