Perth Glory Mid Season Report Card

The Football Sack team have put together a report card assessing each club's season to date. Do you agree with the grade we've given to our version six students?




Semester Summary
The season started superbly with a club record attendance on the opening day of the season for the visit of North Queensland Fury and new signing Robbie Fowler’s debut. Glory led the league after five rounds but has won just once since and they have slid right down the table to second from bottom. Coach Dave Mitchell was moved ‘upstairs’ and replaced by assistant Ian Ferguson but the change has done little to alter the fortunes of the most undisciplined side in the A-League. Crowds have dwindled at nib Stadium and, after reaching the playoffs last year, it’s safe to say that the club are going backwards.

Areas of Excellence
This is a real head scratcher as the whole team has been collectively awful, and no player is worthy of escaping criticism. As something of a cop out, I’ll say the away support as there has been a significant Perth presence at a lot of the away games over east. The recent defeat to Sydney was a prime example when the Shed on tour rather comfortably outsang the home supporters.

Areas in need of improvement
Everywhere. From the goalkeeper right through to the forward line, everybody needs to up their game. The side is littered with too many below par players who would struggle to cut it in the State League, never mind the nation’s top tier.

Top Students
It will be one of the hardest tasks of all time to pick the Most Glorious Player for the season, but there are two contenders who have at least put in a better shift than the rest of their teammates. Robbie Fowler has proven a worthy signing and at the time of writing he sites joint top of the goal scoring chart with seven goals. He may not have the legs anymore but his all round play has been good and it is beneficial for the youngsters to have him at the club. The other honourable mention goes to Scott Neville who has continued to grow into an excellent right back. The only concern is that Ferguson is relying too heavily on him and has deployed the Socceroos youth international out of position and centre half and in midfield on a number of occasions. It is important that he is allowed to learn one position and there’s no doubting his ability to excel.

Class Clowns
Where do you start? I imagine Glory training sessions to be a bit like that episode of The Simpsons where Homer enrols in clown college with the players trying to navigate loops on tiny tricycles. It would certainly explain on field performances and the inadequacies of the group are there for all to see. Naming names though, you can’t look any further than Naum Sekulovski. An average defender with an average left foot and an even worse mentality, the defender has been sent off twice in recent weeks for regular displays of idiocy. His partner in crime at the back, Jamie Coyne, must be making a career off his brother’s name as there is no way he is cut out for a regular spot in an A-League team. The next generation of liabilities is currently making its breakthrough in the form of Brent Griffiths. Booked in every game so far, he also has two red cards to his name, though when you consider that his skipper is the biggest hatchet man in the league then you may be tempted to sympathise a little bit.

Grade
What comes below F?

Outlook
Bleak. The recent win of Melbourne Victory was a pleasant surprise, but normal service has since been resumed. With suspensions and injuries mounting it’s hard to see where Glory’s next win will come from. As the defeats mount and the crowds get smaller and smaller will Tony Sage pack it in? Don’t be surprised.

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Condo's Weekly Wrap Beckham Mania Edition.

When David Beckham strolls into town it's always going to be big news. When he strolls into a town the size of Newcastle you can expect pandemonium to break loose.

Beckham and his Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy played our own Newcastle Jets at Energy Australia stadium on Saturday night. The Jets won the game but Becks once again won the footballing public over with not only his 90 minute display but his work off the pitch with the local kids of Newcastle. Love him or hate him, Becks is great for the game - a true professional and genuine superstar.

Adelaide hosted the Gold Coast on Friday night and kicked off proceedings with an absolute gem of a pass from Marco Flores. It had me scratching my head to think of a better pass in the short history of the A-League, a centimetre-perfect dink over the head of Kristian Rees put Paul Reid through and he smashed the ball into the back of the net. The equalizer was just as good from Bas van der Brink; a scorcher from 30m. Adelaide went on to win the match when Travis Dodd headed the ball onto his shin and into goal, a goal not worthy of the entrée served up

Victory traveled to Wellington and again looked a defensive blunder away from a thrashing. Luckily for Melbourne the Phoenix back four looked to have taken elephant strength sleeping pills at times and that was capatilised on by Robbie Kruse and Archie Thompson, the latter becoming the first player to reach 50 A-League goals. Paul Ifill showed his class by dragging a goal back late, but the points were shared with both teams now locked in a battle for sixth position.

Melbourne Heart hosted Sydney FC for the two teams' first meeting in due to this season's strange A-League fixturing. Melbourne's weather has been horrid of late and it didn't help either of these sides. A goal apiece disallowed in front of Hearts second lowest crowd. Lucky for viewers the Beckham show was on at the same tim.

