F3 Derby

The F3 Derby is a football (soccer) rivalry between Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets. It is the longest standing derby in the A-League. The rivalry originated due to the team's relative geographical proximity, with the Mariners located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, the Jets in Newcastle, immediately to the north. The two clubs were also the only two clubs from outside capital cities in the inaugural A-League seasons, which contributed to the rivalry.

The teams first met in the Australian qualifying tournament for the 2005 OFC Club Championship, in what was the Mariners' first ever competitive game (the Jets having formed five years prior). Both sides have played in all eleven seasons of the A-League, and the teams also met on occasion in the now-defunct A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup. The rivalry was particularly strong in the 2007–08 A-League, where the teams occupied the top two positions in both the A-League regular season and its finals series. The teams have played a total of 37 times in league and cup matches since 2005, of which Central Coast have won thirteen, Newcastle nine and thirteen have been drawn.

The derby is named after the former name of the Pacific Motorway, which connects the two clubs. The name has been retained despite the Motorway now being officially known as the M1.

History of the rivalry

Early meetings

In November 2004, the clubs to participate in the newly formed A-League competition were announced by Football Federation Australia. They included former National Soccer League club Newcastle Jets (previously known as Newcastle United) and Central Coast Mariners !Central Coast Mariners, the only regional club included in the new tournament.^[1]

The teams first met in a qualification match for the 2005 OFC Club Championship. The Mariners won the match in a penalty shootout, after the game finished scoreless.^[2] The rivalry quickly became heated when the Mariners' Nik Mrdja broke Newcastle defender Andrew Durante's leg in a tackle late in the match.^[3]

Top of the league: 2007–08

In the 2007–08 A-League, both teams had very strong seasons. The Mariners won their first A-League Premiership on goal difference from the Jets after winning on the final weekend of the competition.^[4] As a result, the Mariners were drawn against the Jets in the major semi-final – the winner over two legs to progress to the 2008 A-League Grand Final, the loser to play in the preliminary final in order to qualify for the Grand Final. In the first match, goals from Adam and Joel Griffiths gave the Jets a two-goal lead, the Mariners held scoreless after a missed penalty from striker John Aloisi.^[5] However, the Mariners turned the tie around in the second leg, winning 3–0 in extra time led by two goals from Sasho Petrovski to qualify for the Grand Final.^[6] Nonetheless, Newcastle qualified for the Final a week later, beating Adelaide United !Adelaide United to ensure that the 2008 A-League Grand Final would be an F3 derby.^[7]

The 2008 A-League Grand Final was held at the Sydney Football Stadium, despite the Mariners having earned the right to host the game, due to the ground's higher seating capacity than Central Coast Stadium.^[8] The Jets took the lead midway through the second half, with Mark Bridge scoring after capitalising on an error from Mariners defender Tony Vidmar, playing his final game before retirement. There was significant controversy with only minutes remaining when Newcastle midfielder James Holland made contact with his arm on the ball in his own penalty area. Despite appeals from Mariners players, referee Mark Shield did not award a penalty kick and Newcastle held on to win the match, winning their first A-League Championship.^[9] In the aftermath of this decision, Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic struck Shield on the arm, and was shown a red card for his actions. He was subsequently suspended for multiple months, and, despite an initially successful appeal, not permitted to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[10] The attendance of 36,354 remains the Mariners highest home crowd of all time.^[11]

In 2013, the F3 was renamed as the M1, however, the derby is still officially referred to as the F3 derby.^[12]

Records and statistics

As of 30 September 2015

By competition

This table only includes competitive first-team games, excluding all pre-season games and friendlies.

Full list of results

Score lists home team first.^[13][14]

Statistics

Matt Simon scored a record seven goals in F3 derbies

Firsts

• First ever meeting: Central Coast Mariners 0–0 Newcastle Jets (Mariners win in a penalty shootout; Oceania Club Championship qualification, 7 May 2005)
• First league meeting: Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Newcastle Jets (A-League, 4 September 2005)
• First finals meeting: Newcastle Jets 0–1 Central Coast Mariners (A-League finals series, 10 February 2006)
• First away victory for Central Coast Mariners: Newcastle Jets 0–1 Central Coast Mariners (A-League finals series, 10 February 2006)
• First away victory for Newcastle Jets: Central Coast Mariners 0–1 Newcastle Jets (A-League, 12 January 2008)

Results

• Highest-scoring game: 5 goals
  • Central Coast Mariners 4–1 Newcastle Jets (A-League, 31 December 2005)
• Largest winning margin (Central Coast Mariners): 3 goals (four times)
  • Central Coast Mariners 4–1 Newcastle Jets (A-League, 31 December 2005)
  • Central Coast Mariners 3–0 Newcastle Jets (A-League finals series, 10 February 2008)
  • Central Coast Mariners 3–0 Newcastle Jets (A-League, 8 February 2010)
  • Central Coast Mariners 3–0 Newcastle Jets (A-League, 25 January 2014)
• Largest winning margin (Newcastle Jets): 2 goals (twice)
  • Newcastle Jets 3–1 Central Coast Mariners (A-League, 12 November 2006)
  • Newcastle Jets 2–0 Central Coast Mariners (A-League finals series, 27 January 2008)

Trends

• Most consecutive wins (Central Coast Mariners): 3, 25 January 2014 – 11 October 2014
• Most consecutive wins (Newcastle Jets): 2 (twice), 12 November 2006 – 5 January 2007; 12 January 2008 to 27 January 2008
• Longest undefeated run (Central Coast Mariners): 9 (four wins, five draws), 8 December 2012 – present
• Longest undefeated run (Newcastle Jets): 7 (four wins, three draws), 23 September 2006 – 27 January 2008
• Most consecutive draws: 3, 30 November 2014 – present
• Most consecutive games without a draw: 4 (twice), 12 January 2008 – 24 February 2008; 16 January 2011 – 10 December 2011
• Most games played against each other in a season: 6 (twice), 2005–06, 2007–08
• Record highest attendance: 36,354. 24 February 2008, Sydney Football Stadium. Central Coast Mariners 0–1 Newcastle Jets
• Record lowest attendance: 5,842. 8 February 2010, Central Coast Stadium. Central Coast Mariners 3–0 Newcastle Jets
• Record appearance-maker: John Hutchinson (31), Central Coast Mariners. Played his first on 7 May 2005 and his thirty-first on 30 November 2014.
• Record goal scorer: Matt Simon (7), Central Coast Mariners. Scored his first on 15 August 2008 and his seventh on 25 January 2014.

Crossing the divide

Managers and coaches

No manager has managed both clubs, however, there have been some staff members to be involved with both clubs. Wayne O'Sullivan played for Central Coast from 2005 to 2007.^[15] In 2009, O'Sullivan became coach of Newcastle's women's team.^[16] In 2014, he returned to the Mariners as an assistant to head coach Phil Moss.^[17] Damien Brown played for Newcastle in the National Soccer League before playing for the Mariners and later moving into an off-field role.^[18] Jess Vanstrattan played for the Mariners before becoming goalkeeping coach at the Central Coast Mariners Academy, later joining the Jets in 2015 as a goalkeeping coach and occasional reserve goalkeeper.^[19]

Players

Players who have played for both teams:

See also

• List of association football club rivalries by country
• Sports rivalry
• Nationalism and sport

References