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| A late equaliser to substitute Labinot Haliti saw Newcastle snatch a point on the road against Melbourne Victory at Docklands on Thursday night. Just 15,168, the lowest home crowd for the Victory since they moved to Docklands, was on hand for this match; and they watched with horror early on as Billy Celeski crashed to the ground and came down with a serious knee injury in just the 5th minute. Celeski would play no further part in the game. After this it was a subdued opening, with both sides defending strongly but creating few opportunities. Shortly before half time, the complexion of the game changed as the Victory got on top. Ney Fabiano and Nick ward both created opportunities but sprayed the ball wide. With just 2 minutes to go before the break, a header from Archie Thompson went to the corner of the net, Jets’ keeper Ben Kennedy having no chance. The Victory had the better of play in the second half, but despite creating opportunities were unable to score a second goal. But the lack of a second goal would come back to haunt the Victory; when the Jets scored against the run of play. A cross from Tariq Elrich found Haliti at close range, Haliti’s header sending the Jets’ players into celebrations while stunning the local crowd. The Victory, after three home games this season, are yet to record a home win and find themselves outside the top 6. Melbourne Victory 1 (A Thompson 43) Newcastle Jets 1 (L Haliti 86) Victory – G Moss, S Sukha (M Foschini 76), L Broxham, M Kemp, A Thompson, N Fabiano, R Vargas, B Celeski (G Brebner 6), T Pondeljak, N Ward, A Leijer. Subs not used – M Langerak, N Elasi. Jets – B Kennedy, A D’Apuzzo, N Topor-Stanley, L Milicevic, Jin-Hyung Song, M Thompson, T Elrich, S Rooney, J Hoffman (D De Groot 64), K Patafta, C Triantis (L Haliti 64). Subs not used – N Young, A Costanzo. Yellow Cards : Victory – Nil. Jets – L Haliti 87. Red Cards – Nil. Referee – C Beath. Crowd – 15,168 at Docklands. It was a case of lost opportunities for both teams when Wellington Phoenix and Adelaide United were locked at 1-1 after their clash at Westpac Stadium. The home side came racing out of the blocks, and could have scored in the 3rd minute when a header from Brown was kept out by a brilliant save from Eugene Galekovic. A shot from Brown on 13 minutes sailed just centimetres wide of the woodwork, and another acrobatic save from Galekovic on 20 minutes kept Bertos out. But finally on 35 minutes the sheer weight of possession and attack took its toll and the Phoenix got the score on the board. A drive from Paul Ifill had the keeper beaten as it sailed into the Adelaide net. |
| ROUND 6 Friday 11th September Adelaide v Central Coast (8:00pm) Saturday 12th September Newcastle v Brisbane (5:30pm) Sydney v North Queensland (7:30pm) Sunday 13th September Melbourne v Wellington (3:00pm) Perth v Gold Coast (5:00pm) ROUND 7 Friday 18th September Adelaide v Melbourne (8:00pm) Saturday 19th September Central Coast v Gold Coast (7:30pm) Sunday 20th September Wellington v North Queensland (1:00pm) Sydney v Newcastle (3:00pm) Brisbane v Perth (5:00pm) All times shown are Sydney time. |
But, against the run of play, the match was back on even terms just 7 minutes later. A corner from
Paul Reid was headed home by Iain Fyfe. For all the home side’s dominance through the first half,
they were unable to maintain a lead.
After the break, Wellington’s chances dried up. The Reds had more of the ball in the second half, but
were unable to put the Phoenix under any significant pressure. The scores remained locked at 1-1,
with the Phoenix in particular looking at this match as 2 points lost.
Wellington Phoenix 1 (P Ifill 35)
Adelaide United 1 (I Fyfe 42).
Phoenix – M Paston, T Lochhead, J McKain, T Brown, L Bertos (Diego 84), P Ifill, C Greenacre, Daniel, V Lia, B
Sigmund (T Hearfield 83), A Durante. Subs not used – R Crowther, M Ferrante.
