Emerging full-back Jordan Bos has underlined his case for a Socceroos call-up with a starring role in Melbourne City's 1-0 A-League Men win over Central Coast.
In City's first game since the abandoned Melbourne derby, Jamie Maclaren's 10th goal of the season, in the 39th minute, proved the difference.
The win put ALM leaders City four points clear of second-placed Western Sydney and extended fourth-placed Central Coast's winless run in Victoria to 27 games (22 losses and five draws).
Bos, who has kept skipper Scott Jamieson out of City's starting line-up and shapes as a potential successor to Aziz Behich with the Socceroos, was involved in the goal and impressed with several dashing runs.
"We rate him very, very highly and he's a fantastic talent," interim City coach Rado Vidosic told reporters.
"I think he was excellent today. He's got so many qualities - you need many more hands to count them.
"The future is very bright for him - he's one of the shining lights of the A-League.
"Oh, absolutely (he's a future Socceroo). Absolutely. I don't think that they can go wrong if they select him for the next lot of games and they need to have a good look at him.
"Not only is he a good defender but he's also very, very good going forward. He's dynamic, he's skilful, he's left-footed, he's big, strong powerful so everything that you need in a modern footballer, I think he's got it."
The Socceroos' next games are yet to be determined but there is an international window in March.
Bos delighted in the 20th minute when he pinched the ball off Jason Cummings and went on a wonderful weaving run through the centre of AAMI Park.
City broke the stalemate when Bos released Richard van der Venne down the left wing.
The Dutchman nicked the ball around Dan Hall then whipped a wonderful left-footed cross across goal for Maclaren to smash home at the back post.
City earned a penalty in the first minute of injury time after Hall clumsily went into van der Venne's back, but Danny Vukovic made a strong one-handed save to deny Maclaren.
Central Coast entered the second half with renewed intensity and Tom Glover, playing 10 days after he was concussed by a metal bucket in the Melbourne derby pitch invasion, denied Michael Ruhs in the 74th.
Mariners boss Nick Montgomery lamented the call to play at 5.30pm in the heat.
The game had already been pushed back half an hour, with the A-League Women curtain raiser moved to be held after the men's fixture.
"I don't know why they couldn't have pushed the game a little bit later for both sets of players," Montgomery told reporters.
"An extra hour and a 6.30 kickoff and an 8.30 kickoff.
"That would have made the game better, because the first half when the sun was on the pitch, that was not nice for the players. And drinks breaks every 10, 15 minutes - you can't get any momentum."
