The Western NSW Mariners' quest to avoid relegation from National Premier Leagues 3 to NSW State League got even more harder, after they suffered a big home defeat to Inter Lions on Saturday.
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Now at the halfway mark in the NSW NPL 3 home and away season, Mariners sit at rock bottom in 14th, three points behind Parramatta FC and Granville Rage, on nine points, and nine points off safety from relegation.
Mariners were trailing 2-0 in Saturday's game at Proctor Park and conceded a goal just after the break from the spot before James Christie pulled one back.
Two late goals from Inter handed Mariners a 5-1 defeat.
Mariners coach Mark Rooke said the first half performance was below par.
"We weren't on the same page. [Inter] were far better in the first half. I thought we set up well and they warmed up well and went out with some good intensity, but they were far more intense then we were," he said.
"We had a few chances in that first half but we weren't good enough, with or without the ball, which was disappointing.
"In the second half, we certainty went out with more intent but to concede two minutes into the second half through a penalty, it set us back. To be honest, after that we finally settled into the match. We created four or five really good chances but we were just wasteful, which was really disappointing. It could've sent us back to 3-all but we didn't take those chances.
"It wasn't until right at the end they scored two mores goals, which was quite disappointing. 3-1 might've been a fair scoreline. Once again, we played well during a period of the match, but we didn't play for 90 minutes."
Due to a restructure in Football NSW's pyramid, the bottom five teams in NPL 3 - currently Camden Tigers, Hawkesbury City, Parramatta FC, Granville Rage and the Mariners - will be relegated to NSW State League.
The women's Mariners also failed to get the win, but got much closer than their men counterparts.
A goal from University of NSW FC captain Hayley Marshall was the difference, as the Mariners lost 1-0 to their Sydney rivals at Mudgee's Glen Willow in NSW NPL 2.
However, the women's side are enjoying a better season than the men, as they sit in eighth spot from 12 teams.
They've managed three wins from 13 games in 2019, as well as three draws for a total of 12 points.
The men are back in action on Saturday, June 8, when they take on SD Raiders at 3pm at Orange's Jack Brabham Park.
The women will play at the same venue on Sunday, June 9, but they will face Sutherland Shire FA at 1.05pm.
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