Perth Glory have surged up the A-League Men ladder with a commanding 3-0 victory over Central Coast Mariners at HBF Park on Saturday, January 10, 2026. The match will be remembered for a moment of pure magic from Welsh star Tom Lawrence, who scored directly from a corner kick.
Griffiths' Glory Find Their Groove
The home side set a ferocious pace from the opening whistle and never relented, delivering new coach Adam Griffiths his most emphatic win since taking charge. The Mariners were overwhelmed, struggling to cope with Perth's relentless pressure and fluid passing movements throughout the 90 minutes.
The statistics told a story of utter dominance, with Glory launching an astonishing 18 shots at goal in the first half alone. That relentless attack was finally rewarded with two first-half goals, setting the platform for a memorable evening.
Pennington, Taggart, and a Moment of Magic
The breakthrough came in the 24th minute. After a series of near misses, including a point-blank header from Nicholas Pennington saved by Mariners keeper Andrew Redmayne, the midfielder made no mistake. A clever run and cross from right-back Charbel Shamoon found Pennington, who rifled the ball home from close range.
Co-captain Adam Taggart, who had not scored since the season opener, doubled the lead before halftime. Tom Lawrence was the architect, rolling a perfect pass into Taggart's path. The striker's clever hesitation created space, and his deflected strike wrong-footed Redmayne to find the net.
The crowning moment arrived eight minutes after the restart. Lawrence stepped up to take a corner and, with a breathtaking swing of his boot, sent the ball curling in a perfect arc directly into the far top corner of the net for an 'Olimpico' goal. The Welshman celebrated by simply turning to the adoring crowd and holding his arms aloft.
A Complete Team Performance
While Lawrence's brilliance provided the icing on the cake, the victory was built on a solid team foundation. In midfield, Rhys Bozinovski and Gio De Abreu were tenacious, breaking up play and distributing intelligently. Shamoon's forward runs from defence were a constant threat.
At the back, Scott Wootton marshalled a defence that comfortably handled the Mariners' rare attacking forays. The result propels Perth to seventh on the ladder, now just one win away from breaking into the top three, signalling a significant turnaround in their campaign.
The return of midfielder Luke Amos from injury off the bench added further drive, highlighting the depth of talent still available to Griffiths. For the Mariners, it was a night to forget, as they were simply outplayed in every department by a hungry and cohesive Perth Glory side.