Reds – E Galekovic, Alemao, I Fyfe, L Pantelis, Cristiano (F Monterosso 83), A Hughes, L Owusu (I Shin 90), P
Reid, S Jamieson, M Marrone, M Rudan. Subs not used – M Birighitti, D Mullen.
Yellow Cards : Phoenix – B Sigmund 40, V Lia 56, T Brown 74. Reds – M Marrone 38, M Rudan 43, I Fyfe 63.
Red Cards – Nil.
Referee – M Hester. Crowd – 7,523 at Westpac Stadium.
Central Coast Mariners took their home game against Perth Glory to Canberra, and although the
Mariners took out a win, the move wasn’t overly successful; with barely 5,000 attending the match.
The Glory came out firing early, and were unlucky not to go ahead, Branko Jelic’s shot at goal
bouncing off the woodwork. But the Mariners, after surviving the early Glory onslaught, got on top as
the half progressed; and with 3 minutes to go before the break took the upper hand on the
scoreboard. A long range free kick by Pedj Bojic was spectacularly saved by Glory keeper Tando
Velaphi, only for the ball to spill free to Alex Wilkinson for the simplest of tap-ins.
After taking a 1-0 lead into the break, the Mariners had their tails up and they attacked hard early in
the second half. But, against the run of play, the Glory went close to equalising on the hour. A
counter attack set up Mile Sterjovski, who found the net but the assistant’s flag was up for offside.
With 10 minutes to go, the Glory were handed a lifeline. Brad Porter was pinged for a handball in the
area, the referee having no hesitation in awarding the penalty. The original shot by Mile Sterjovski
was saved by Vukovic, but the Mariners’ keeper was powerless to prevent the rebound from hitting
his net.
The match appeared headed for a draw before a goalkeeping blunder from Velaphi in the final minute
of regulation time handed the Mariners the game. A harmless-looking long ball sailed to Velaphi, but
when making the save he lost his footing; and falling backwards dropped the ball just centimetres
from the line. Matt Simon was first on the scene, and the goal was simple. The Mariners had stolen
the win and broken Perth’s heart; continuing Central Coast’s imposing record against the Glory.
Central Coast Mariners 2 (A Wilkinson 42, M Simon 89)
Perth Glory 1 (M Sterjovski 82).
Mariners – D Vukovic, P Bojic (A Kwasnik 84), B Porter, J Hutchinson, N Mrdja (D Macallister 78), M
McGlinchey, A Clark (A Elrich 69), N Boogaard, A Wilkinson, M Simon, N Travis. Sub not used – A Redmayne.
Glory – T Velaphi, A Todd, C Coyne, J Burns, V Sikora (M Mayora 66), W Srhoj, B Jelic, S Neville (T Howarth
53), A Pellegrino, N Sekulovski, M Sterjovski. Subs not used – A Vrteski, Amaral.
Yellow Cards : Mariners – M McGlinchey 77. Glory – N Sekulovski 46, B Jelic 49.
Red Cards – Nil.
Referee – B Williams. Crowd – 5,139 at Canberra Stadium.
Gold Coast United regained top spot on the ladder when the competition newcomers defeated
Sydney FC at Robina on Saturday night. Shane Smeltz continued his awesome form, his double
bringing his season tally to 8 from 5 games.
Gold Coast were without marquee captain Jason Culina, but barely missed his with a polished,
professional performance. An early shot from Tahj Minniecon sailed just wide, while Zenon Caravella
got even closer but hit the woodwork. Sydney were struggling to get enough of the ball to create
any opportunities, while Gold Coast continued to pepper the goals. But Sydney did well to hold the
home side out, and as the clock ticked into time added on it appeared the game would remain
deadlocked at the break. But with the last action of the half, a cross from Osman was headed home
by Smeltz to give Gold Coast the lead.
10 minutes after the break, their advantage doubled. A loose clearance from Karel Kisel gave Smeltz
possession, and from there the New Zealand international had no difficulty in getting around the
Sydney defence and slamming the ball into Clint Bolton’s net.
