It’s 303 days and counting for the Central Coast Mariners, who were beaten 2-1 by rivals the Newcastle Jets.

Ronny Vargas struck in the second half to give the Jets a come-from-behind win after Matt Simon had given the Mariners the lead in the first half.

Jason Hoffman then levelled after the break, before the visitors piled on the misery for the Mariners.

It’s now been 304 days since the Central Coast side last won an A-League match and the pressure is now firmly on Mike Mulvey.

Tempers flared in a fiery first half as Matt Simon put the Central Coast Mariners ahead.

The F3 Derby against the Newcastle Jets was slow to start, but the opening 24 minutes ended with plenty of passion as the visitors began chasing the game.

Roy O’Donovan returned to the starting line-up against his former club after serving a 10-match ban for his kick on Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas late in the 2018 grand final.

Mike Mulvey sprung a surprise by leaving Kalifa Cisse out of his match-day squad as the Mariners search for their first win of the season.