The Newcastle Jets have fallen 3-1 to the Central Coast in the first F3 Derby of the season, the Mariners snapping a four-game losing streak on Saturday night in Gosford.
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The home side struck a minute before the end of the first half through Storm Roux, who nailed a left-to-right cross from teammate Jacob Farrell with a one-touch kick.
They scored again in the 57th minute when an unmarked William Wilson found open space at the top of the penalty area and buried a shot past Jets keeper Ryan Scott.
In his first appearance of the season, young gun Archie Goodwin got one back in the 76th minute to give the Jets some hope but Mariners substitute Jing Reec scored in injury-time to seal the result.
The Mariners largely controlled the tempo on a rain-soaked Industree Group Stadium, holding more than 60 per cent of possession throughout the 90 minutes.
The Jets had only had one shot at goal before Goodwin's strike. The Mariners finished with 13, including eight on target.
The loss leaves the Jets placed seventh and with just five points from their opening five games.
The Mariners remain last but have drawn level on points with Western United ahead of the Victorian side's clash with Adelaide on Sunday.
The Mariners were in control from the outset and were unlucky not to convert a couple of chances in the opening 10 minutes.
Marco Tulio got a shot on target in the 20th minute from inside the penalty area but it was easily saved by Jets keeper Ryan Scott.
The home side repeatedly went down the Jets' right edge in the first half and almost had success on several occasions.
The Jets did not help themselves by turning the ball over in the middle of the park, which allowed the Mariners to break downfield multiple times.
Mariners midfielder Josh Nisbet hit the crossbar in the 40th minute, finding space at the top of the penalty area to the left of goal.
A couple of minutes later, a deft Jacob Farrell chip over two Jets defenders put Tulio into open space in a similar position to where Nisbet fired from but the striker fluffed his shot and it rolled into Scott's hands.
The home side finally converted their possession into a goal when Roux buried the cross from Jacob Farrell from just outside the six-yard box.
The Mariners had two decent chances inside the first three minutes of the second half but they were shut down inside the penalty area by the Jets' defence.
Mawien Kuol got a shot off from just outside the six-yard box in the 51st minute but it went straight at Scott.
Jets midfielder Lachlan Bayliss had a chance from in front of goal a few minutes later but Nisbet brilliantly slid in to block the shot.
Wilson scored the Mariners' second and his first for the club when he collected a pass out on the right at the top of the penalty area. Unmarked, all he had to do was boot it past the keeper and he did so down the short side of Scott.
Goodwin was brought on in the 62nd minute to replace Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, and Lucas Mauragis made way for Thomas Aquilina.
Twelve minutes later Goodwin made it 2-1 when he raced onto a through ball and cleverly headed it over Mariners keeper Danny Vukovic who had come off his line before rolling it into the goal.
The Jets pushed forward in the final 15 minutes but couldn't crack a Mariners' outfit desperate to record their first win this season.
Reec fired past Scott off his left foot from close range in injury-time.