With 15 minutes to go, against the run of play, Sydney FC found themselves back into the contest.
And it was Sydney veteran Steve Corica who provided the spark, with a brilliant solo effort seeing him
get around multiple opponents before a sweetly-timed strike hit the corner of the net. Sydney
continued to press, looking for an equaliser, and came close after a free kick was awarded on the
edge of the area in the 87th minute. But John Aloisi’s shot failed to clear the wall, and Gold Coast
then hung on for a win that restores their hold on top spot.
Gold Coast United 2 (S Smeltz 45+1, 56).
Sydney FC 1 (S Corica 75).
Gold Coast – S Higgins, M Thwaite, R Alves de Silva, Z Caravella, S Smeltz, B Van den Brink, J Porter (M Ferreira
Dos Santos 19), T Minniecon (Anderson 24), K Rees, M Osman (S Pantelidis 55), A Traore. Sub not used – R Bajic.
Sydney – C Bolton, S Keller, S Colosimo, K Kisel (S Corica 67), B Gan, J Aloisi, S Cole, A Brosque (S Ryall 86),
M Bridge (K Danning 55), Sung-Hwan Byun, R Grant. Sub not used – I Necevski.
Yellow Cards : Gold Coast – R Alves de Silva 7. Sydney – Nil.
Red Cards – Nil.
Referee – S Delovski. Crowd – 6,406 at Skilled Park.
North Queensland’s quest for their first A-League win was again thwarted in the closing stages when
a late equaliser got Brisbane Roar a 1-1 draw with the Fury at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The Fury burst out of the blocks, and it took just 7 minutes for them to open the scoring. A long ball
from James Robinson set up Robbie Fowler, and the former Liverpool striker had no trouble in guiding
the ball into the Roar net. And it could easily have been 2-0 had David Williams’ long range strike
gone in, but instead it bounced off the woodwork and Roar keeper Liam Reddy was able to diffuse
the danger.
But on the half hour, the complexion of the game changed. Paul Kohler had been warned by the
referee of repeated fouls, but not shown a yellow, when referee Matthew Breeze’s patience ran out
and a straight red was produced; leaving the home side a man down for the remainder of the match.
The Fury had been easily the best side in the first half, and deserved their 1-0 lead at the break. But
in the second half, the strain of being a man down began to take its toll and the Fury players were
visibly tiring in the warm and sticky conditions.
As the second half wore on, the Roar gradually increased their share of possession and created more
scoring opportunities. Finally on 84 minutes they broke through to level the scores, but there was a
large degree of luck in the goal. A strike from Sergio Van Dijk deflected off Mitch Nichols into the Fury
net.
North Queensland Fury 1 (R Fowler 7)
Brisbane Roar 1 (M Nichols 84).
Fury – J Pasfield, R Middleby, C Tadrosse, U Talay, R Fowler (F Agius 80), D Williams (D Daal 64), P Kohler (red
card 31), J Robinson, D McBreen (C Grossman 63), K Dodd, R Griffiths. Sub not used – P Henderson.
Roar – L Reddy, L De Vere, C Moore, D Dodd (J McCloughan 46), S Van Dijk, C Miller, M Mundy (M Nichols
71), Henrique, B Malcolm, D Tiatto, R Kruse (Reinaldo 61). Sub not used – G McMaster.
Yellow Cards : Fury – U Talay 57. Roar – D Dodd 5, C Miller 18, J McCloughan 70, Henrique 82, Reinaldo 82.
Red Cards : Fury – P Kohler 31.
Referee – M Breeze. Crowd – 7,173 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
Paul Reid was headed home by Iain Fyfe. For all the home side’s dominance through the first half,
they were unable to maintain a lead.
After the break, Wellington’s chances dried up. The Reds had more of the ball in the second half, but
were unable to put the Phoenix under any significant pressure. The scores remained locked at 1-1,
with the Phoenix in particular looking at this match as 2 points lost.
