CRAIG Goodwin has given Socceroos coach Graham Arnold more reason to consider him for this month’s internationals with his second brace in a week during Adelaide United’s 3-0 A-League win over Central Coast in Gosford. Goodwin, having scored both goals in the Reds’ FFA Cup final win on Tuesday night, has struck seven times in league and cup games.

He enjoyed a little good fortune with both of Sunday’s goals, as Adelaide notched their first A-League win after two draws.

His first-half header after nine minutes deflected off Mariners defender Kye Rowles.

Goodwin’s second from a 20-metre free-kick, in the 56th minute, slipped through the hands of Mariners goalkeeper Ben Kennedy.

Arnold attended the game at Central Coast Stadium, just as he did the cup final in Adelaide.

Goodwin, returning to Australia after two seasons with Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam, has played three times for the Socceroos, but not since 2016. The Mariners who, like Adelaide, had drawn their first two games, were torn apart in the first quarter by Adelaide’s smooth and incisive counter-attacking. Goodwin had a very able accomplice in Young Socceroos forward Apostolos Stamatelopoulos.

Just back from representing Australia in the AFC U19 Championship in Indonesia, Stamatelopoulos provided an accurate cross for Goodwin’s first goal. Goodwin reciprocated seven minutes later with an assist for Stamatelopoulos. United threatened to score every time they moved forward, but the Mariners started to show some fight late in the half.

Captain Matt Simon put a shot and header wide, but former Mariners goalkeeper Paul Izzo had little to do for the first 70 minutes.

But within 60 seconds, Izzo pushed away a drive from Tommy Oar and, from the corner, saved a header from substitute Connor Pain.