Western Sydney Wanderers make more than one statement in win over Central Coast Mariners

While Western Sydney coach Markus Babbel made a fashion statement in the dugout, his players were making a statement of their own on the pitch in a comprehensive win over Central Coast.

Tempers boil over between Wanderers and Mariners players. Picture: Getty Images

Sometimes a team just needs a bit of pizzazz to help light the fire. A pair of stripy socks. A thumping strike. A nice team goal.

Creative Exhibit A was in the dugout, where a pink blazer and beige chino-clad Markus Babbel had spruced up for a crunch clash set to either relieve the pressure on his stuttering Western Sydney or heap on a mountain more.

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But it wasn’t the coach’s sartorial expression that got the job done against Central Coast on Friday night, rather Keanu Baccus’ maiden A-League goal, a peach from distance that kick-started a comprehensive 2-0 win that will surely reinstil some of the side’s recently misplaced confidence.

Jaushua Sotirio sealed the victory in the second half, finishing a lovely collective effort involving Oriol Riera, Alex Baumjohann and Bruce Kamau.

And so it was with renewed fight that the Wanderers responded to last week’s harrowing 4-0 defeat at the hands of reigning champions Melbourne Victory and, at least temporarily, now find themselves in the top six.

“That was what I was looking for,” Babbel said.

“I said to the players during the week, ‘you can fall down, but stand up’.

“For me today, outstanding, it was top. Everyone gave everything. The good luck comes on your side because you deserve it.”

Jaushua Sotirio celebrates with teammates after scoring the Wanderers’ second goal. Picture: AAP

The Mariners did not embarrass themselves in the sometimes-feisty contest featuring five yellow cards.

Still, Mike Mulvey acknowledged his cellar dwellers “need to address our deficiencies”, though he was clearly unhappy referee Jarred Gillett had allowed first-half stoppage-time to continue long enough for the Wanderers’ opening goal.

Already carrying the club’s poorest start in A-League history, one more loss – away to Wellington – will leave the Gosford minnows as the only side since the competition’s inception to finish eight rounds with only two points.

And while there were some signs of encouragement they lacked the penetration of their hosts in the absence of injured duo Tommy Oar and Ross McCormack, whose knee injury will now sideline him for up to five weeks.

They should have done better in the opening passages when Michael McGlinchey’s point-blank shot sailed straight into Janjetovic’s bread basket.

Central Coast’s Aiden O'Neill is shown a yellow card after fouling Jordan ODoherty. Picture: Getty Images

But Sotirio, in his first start since the Sydney derby in Round 2, came closest early and there were a matter of centimetres between the far post and his marginally wide shot.

Likewise Riera might have had a brace had he connected with a Sotirio cross and not put a subsequent header over the bar, though the Spanish striker had a taller centre-back to contend with in Kalifa Cisse.

Déjà vu threatened as an errant final ball curtailed chance after chance, and the Wanderers got out of jail just before the break when Josh Risdon coughed up possession but a Mariners counter-attack bore no fruit.

Right on the stroke of halftime Baumjohann, the bearer of some genuinely magical passing, clipped in a corner.

The German playmaker snapped up the leftovers and slid the ball back to Kamau.

Once he’d fed to Baccus the ball was clearly going nowhere but the bottom corner of the net, so confident was the settling touch and follow through to mark the 20-year-old’s 24th A-League appearance.

Kamau was again involved in the second goal, firing from distance following a one-two between Riera and Baumjohann that fell to the feet of Sotirio.