| HARBOURSPORT |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
|
| A-LEAGUE |
| Central Coast maintained their position in the top when they came from behind to defeat local rivals Newcastle 2-1 in their Boxing Day clash at Energy Australia Stadium. In the early minutes of the game, Marko Jesic was brought down in the area, with Joel Griffiths making no mistake from the spot to give the Jets the early lead. Spurred on by one of their best crowds this season, the Jets dominated the first half; and had it not been for a fine save by Danny Vukovic to deny Matthew Thompson the Jets would have doubled their lead. After the break, Mariners' coach Laurie McKinna brought Matt Simon on; and the striker brought the Central Coast side back to life. On the hour, a shot rebounded off the crossbar. 7 minutes later, Sasho Petrovski got around Jets' defender Jade North to head the ball into the Newcastle net and level the scores. And on 80 minutes, Simon was too quick for the Jets' defence, shaking off the attentions of two opponents to slam home the winner. Newcastle Jets 1 (J Griffiths 9pen) Central Coast Mariners 2 (S Petrovski 67, M Simon 80). Yellow Cards : Jets - A Griffiths 6. Mariners - M Petrovski 43, M Simon 90. Red Cards : Mariners - D Macallister 90. Referee - P O'Leary. Crowd - 11,413 at Energy Australia Stadium. The biggest crowd in Perth since the opening of the A-League saw Adelaide retain top spot on the ladder after the Reds overcame a determined Glory side to take a 1-0 victory. The goal came not long before the break, when Glory captain Jamie Harnwell was unable to clear the ball out of the danger zone, with Kristian Sarkies pouncing on the loose ball to power home the goal. The Glory had numerous chances to level the game during the second half, but some spectacular goalkeeping from Eugene Galekovic and some poor finishing by the strikers when their opportunities were presented ensured the 1-0 scoreline would remain and the Reds would stay on top. Perth Glory 0 Adelaide United 1 (K Sarkies 39). Yellow Cards : Glory - E Dadi 21, W Srhoj 49, M Anthony 78, N Rukavytsya 90. Reds - Cassio 80. Referee - C Zetter. Crowd - 12,581 at Members Equity Stadium. |
| ROUND 18 FIXTURES Wednesday 31st December Central Coast Mariners v Perth Glory (Bluetongue Stadium, 6:00pm) Friday 2nd January Melbourne Victory v Queensland Roar (Telstra Dome, 8:00pm) Saturday 3rd January Adelaide United v Sydney FC (Adelaide Oval, 8:00pm) Sunday 4th January Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets (Westpac Stadium, 5:00pm) ROUND 15 CATCH-UP FIXTURE Tuesday 6th January Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United (Telstra Dome, 7:30pm) ROUND 19 FIXTURES Friday 9th January Adelaide United v Newcastle Jets (Hindmarsh Stadium, 8:00pm) Saturday 10th January Central Coast Mainers v Queensland Roar (Bluetongue Stadium, 7:00pm) Sunday 11th January Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix (Sydney Football Stadium, 6:00pm) Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory (Members Equity Stadium, 8:00pm) ROUND 16 FIXTURES Wednesday 14th January Adelaide United v Queensland Roar (Hindmarsh Stadium, 8:00pm) All times shown are Sydney time |
| The knives were out for Sydney FC after their lamentable performance before Christmas, but the Sky Blues came out firing when they took on nemesis Melbourne Victory at Telstra Dome. Early strikes from Shannon Cole and Brendan Gan saw the visitors already holding a 2-0 lead before the latecomers had even entered the stadium. But Melbourne came fighting back. The ball went loose towards the boundary, and Archie Thompson chased it down before colliding with Sydney coach John Kosmina in front of the Sydney bench and forcing the Sydney mentor to ground. Minutes later, a flick pass from Carlos Hernandez got the Victory on the board. Sydney led 2-1 at the break, but with a large and vocal crowd urging the Victory on, the locals dominated possession in the second half. Substitutes Nick Ward and Ney Fabiano scored in the final 20 minutes to complete the Victory's comeback and condemn Sydney to their third straight defeat. Click here to see Harboursport's photo gallery from this match. Melbourne Victory 3 (A Thompson 14, N Ward 71, N Fabiano 79) Sydney FC 2 (S Cole 1, B Gan 4). Yellow Cards : Victory - B Celeski 43. Sydney - I Fyfe 45, S Cole 52, M Jurman 62. Referee - M Breeze. Crowd - 25,398 at Telstra Dome. Queensland Roar maintained second spot on the table when they twice came from behind before snatching a last-minute winner to deny Wellington Phoenix at Suncorp Stadium. In the first half, an own goal by Luke DeVere gave the Phoenix the early lead, which was cancelled out when Phoenix keeper Glen Moss was unable to control the ball after a save, seeing the ball spill clear for Matt McKay to score the easiest of goals. The second half started at breakneck speed. In the second minute of the half, a cross from Leo Bertos found Troy Hearfield to restore the Phoenix's lead. But just a minute later, a strike from Sergio van Dijk again levelled the match. As the clock ticked into injury time, young substitute Tommy Oar landed a fine strike to give the Queenslanders the game. It was a result that sees the Roar still in the double-chance position, but one which makes it tougher for the Phoenix in their quest to become the first New Zealand side to qualify for the A-League finals. Queensland Roar 3 (M McKay 38, S van Dijk 48, T Oar 90). Wellington Phoenix 2 (L DeVere 11og, T Hearfield 46). Yellow Cards : Roar - J McCloughan 63, C Moore 68. Phoenix - A Durante 37,90, T Brown 45, M Muscat 86, J McKain 87. Red Cards : Phoenix - A Durante 90. Referee - B Williams. Crowd - 13,115 at Suncorp Stadium. |