Mariners star attraction Usain Bolt warms crowd but has work to do

He came, he saw and he got his 21 minutes of football fame.

Usain Bolt in action for Central Coast Mariners during a trial match at Gosford against a Central Coast select side. Picture: AFP

He came, he saw and he received his 21 minutes of football fame, but Usain Bolt appears to have a long way to go if he is going to cut it as a professional player in Australia.

Be that as it may, the people of the Central Coast voted with their feet with 9958 turning out to catch his cameo with the Mariners in a trial match against a local select side in Gosford last night.

The global superstar was never going to start the match, but there was a huge buzz of expectation as he sat on the bench patiently ­waiting his turn. The buzz turned into cheers as Bolt warmed up to get on the field in the second half and that turned into a warm ­reception as the man they all came to see made his way on the pitch in the 72nd minute.

Wearing his requested number 95 — no doubt a reference to his 100m world record (9.58 seconds) and gloves — it took just 95 seconds for his first involvement, a darting run in which he overran a pass and flung out his leg to meet a ball but couldn’t control.

The world’s fastest man started out on the left wing, but drifted closer to the centre searching for more action. There were three ­attempts at headers that he came nowhere near, and one attempt at dummying past an opponent that went wrong.

All arms and legs, he did have the crowd on their feet and roaring approval after controlling a pass, beating one player then laying off to a teammate while he also had a swipe at a shot without getting any power behind it.

Clearly, however, Bolt has a lot of work to do. His positioning, movement and touch is not what is expected of an A-League player but the club are prepared for the long haul, whether it is four weeks or six months. Having been in the country for just two weeks it would be unfair to judge him on just 18 minutes of action but I would suggest he is very long odds to cut it in the A-League.

The man himself was delighted to get on the field and remains super confident.

“It was good and what I expected,” Bolt said. “I had a bit of nerves but they went away when I got on. I wish I got more touches.”

Bolt, who came out of the tunnel with his teammates to the trumpet solo of Fanfare for the Common Man, says his fitness has improved but also admitted he needs at least another few months. “Give me four months and I will be playing like one of the guys,” he said.

For the Mariners, the game only served to strengthen their ­belief in the Bolt experiment. They were able to count the crowd at the corresponding game last season but last night they not only attracted one of their biggest crowds in several seasons but a worldwide television audience with the game shown in 60 countries.

Understandably, the Mariners’ English owner Mike Charlesworth was all smiles.