Wellington Phoenix 1 (P Ifill 35)
Adelaide United 1 (I Fyfe 42).
Phoenix – M Paston, T Lochhead, J McKain, T Brown, L Bertos (Diego 84), P Ifill, C Greenacre, Daniel, V Lia, B
Sigmund (T Hearfield 83), A Durante. Subs not used – R Crowther, M Ferrante.
Reds – E Galekovic, Alemao, I Fyfe, L Pantelis, Cristiano (F Monterosso 83), A Hughes, L Owusu (I Shin 90), P
Reid, S Jamieson, M Marrone, M Rudan. Subs not used – M Birighitti, D Mullen.
Yellow Cards : Phoenix – B Sigmund 40, V Lia 56, T Brown 74. Reds – M Marrone 38, M Rudan 43, I Fyfe 63.
Red Cards – Nil.
Referee – M Hester. Crowd – 7,523 at Westpac Stadium.
Central Coast Mariners took their home game against Perth Glory to Canberra, and although the
Mariners took out a win, the move wasn’t overly successful; with barely 5,000 attending the match.
The Glory came out firing early, and were unlucky not to go ahead, Branko Jelic’s shot at goal
bouncing off the woodwork. But the Mariners, after surviving the early Glory onslaught, got on top as
the half progressed; and with 3 minutes to go before the break took the upper hand on the
scoreboard. A long range free kick by Pedj Bojic was spectacularly saved by Glory keeper Tando
Velaphi, only for the ball to spill free to Alex Wilkinson for the simplest of tap-ins.
After taking a 1-0 lead into the break, the Mariners had their tails up and they attacked hard early in
the second half. But, against the run of play, the Glory went close to equalising on the hour. A
counter attack set up Mile Sterjovski, who found the net but the assistant’s flag was up for offside.
With 10 minutes to go, the Glory were handed a lifeline. Brad Porter was pinged for a handball in the
area, the referee having no hesitation in awarding the penalty. The original shot by Mile Sterjovski
was saved by Vukovic, but the Mariners’ keeper was powerless to prevent the rebound from hitting
his net.
The match appeared headed for a draw before a goalkeeping blunder from Velaphi in the final minute
of regulation time handed the Mariners the game. A harmless-looking long ball sailed to Velaphi, but
when making the save he lost his footing; and falling backwards dropped the ball just centimetres
from the line. Matt Simon was first on the scene, and the goal was simple. The Mariners had stolen
the win and broken Perth’s heart; continuing Central Coast’s imposing record against the Glory.
Central Coast Mariners 2 (A Wilkinson 42, M Simon 89)
Perth Glory 1 (M Sterjovski 82).
Mariners – D Vukovic, P Bojic (A Kwasnik 84), B Porter, J Hutchinson, N Mrdja (D Macallister 78), M
McGlinchey, A Clark (A Elrich 69), N Boogaard, A Wilkinson, M Simon, N Travis. Sub not used – A Redmayne.
Glory – T Velaphi, A Todd, C Coyne, J Burns, V Sikora (M Mayora 66), W Srhoj, B Jelic, S Neville (T Howarth
53), A Pellegrino, N Sekulovski, M Sterjovski. Subs not used – A Vrteski, Amaral.
Yellow Cards : Mariners – M McGlinchey 77. Glory – N Sekulovski 46, B Jelic 49.
Red Cards – Nil.
Referee – B Williams. Crowd – 5,139 at Canberra Stadium.
Gold Coast United regained top spot on the ladder when the competition newcomers defeated
Sydney FC at Robina on Saturday night. Shane Smeltz continued his awesome form, his double
bringing his season tally to 8 from 5 games.
Gold Coast were without marquee captain Jason Culina, but barely missed his with a polished,
professional performance. An early shot from Tahj Minniecon sailed just wide, while Zenon Caravella
got even closer but hit the woodwork. Sydney were struggling to get enough of the ball to create
any opportunities, while Gold Coast continued to pepper the goals. But Sydney did well to hold the
home side out, and as the clock ticked into time added on it appeared the game would remain
deadlocked at the break. But with the last action of the half, a cross from Osman was headed home
by Smeltz to give Gold Coast the lead.
