Mariners squeeze past Glory

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Tight ... Oliver Bozanic is tackled by Jacob Burns. Source: Dean Lewins / AAP

Substitute Bernie Ibini ensured an understrength Central Coast entered the new year on top of the A-League ladder with the decisive goal in the Mariners' 1-0 home win over Perth at Bluetongue Stadium on Monday.

Ibini's 68th-minute goal was the first shot on target of a match dominated by two well-drilled defences.

However, after what looked like a hand-ball, Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson felt Ibini's goal should not have stood.

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"I felt he was all over Jamieson and also he has used his hand to get the ball around to him and score the goal,'' he said.

"We've lost three points there.''

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It was the Mariners' sixth win from as many home games this A-League season.

Without the suspended trio of playmaker Tomas Rogic, leading goal-scorer Daniel McBreen and captain John Hutchinson, Central Coast struggled to penetrate the Glory rearguard.

Mariners coach Graham Arnold said the win furthered his belief in the group.

"(The win) confirmed to me that we definitely have the depth to continue and go forward,'' Arnold said.

"The performance in the first half I think was a bit down for both teams because of the heat, but in the second half when the sun was gone it was a much better spectacle,''

Perth were a man down from the 76th minute when Dutch central defender Bas van den Brink was sent off after collecting a second yellow card.

Glory created the only decent chance of the first half, but it was spurned by normally deadly striker Shane Smeltz.

The unmarked New Zealand international put a sidefoot volley wide from six metres out following a good cross from Steven McGarry.

At the other end, former Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic pushed away a couple of dangerous crosses, but the home team struggled to create a genuine shot on goal in the first half.

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The Mariners upped the tempo in the second half and looked the more likely to score.

Striker Adam Kwasnik had a headed goal disallowed in the 47th minute for offside and headed wide 12 minutes later.

The breakthrough came shortly after when 53rd-minute substitute Ibini won a challenge with Scott Jamieson to an Oliver Bozanic cross.

The 20-year-old striker drilled the ball past Vukovic for his third goal of the season.

Glory didn't create much in the second half and their hopes plummeted after van Den Brink, who had earlier been booked for a foul on Michael McGlinchey, was given his second card for an illegal challenge on Mile Sterjovski.

Perth didn't have an attempt on target in the whole game, while the Mariners had just two.

Ferguson lamented his team's inability to make their chances pay.

"For the first half we looked very comfortable, I thought we moved the ball about well and we had a couple of half chances here or there,'' he said.

"In the second half, they came out with the bit between their teeth and probably towards that 65th, 70th minute mark we started to tire and that took its toll at the end.''

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McGrath inducted into Hall of Fame

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Inductee ... Glenn McGrath the latest Australian to enter the ICC Hall of Fame. Source: Phil Hillyard / News Limited

Fast bowling great Glenn McGrath will be the latest Australian to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

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The ICC announced on Monday the right-arm speedster, who claimed 563 Test wickets in 124 Tests from 1993-2007, will become the third inductee in 2012-13 after West Indian maestro Brian Lara and Englishwoman Enid Bakewell were honoured in September.

The ceremony for McGrath will take place on Friday during the lunch break of the second day of the third Test between Australia and Sri Lanka on his home ground of the SCG.

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The 42-year-old will become the 68th male member of the Hall of Fame in recognition of a career that also included 250 one-day internationals and playing in three straight ICC World Cup-winning sides in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

McGrath took more Test wickets than any other seam bowler - current or retired - while he sits second behind leg-spinning legend Shane Warne (708 wickets) as Australia's leading wicket-taker.

"I am very much looking forward to celebrating the occasion with not only my friends and family, but all those at the SCG which is of course like a second home to me,'' said McGrath in a statement.

Alan Davidson, Fred Spofforth and Belinda Clark were inducted into the Hall of Fame last year to join fellow Australians including Don Bradman, Richie Benaud, Allan Border and Dennis Lillee.

The SCG will be bathed in pink in support of cancer charity the McGrath Foundation on the third day of the Test.

A fourth and final Hall of Fame inductee for 2012-13 will be announced next summer.

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Vidosic helps Reds cruise on NYE

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Class above ... Adelaide were far too good for Sydney on New Year's Eve. Source: David Mariuz / News Limited

Adelaide United maestro Dario Vidosic scored twice to orchestrate a 3-0 drubbing of an off-key Sydney FC in Monday night's A-League match.

Vidosic's first-half brace, and a second half tap-in by Iain Ramsay at Hindmarsh Stadium, ensured the Reds keep snapping at the heels of ladder leaders Central Coast Mariners.

Second-placed Adelaide remain two points shy of the Mariners, who earlier on New Year's Eve downed Perth Glory 1-0.

Vidosic's double took his tally to eight goals in an influential season - he also hit the cross bar with an audacious curling 20 metre free kick, and struck the post with another hat-trick attempt.