The A-League's greatest ever team Brisbane Roar tore Central Coast Mariners apart on Sunday at Gosford in an awesome display. Costa Rican Solarzano scored twice, with Mitch Nichols and Reinaldo also got on the score sheet. An Alex Wilkinson own goal, his second big blunder at home in the past two games, along with a Danny McBreens Red card adding salt to the wound. Adam Kwasnik got his 5th goal for the season to give the Mariners some consolation but the Roar were far too quick, skillful and powerful and look well on the way to claiming their first title.

If you have been reading my column with any regularity you would have read the round one review on the Fury v Glory game in which I called them the two most exciting teams in the competition. Fast forward a few months and these two teams played again in Townsville but how things have changed. The Fury, whilst still capable of an outburst of excitment, prop up the table. The Glory are not too much higher. Robbie Fowler was up against his old A-League team and delivered the first goal with a delightful header. Four moments of madness, however, two a piece from Naum Sekulovski and Brent Griffiths, gave the Fury a two man advantage for close on half an hour - an advantage that the Fury were only able to score once from. Fowler had two blatant penalty shouts turned away and in the end the Glory were unlucky to only come away with the draw.

Hero of The Week

Marcos Flores and 'that pass' Flores chip for Adelaide's opening goal was as good a pass as you'll see anywhere in the world. Flores has been linked with a move to Japan once the January transfer window opens. Lets hope not only for Adelaide's sake but the A-League's that he stays put.

Villain of the Week

The Ref - Now I hate referee bashing, but the A-League referees dig their own hole by whistling at every chance when a player goes to ground in open play but when a foul in the box is committed its play on. It's like we're in Asia around the ground but find ourselves in England once inside the box.

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W-League: Sydney FC 1-2 Newcastle Jets

Last week I posed the question "who is going to be able to beat the juggernaut Sydney FC"? Well apparently it is Newcastle Jets!

This week’s televised fixture turned out to be a great game with a cracker of a finish.

Sydney were undefeated in their last 14 W-League matches and hot favourites against a Newcastle Jets side who were demolished at the hands of Brisbane the week prior. With nothing to lose and to everyone’s delight Newcastle came out to play.

The game was generally controlled by the well drilled Sydney side but their finishing let them down. Sydney were passing the ball around well using the whole field and had numerous chances on goal. But it was Leena Khamis’ individual effort of literally throwing a player off her back and skipping into the penalty box to score near post, past a surprised Newcastle defender and 'keeper. Newcastle still had a few chances of their own to also even up the score but the final shots were poor.

The second half started as intensively as the first; Sydney knew they had a game on their hands. Late in the second half Newcastle played their trump card in the form of U-17 Matilda Tara Andrews coming onto the field. From her very first touch on the ball all could tell she was a player to watch, and she didn’t disappoint.

In the 84th minute after a nice little passage of play Tara found herself in the 18yd box and with a second dig, the ball flew over the 'keepers head hitting the underside of the top crossbar and over the line for the equalizer.

Then, six minutes later on the 90th minute, Sydney’s goalkeeper Dimi Poulos made an unfortunate mistake. Trying to clear the ball whilst out of her 18yd box, the ball fell to Tara Andrews over the half way line. Tara looked up, saw the 'keeper not in position, and calmly blasted a 55 metre strike into the empty goal. 2-1 win to Newcastle.

Best for Newcastle were the Hawaiian Goalkeeper Allison Lipsher and Tara Andrews, while Leena Khamis and Kyah Simon had good touches for Sydney.

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W-League: Brisbane Roar 1-0 Perth Glory

A match where Brisbane Roar were the definite favourites nearly finished as a no thrills game devoid of action, but instead ended with a fairytale finish for Lisa De Vanna.

Roar were the better side over the entire match, having more control of the ball and field position. The very vocal coaches from the Perth Glory benches were happy to try and squeeze a point by holding Brisbane out to a draw, and only went forward via route-one - the long ball over the midfield.

For Brisbane the attacks were more central and did not really use the wide channels available to stretch their opposition defenses. Brisbane did have a few opportunities to score through built-up plays, while Perth only looked dangerous a few times in the entire game, mainly through Sam Kerr on the counter attack.

Late in the game Brisbane brought on Lisa De Vanna for her home debut (poetically against her former side) which lifted the crowd, but also changed their style of play. The Roar went long ball just trying to give Lisa the ball for her to touch it with magic. Unfortunately this became predicable play and easy to defend against and it did look like that the game would simply fizzle out to a scoreless draw.

But when all looked lost and journalists were wondering what they were going to write, the goal came. In the last minute of play a ball played behind the Perth defense by Kim Carroll was not read by Perth’s central defender and it was latched onto by the effervescent striker Lisa De Vanna. De Vanna calmly and securely slotted the ball home on the last kick of the day. 1-0 win to the Roar. And a befitting result for Lisa against her former club.

