It wasn’t.
A 32nd-minute Dane Ingham strike had Glory eventually topple the Mariners 1-0 in Gosford, but it was action in the second half which marked a milestone for the Goulburn Valley.
One for the history books, Tatura’s Vince Lia and Shepparton’s Alou Kuol featured after coming off the bench for the Glory and Mariners respectively, signalling the first time two products from the region have faced off in a professional match.
And the players couldn’t be closer to polar opposites.
Lia, a 250-game A-League veteran, replaced Kristian Popovic in the 61st minute and set about playing his traditional, composed role in defensive midfield.
Breaking up play and spraying dime-passes, Lia had a hand in setting up Carlo Armiento's gilt-edged chance in the 80th minute, which should have doubled his side's lead.
But it wasn’t long before Kuol’s turn came to make his mark in his second A-League appearance.
Introduced in the 85th minute, the former Goulburn Valley Sun made an immediate impact, latching on to a through ball and effortlessly beating veteran defender Osama Malik on the left flank.
Kuol then whipped an inch-perfect cross into the box which came a whisker away from meeting the head of strike partner Matt Simon.
Minutes later Kuol found himself in a six-yard box scramble, where he poked a toe at what would have surely resulted in the game’s equaliser.
Receiving praise throughout his cameo from commentators Adam Peacock and Mark Bosnich, the Shepparton forward's electrifying performance gained an instant reaction from sports opinion website The Roar, with an article published on Monday titled Graham Arnold must put Alou Kuol on the Socceroos radar.
Author Nick Symonds labelled Kuol a “prolific goal scorer with a striker’s instinct”, comparing the 18-year-old to other African-born Australian players such as Awer Mabil, Al Hassan Toure and Mohamed Toure.
Kuol will hope to feature in the upcoming F3 derby against Newcastle Jets on Friday, while Lia’s Glory squares off against Wellington Phoenix at Bankwest Stadium tonight.
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