Eugene Galekovic is set to miss a number of games with a shoulder injury.

Eugene Galekovic is set to miss a number of games with a shoulder injury. Hagen Hopkins

FOOTBALL: A shoulder injury to goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic has rubbed salt into the wounds of defending A-League champion Adelaide United after defeat to Central Coast Mariners.

The Reds remain rooted to the bottom of the A-League ladder following the defeat and now look like playing the rest of the season without their most experienced player.

The team's skipper was forced off the pitch 30 minutes into Sunday's defeat in Canberra after suffering a suspected torn lateral muscle in his shoulder.

Adelaide is now five points adrift at the bottom of the ladder and looks like missing its captain for key A-League games and is also about to embark on its Asian Champions League campaign.

Guillermo Amor's men have home games with Perth and Newcastle, while Adelaide will host its first ACL group game before visiting Melbourne Victory three days later.

The team will fly to China to face Jiangsu Suning befeore returning to Sydney to play the Wanderers.

Galekovic's replacement, John Hall, was all at sea for the Mariners' first goal just six minutes after coming on.

He was caught off his line as he tried to stop Mariners winger Trent Buhagiar.

Hall blocked the first effort but could not get across his line in time stop Fabio Ferreira firing home Conor Pain's cross.

Kwabena Appiah netted the home team's second goal, his first A-League strike in 52 games, before 19-year-old Jordan O'Doherty's superb finish handed Adelaide an injury-time consolation goal.