Melbourne Heart have held Central Coast Mariners to a 0-0 draw in New South Wales in the A-League.

Heart, who remain bottom of Australia's top flight following the result, were fortunate not to slip behind on 67 minutes, as Josh Rose proved beneficiary of tidy build-up play by the hosts, before lifting a good chance over the crossbar.

Phil Moss's men went closer with two minutes of normal time remaining when Mitchell Duke unleashed a fierce long-range effort, only to watch it fizz past Andrew Redmayne's post.

It proved as close as the Mariners would come to breaking the deadlock and Heart held on for a valuable point in their fight against relegation.