One of the smallest crowds in A-League history almost witnessed one of its biggest upsets as the lowly Gold Coast threatened to overcome a week of off-field dramas to stun ladder leaders Central Coast at Skilled Park.
In the end, the Mariners saved face with two second half goals to salvage a 3-3 draw and stay six points clear on the table.
Officials posted the match attendance as 1,141, the smallest to watch the Gold Coast play.
The turn out was a few hundred more than the A-League’s all-time lowest crowd of 1,003 who watched Brisbane play North Queensland when the clash was switched from Suncorp Stadium during the 2011 floods.
In a bizarre 72 hours, United’s billionaire owner dumped foundation coach Miron Bleiberg and then took aim at Football Federation Australia, saying he had no confidence in its administration.
The club’s week from hell looked initially to have taken its toll.
Interim coach Mike Mulvey could only watch on in angst after Mariners sharpshooter Adam Kwasnik slotted a soft goal in just the fourth minute of the clash.
But things quickly changed.
United levelled at 1-1 after nine minutes following a careless challenge by Rostyn Griffiths on Golgol Mebrahtu after he raced into the box only to lose the ball before being brought down.
Teenager Chris Arnold stepped up to the spot and made no mistake, driving the penalty into the net.
Another teenager, Ben Halloran, put United ahead 2-1 with a contender for goal of the season in the 17th minute.
Halloran carved between four defenders before working around Mariners skipper Alex Wilkinson and beating United keeper Justin Pasfield with a low right-foot strike that was just out of his reach.
The home side took the one goal advantage to the break.
Palmer was waiting for his players in the dressing room after they left the field and whatever extra motivation he gave them appeared to work as Pasfield was forced to make two spectacular diving saves in the first six minute after the break.
A massive upset seemed likely when the underdogs went 3-1 up after Mitch Cooper snuck a shot past Pasfield in the 56th minute.
However goals to Bernie Ibini (59th minute) and a second to Kwasnik in the 65th minute set the scene for a tense finish.
