A-League Golden Boot race heats up
Thanks to a double on Saturday night, Central Coast Mariners striker Matt Simon now has the A-League’s top scorer title in his sights.
Simon has been a revelation this season and his 11 goals have helped the Mariners into fourth spot on the table but his job is about get tougher as the Mariners travel to Melbourne this weekend for a clash with the Victory and then face league leaders Adelaide United in the final round of the regular season.
He also has to overcome Wellington Phoenix star Shane Smeltz who has led the goal scorers list for almost the entire season and has a one goal advantage on Simon.
Smeltz’s Phoenix have the same opponents as the Mariners in the final two rounds so it may pave the way for the in-form Perth Glory striker Eugene Dadi or the consistent Melbourne Victory forward Danny Allsopp who sit just two off the lead to jump ahead of the leading duo.
Dadi powered home a double against the Victory on Sunday and with a game against the lowly Newcastle Jets this weekend and the fact fellow striker Nikita Rukavystya has left for trials in Holland could see plenty more delivery to the Ivorian marksman.
Allsopp’s Victory face the Mariners this weekend but have their Telstra Dome advantage in favour, a place where Allsopp loves scoring.
The final two rounds will make for an interesting battle between the top four scorers as they vie to become the A-League’s Golden Boot winner.
A-League Top Scorers List
12 Shane Smeltz (Wellington Phoenix)
11 Matt Simon (Central Coast Mariners)
10 Danny Allsopp (Melbourne Victory)
10 Eugene Dadi (Perth Glory)
9 Nikita Rukavytsya (Perth Glory)
7 Charlie Miller (Queensland Roar)
7 Cristiano (Adelaide United)
7 Joel Griffiths (Newcastle Jets)
7 Sergio van Dijk (Queensland Roar)
7 Travis Dodd (Adelaide United)
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Results & Fixtures
Matches
| Home | Away | Score | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Feb 10th | |||
| Melbourne Victory | Central Coast Mariners | 2 - 1 | 09:00 |
| Sat Feb 11th | |||
| Newcastle Jets | Melbourne Heart | 3 - 0 | 06:30 |
| Sydney | Perth Glory | 2 - 1 | 08:45 |
| Sun Feb 12th | |||
| Wellington Phoenix | Brisbane Roar | 0 - 2 | 04:00 |
| Gold Coast United | Adelaide United | 1 - 2 | 06:30 |
Tables
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Coast Mariners | 20 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 40 |
| Brisbane Roar | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 35 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 21 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 33 |
| Perth Glory | 21 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 31 |
| Newcastle Jets | 21 | 8 | 4 | 9 | -2 | 28 |
| Melbourne Heart | 21 | 7 | 6 | 8 | -1 | 27 |
| Sydney | 21 | 7 | 6 | 8 | -7 | 27 |
| Melbourne Victory | 21 | 5 | 10 | 6 | -5 | 25 |
| Adelaide United | 21 | 5 | 8 | 8 | -13 | 23 |
| Gold Coast United | 20 | 3 | 6 | 11 | -11 | 15 |
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