Mariners ready to bolt into A-League final

MELBOURNE : Times were once so bleak at Central Coast Mariners that they thought Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt could add something to their roster but the A-League club are now 90 minutes away from reaching Australia's national championship final.

The Mariners host Adelaide United on Saturday in the second leg of their semi-final, bringing a 2-1 lead after overhauling 'The Reds' in front of a noisy crowd at Hindmarsh Stadium.

An hour north of Sydney, the sleepy coastal town of Gosford will be rocking as Nick Montgomery's men look to complete the job at Central Coast Stadium and book a first final since Graham Arnold guided them to their one and only title in 2013.

Renowned for its thrifty management and lacking the big city amenities enjoyed by rivals, Central Coast have never been seen as a destination club in the Australian top flight.

Yet Englishman Montgomery, the former Sheffield United stalwart, has managed to turn a squad of raw, rejected and recycled players into a seriously competitive unit.

Scottish-born striker Jason Cummings, too much of a loose cannon for his former club Dundee, has been laser sharp for the Mariners. His winner in the first leg against Adelaide was the 27-year-old's 17th goal of the campaign.

At the other end of the pitch, 38-year-old goalkeeper Danny Vukovic is savouring his second stint at the club after struggling for game time in the Netherlands.

Informing Montgomery is his own experience as a former Mariners captain and midfield general in a career spanning more than 100 appearances.

His stint from 2012-17 was spiked by the great disappointment of missing the 2013 championship decider for earning two yellow cards in the semi-finals.

It was to prove a major miss as the Mariners soon went