But more importantly for the 10,934-strong Adelaide crowd, Vidosic helped break the Reds' two-game losing sequence, opening his account with an 18th minute header.

Creative Marcelo Carrusca delivered a nifty pass which Iain Ramsay wisely let run for teammate Cassio, streaming down the left. Cassio's cross found an air-borne Vidosic, whose header floated into the top right corner of the net.

Just 11 minutes later, Vidosic sliced through slack defence before passing to frontman Bruce Djite, who was felled by a tackle from behind by defender Sebastian Ryall.

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Vidosic calmly slotted the penalty and the Sky Blues were on their way to a ninth loss in 14 matches.

Adelaide winger Ramsay rubbed salt into Sydney's wounds in the 61st minute after Djite outmuscled Ryall, charged at goal, and aimed a low left-footer at goal.

The shot was well saved by diving goalkeeper Vedran Janjetkovic but the rebound fell kindly into Ramsay's path and he tapped in from two metres.

Sydney, without injured star Alessandro Del Piero, were hampered by the loss of midfielder Adam Griffiths who hobbled off in the 12th minute with a leg injury.

The Sydneysiders have now conceded a whopping 30 goals this season and will return to the bottom of the ladder should Melbourne Heart defeat or draw with Newcastle Jets on Tuesday.

Adelaide coach John Kosmina said the Reds could have scored seven or eight goals, such was their weight of scoring chances.

"It was a really good, solid performance," he said.

Reds defender Nigel Boogard was substituted with tightness in a hamstring as Kosmina warned of a challenging January including away matches against Newcastle, Melbourne Heart and Central Coast.

"We have a tough month in January ... it's not going to be easy," he said.

Sydney coach Frank Farina agreed his side could have copped eight goals, saying the match turned into a "virtually a training run" for the Reds.

"To be brutally honest, we were outplayed," he said.

Midfielder Griffiths' early exit was caused by knee medial ligament strain suffered last week, but Farina expected Del Piero to return against Perth on Saturday.

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Stosur crashes out in Brisbane

Disappointing ... Stosur got her Australian summer campaign off to a poor start. Source: Dan Peled / AAP

Australian tennis fans must be braced for another deflating home summer for Samantha Stosur following a worrying first-up failure at the Brisbane International.

In a terrible blow to her Australian Open preparations, an off-key Stosur crashed 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 to Swede Sofia Arvidsson to be the second top-10 star upset on Pat Rafter Arena on Monday.

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The Queenslander followed former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, who lost to Ksenia Pervak, out of the tournament in a disappointing one hour and 44 minute display.

Underdone heading into the 2013 season following a minor ankle operation five weeks ago, Stosur moved freely but her groundstrokes were rusty and judgment off.

While she showed plenty of fight to save five first-set points, the world No.9 leaked 48 unforced errors, including seven double faults.

Stosur had enjoyed a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over world No.41 Arvidsson and had swept the tall Swede aside in the first round of her 2011 US Open triumph.

However the writing was on the wall in the seventh game as she lost her serve with a string of poor groundstrokes.

The 28-year-old seemed to produced her best when it most mattered - breaking Arvidsson twice when she served for the set - but paid for her inconsistency.

She did her best to hang in in the second set, as Arvidsson held serve with ease, before producing a forgettable last service game to fall on her sword.

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Stosur's inability to cope with local expectations has been well documented and the loss continues a poor run at her "home" tournament where she's never progressed past the second round.

It will heap even more pressure on her as she just has the Sydney International to fine-tune her game for the Australian Open.

Last summer, as the reigning US Open champion, she only mustered one win Down Under, beating little-known Belarussian Anastasia Yakimova in Brisbane before crashing in Sydney and Melbourne Park.

In more bad news for local fans, Australia's top-ranked male player Marinko Matosevic went down to Japanese No.5 seed Kei Nishikori 7-5 6-2.

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Beckham family London based: Mirror

DAVID Beckham and wife Victoria have enrolled their children in London schools, increasing speculation the former England captain will sign with a club close to home, a British tabloid reports.

One-time Real Madrid midfielder Beckham, 37, has been linked with QPR in England and French club Monaco, as well as teams from China and Australia since his departure from LA Galaxy in early December.

The couple's sons Brooklyn, 13, Romeo, 10, and Cruz, seven, will attend an exclusive London school in the new year, while baby daughter Harper is also destined for a nursery in the English capital, the Daily Mirror said on Monday.

"David is coming to the end of his career and needs to consider his move carefully. A transfer to a top European club makes sense and as David has never played in France, a move to Paris would be ideal," an unnamed source told the Mirror.

A spokesman said before Christmas that Beckham plans to weigh up his options over the holiday period and isn't concerned about making a quick decision.

"There are a number of serious proposals on the table from a host of clubs across the world," the spokesperson said.

"David is no hurry to make a decision, the key is making the right one as he has always done successfully in his career.

The transfer window closes at the end of January.

Meanwhile Mrs Beckham has been busy house hunting in London's southwest, according to several media outlets.

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