After a first half where the Mariners did everything except score, the team finally found their way on the score board through Tayla Lloyd four minutes after the break to go ahead.

The Mariners survived a brief period trapped in their own half before Jess Salomoni doubled the advantage with an easy tap-in five minutes from full-time.

Western’s second goal rounded out a solid weekend for the Mariners’ Mid-Western contingent with Stu Bromley from Gulgong scoring for the men’s side the night before and Salomoni hailing from Mudgee.

With some senior players unavailable, Mariners coach Mick Godbier was impressed with the way his team coped against a fellow finals-bound side.

“I was ecstatic. 

“When we had our captain Meg Embleton pull out ten minutes before kick-off, that’s a huge result,” he said.

“No Anna Meadley, no Meg Embleton and no Katie Pakai-Kelly, so whilst I wasn’t too concerned, it’s always a worry when those top class players are away.

“The girls that came in were fantastic. 15-year-old Tayla Lloyd played two games of football yesterday, 90 minutes of reserve grade today, came straight off reserve grade and into the first grade line up and for her to score a goal and play as well as she did was an outstanding achievement.”

Godbier said his team can still improve on their finishing as the end of the season draws closer.

“We probably had around 75 per cent of the ball in that first half and it was just about converting. That’s going to be important going into the back end of the season and into finals,” he said.

“If we create chances we’ve got to score them.

“They’re [St George] a good side today and so are Bankstown. It’s no given. We’re not getting too cocky or ahead of ourselves. We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

St George struggled to string passes together early while the possession game of the Mariners was visibly frustrating a visiting team pinned in their own half.

Kya Godbier fired the first on-goal attempt of the match but it was fended away by the St George goalkeeper who dived forward to meet her at the top of the box.

More chances from crosses and through balls down each wing came the way of the Mariners but they couldn’t make the most of them.

The best chance of the match for the visitors came just two minutes before half-time when Mariners goalkeeper Jess Daymond was forced into a great save to her right.

After Lloyd’s finish into the bottom-left corner of the goal, it was all Mariners to start the second half.

Salomoni went close just a minute later when she couldn’t quite get hold of a header.

With around 15 minutes to go however, St George created several opportunities as the Mariners failed to get out of their own half.

Out of nowhere the Mariners produced a break down the left wing and the cross for Salomoni put a goal on a platter with a tap in from point-blank range.

It was the second goal in as many weeks for Mudgee local Salomoni, which sees her return to the kind of goal-scoring form that had defenders scratching their heads earlier in the season.

The Mariners now take a seven point lead at the top of the table into their match against Mt Druitt Town Rangers next week and remarkably, still have a game in hand.

WESTERN NSW MARINERS FC 2 (Tayla Lloyd, Jess Salomoni; goals) defeated ST GEORGE FC 0