How a Central Coast Mariners A-League legend brutally ended the club’s Asian Champions League dreams
John Hutchinson needs no introduction to rusted-on Central Coast Mariners fans – but the club legend played a key role in ending the A-League club’s AFC Champions League dreams this season.
Hutchinson, 44, chalked up 228 appearances for the Mariners between 2005 and 2015, which included one premiership in 2013.
But on Tuesday night in Gosford, interim coach Hutchinson was the villain, guiding Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos to a comfortable 4-0 win.
Hutchinson’s team grabbed the lead in just the sixth minute through Kenta Inoue.
Marinos doubled their advantage on the half-hour mark, with Inoue again the scorer, before Brazilian attacker Anderson Lopes added a third in the 36th minute.
Substitute Jun Amano completed the rout in the 70th minute with a superb free-kick.
Despite the one-sided result, ‘Hutch’ paid tribute to the Mariners famed club culture post game.
‘[Former coach] Nick Montgomery deserves a lot of credit, turning this football club around,’ he said.
John Hutchinson is a Central Coast Mariners legend – but on Tuesday the club legend played a key role in ending the A-League club’s AFC Champions League dreams for this season (pictured, as interim coach of Yokohama F.Marinos)
Hutchinson, 44, chalked up 228 appearances for the Mariners between 2005 and 2015, which included a premiership in 2013
‘Incredible human being, incredible coach. Someone I stay in touch with still to this day because he’s just a great man.
‘Then what Mark Jackson did last season, it’s history, it’s crazy. To do a treble – I understand how hard it is to take your team from Australia to go abroad, to win games, come back and compete in domestic competition.
‘The squad size is limited. To do that and win every trophy and be treble winners, I don’t know if there will be another team in Australia that can replicate that for a long time.
‘The other one who deserves a lot of credit is Matt Simon. He retired and became sporting director. Put the club in a good direction, brought good people back to the football club.
‘It is great to see. I still come home to Central Coast for my holidays. I love coming here to watch the games. ‘I just hope the club keep punching above its weight.’
The Mariners – last season’s A-League champions – have just one point from their six AFC Champions League matches, and with just two rounds of the competition’s league stages remaining, they can’t progress any further.
Jackson’s Mariners return to A-League duties on Sunday night when they host Sydney FC.
