Mariners get chance to celebrate A-League premiership The Mariners have posted their first Asian Champions League away win, over Suwon Bluewings in South Korea, after their A-League triumph. Picture: Costello Brett Source: NewsLocal A-LEAGUE champions the Central Coast Mariners have permission to "let their hair down" after finally finding time to celebrate and even more reason to do so. The Mariners are eyeing more club history after posting their first-ever Asian Champions League away win last night, a 1-0 victory over Suwon Bluewings in South Korea. But first they will regroup and take in what they have achieved. Coach Graham Arnold didn't stop his players from lifting a glass after Sunday's A-League grand final win but the 48-hour turnaround for the ACL assignment meant things were perhaps more muted than they might otherwise have been. There were no such worries after Tuesday's victory - the Mariners' first away win in three Asian Champions League campaigns. "They can let their hair down for two nights after that," Arnold said. I have no hair to let down, so I'll be to bed. The Mariners now sit in second place and have a full week to prepare for a final ACL group match against leaders Kashiwa Reysol that will decide whether they make it through to the knock-out stages for the first time. That means there's plenty of time for heads to clear, even with Friday's A-League title victory parade through Gosford. An appearance in the next round of the Asian Champions League on top of a domestic championship should by all logic be beyond a club of the Mariners' size and resources, but that is now a real prospect after Michael McGlinchey's 80th-minute winner at Suwon World Cup Stadium. Even defeat against already qualified Kashiwa Reysol could send the Mariners through if the Bluewings do them a favour against Guizhou Renhe in next Tuesday's other Group H match. "If we can win at home, it's history," Arnold said. When I came here to the Mariners, we had never won a game in the ACL. The Mariners only arrived in South Korea on Monday evening, a day after goals by Patrick Zwaanswijk and Daniel McBreen secured a 2-0 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers and a first A-League title from four grand final appearances. But there was surprisingly little evidence of fatigue as Arnold trusted momentum and morale to get his charges over the line by starting with seven of the 11 players who lined up in Sydney on Sunday. The canny deployment of Nick Montgomery in a deep role to shield the defence added energy and bite in a crucial department but there were committed performances all over the pitch. Suspended skipper John Hutchinson was the only player not to travel and, while Mile Sterjovski, Zwaanswijk and McGlinchey didn't start, all three made it onto the pitch as second-half substitutes. "If we can perform the way we did tonight and play the way we have been playing at home to Reysol, then hopefully we can get the result we need," Arnold said.