Gold Coast 0
Central Coast will face Brisbane Roar in the A-League grand final after a late Adam Kwasnik goal earned the Mariners a 1-0 win over Gold Coast in Saturday night's preliminary final.
The Mariners booked their third grand final appearance and ensured a spot in next year's Asian Champions League with a scrappy, gritty victory in front of 7539 fans at Bluetongue Stadium.
The Roar and Mariners, who finished the regular season first and second respectively, will meet for the sixth time this season in Sunday week's decider at Suncorp Stadium.
Brisbane progressed to the grand final by beating the Mariners 4-2 on aggregate over two legs in the major semi-final, with the second leg at Suncorp Stadium finishing 2-2.
Central Coast had started to mount some serious pressure in what had been a largely scrappy affair before Kwasnik broke the deadlock in the 75th minute.
There was a touch of fortune about the goal, with a Michael McGlinchey shot from outside the box blocked and Kwasnik on hand to fire low and hard past Glen Moss.
Gold Coast didn't go down without a fight and could have equalised in the 79th minute had Mariners 'keeper Mathew Ryan not made a brilliant double save to deny Bruce Djite and Anderson.
The result ended another gallant showing from Gold Coast, who had reached the preliminary final with upsets wins over Melbourne Victory and Adelaide.
The first half ended scoreless despite a couple of clear-cut chances, the first to the Mariners after just three minutes when striker Daniel McBreen failed to make the most of a superb team move.
Gold Coast's best opportunity of the half fell to Djite in the 12th minute but the striker was denied one-on-one by Ryan after being set up by Tahj Minniecon.
The Mariners stepped things up late in the half and teenager Trent Sainsbury, playing in place of the suspended Pedj Bojic, missed a good chance at the back post on the stroke of halftime.
The Mariners suffered a blow when playmaker Patricio Perez was forced off in the 65th minute with a hamstring injury but if anything the home side lifted when replacement Mustafa Amina came on.
Defender Patrick Zwaanswijk rose high to meet a Bozanic corner in the 69th minute, hammering a header into the cross bar, before Bozanic almost looped a header in seconds later.
But Kwasnik popped up to ensure a fitting grand final for the league's sixth season between the clear competition front runners.
Central Coast: 1 (A Kwasnik 75')
Gold Coast: 0
- AAP
