Spoon looms after rudderless Wanderers fall to Mariners

The loss summed up the Wanderers' season, with Gary van Egmond's side unable to show a ruthless edge in front of goal after going ahead early through Angus Thurgate.

Ali Auglah responded for the Mariners early in the second half before Hiroshi Ibusuki put the visitors back in front with little more than 20 minutes left.

But rather than dig in, the Wanderers capitulated.

Striker Nathanael Blair headed home with a quarter of an hour left, before Donachie tucked past Lawrence Thomas for the decisive goal in the 89th minute.

To add insult to injury for the Wanderers, both Auglah and Blair came through the club's junior set-up.

It should have been so much more straightforward for van Egmond's men, who surged ahead when Ryan Fraser made a run down the left in the eighth minute and set up Angus Thurgate to finish past Andrew Redmayne.

Brandon Borrello rattled the post but the Wanderers' struggles in front of goal this season were perhaps encapsulated best by a period just before halftime.

Redmayne denied Kosta Barbarouses at a corner, Phil Cancar rifled the rebound into the bar and Anthony Pantazopoulos then skied the follow-up over the bar.

Somehow it was only 1-0 to the Wanderers at halftime and Barbarouses missed two golden chances early into the second half that he would come to rue.

In one of the Mariners' rare periods of control, Storm Roux found Auglah unmarked inside the Wanderers' box in the 55th minute.

Auglah had time and space to pick his spot and guided a shot over Lawrence Thomas's head and into the back of the net.

Hiroshi Ibusuki returned serve for the Wanderers to reclaim the lead with a well-taken 69th minute finish.

But the Japanese striker's goal was quickly cancelled out when Blair was given space to head the ball past Thomas.

Donachie was then the unlikely hero as the Mariners went in search of a late winner that moves Warren Moon's side up to seventh.