10 minutes after the break, their advantage doubled. A loose clearance from Karel Kisel gave Smeltz
possession, and from there the New Zealand international had no difficulty in getting around the
Sydney defence and slamming the ball into Clint Bolton’s net.
With 15 minutes to go, against the run of play, Sydney FC found themselves back into the contest.
And it was Sydney veteran Steve Corica who provided the spark, with a brilliant solo effort seeing him
get around multiple opponents before a sweetly-timed strike hit the corner of the net. Sydney
continued to press, looking for an equaliser, and came close after a free kick was awarded on the
edge of the area in the 87th minute. But John Aloisi’s shot failed to clear the wall, and Gold Coast
then hung on for a win that restores their hold on top spot.
Gold Coast United 2 (S Smeltz 45+1, 56).
Sydney FC 1 (S Corica 75).
Gold Coast – S Higgins, M Thwaite, R Alves de Silva, Z Caravella, S Smeltz, B Van den Brink, J Porter (M Ferreira
Dos Santos 19), T Minniecon (Anderson 24), K Rees, M Osman (S Pantelidis 55), A Traore. Sub not used – R Bajic.
Sydney – C Bolton, S Keller, S Colosimo, K Kisel (S Corica 67), B Gan, J Aloisi, S Cole, A Brosque (S Ryall 86),
M Bridge (K Danning 55), Sung-Hwan Byun, R Grant. Sub not used – I Necevski.
Yellow Cards : Gold Coast – R Alves de Silva 7. Sydney – Nil.
Red Cards – Nil.
Referee – S Delovski. Crowd – 6,406 at Skilled Park.
North Queensland’s quest for their first A-League win was again thwarted in the closing stages when
a late equaliser got Brisbane Roar a 1-1 draw with the Fury at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The Fury burst out of the blocks, and it took just 7 minutes for them to open the scoring. A long ball
from James Robinson set up Robbie Fowler, and the former Liverpool striker had no trouble in guiding
the ball into the Roar net. And it could easily have been 2-0 had David Williams’ long range strike
gone in, but instead it bounced off the woodwork and Roar keeper Liam Reddy was able to diffuse
the danger.
But on the half hour, the complexion of the game changed. Paul Kohler had been warned by the
referee of repeated fouls, but not shown a yellow, when referee Matthew Breeze’s patience ran out
and a straight red was produced; leaving the home side a man down for the remainder of the match.
The Fury had been easily the best side in the first half, and deserved their 1-0 lead at the break. But
in the second half, the strain of being a man down began to take its toll and the Fury players were
visibly tiring in the warm and sticky conditions.
As the second half wore on, the Roar gradually increased their share of possession and created more
scoring opportunities. Finally on 84 minutes they broke through to level the scores, but there was a
large degree of luck in the goal. A strike from Sergio Van Dijk deflected off Mitch Nichols into the Fury
net.
North Queensland Fury 1 (R Fowler 7)
Brisbane Roar 1 (M Nichols 84).
Fury – J Pasfield, R Middleby, C Tadrosse, U Talay, R Fowler (F Agius 80), D Williams (D Daal 64), P Kohler (red
card 31), J Robinson, D McBreen (C Grossman 63), K Dodd, R Griffiths. Sub not used – P Henderson.
Roar – L Reddy, L De Vere, C Moore, D Dodd (J McCloughan 46), S Van Dijk, C Miller, M Mundy (M Nichols
71), Henrique, B Malcolm, D Tiatto, R Kruse (Reinaldo 61). Sub not used – G McMaster.
Yellow Cards : Fury – U Talay 57. Roar – D Dodd 5, C Miller 18, J McCloughan 70, Henrique 82, Reinaldo 82.
Red Cards : Fury – P Kohler 31.
Referee – M Breeze. Crowd – 7,173 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
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