Best for Roar were Captain Clare Polkinghorne and Elise Kellond-Knight and for Perth their captain the stoic Tanya Oxtoby.

After this near draw and Sydney losing, the W-League girls have started to get their defenses right. This can only be good for the league.

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Classy Roar thrash Mariners to go 14 games unbeaten

Top of the table Brisbane Roar have sent out a warning to all would-be title contenders by thrashing the fourth placed Central Coast Mariners 5-1 in a one-sided clash at Bluetongue Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Another dominant performance from the league’s pacesetters has seen the Roar go nine games without defeat in Gosford, and 14 games unbeaten this season, setting a new Hyundai A-League record.

The classy passing game of the Roar that has become the talking point of the season was evident again, and Costa Rican import Solorzano put the A-League leaders in front in just the eighth minute after some slick build-up play. A great ball in behind the defence found Ivan Franjic and the right back squared to Nichols who drove a first time shot. Young Mariners ‘keeper Matt Ryan parried the first effort, but Solorzano was on hand to finish easily.

Brisbane’s dominance was again rewarded just two minutes later, with Solorzano netting his second of the game with a fierce drive from 20 yards. The Roar’s imports combined well, with German Thomas Broich laying the ball off to the Costa Rican who drove powerfully past Ryan.

A shell-shocked Mariners began to ease their way into the contest, and had their first chance after a good run from Matt Simon resulted in Oliver Bozanic scuffing a shot just wide.

Chances then fell to both Simon and Mckay, but Brisbane scored their third in the 24th minute after yet another intricate passing move that involved Mckay, Solorzano and Nichols resulted in the lively Franjic crossing invitingly for Nichols who smashed home.

The Mariners did however improve after the break, and managed to open their account soon after the restart in controversial style. A well timed run and finish from substitute Adam Kwasnik was clouded by Brisbane’s protests that Oliver Bozanic interfered whilst in an offside position. The goal stood nevertheless, and Brisbane youngster Luke De Vere picked up a booking for his protests.

This spurred Brisbane back into gear and had good chances denied only by some impressive goalkeeping from Matt Ryan.

Brazilian substitute Reinaldo did eventually net the Roar’s fourth in the 87th minute, cleaning up to finish after Ryan spilled Broich’s shot after a penetrating run from the German.

The Mariners’ miserable afternoon was compounded just a minute later when a desperately unlucky Alex Wilkinson dispatched a cross past his own ‘keeper into the net after pressure from Reinaldo. To add to Graham Arnold’s woes, he had striker Daniel McBreen sent off in stoppage time for a second bookable offence.

This clinical performance inspired by Brisbane’s imported contingent is sure to send chills down the spines of their next opponents, Melbourne Victory. The win cements first spot for the Roar, as well as an impressive Hyundai A-League record of 14 games unbeaten.

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Nine men Glory hold on

Nine men Perth Glory have held on for a one all draw after scoring first at Dairy Farmer's Stadium in a game full of chances this evening.

The bottom two sides have both had problems scoring goals, but from the outset both sides had great chances to add to their goals for column.

Just after the five minute mark the Glory were desperately unlucky to not get a penalty. Fowler cut inside Hughes in the box and there was clear contact between Fowler and the Fury defender as he left his feet. Referee Kris Griffith-Jones believed Hughes got some of the ball, however, and waved play on.

Five minutes later the former Fury captain Fowler was unlucky again. Perth won a free kick in a great position just outside the box and Robbie Fowler's curling free kick over the wall came crashing back off the crossbar with Pasfield frozen.

In the 23rd minute Fowler got the goal that had been coming from him. Baird whipped in a ball from the right and Fowler's header was inch perfect to clip the under side of the bar on its way over the line for his seventh goal of the season. The Glory striker was a long way out but he lifted his header perfectly over Pasfield's despairing dive.

The Fury weren't lying down however, and the Glory's 18-year-old debutant Risdon was forced into a great goal line clearance after Velaphi dropped a cross under heavy pressure from the Fury frontmen.

The Glory promptly went down the other end and only a brilliant Pasfield save stopped Fowler from grabbing his second after a good cutback into the six yard box. Fowler's predatory instincts got him in front of his marker at the near post and good contact on the football, but Pasfield's recovery was brilliant and he somehow held on to defuse what looked like a certain goal.

The chances continued to come into the last minutes of the half. Osama Malik was inches from connecting with a Ufuk Talay free kick with a diving header that would have levelled the score, but his brave effort was thwarted by a last ditch foot by Baird.

With two minutes left in the half the Fury had an even better chance. Daal got himself on the end of a simple back-to-front long ball but he smashed his half volley over without testing Velaphi. It was a good chance and he should have done better.

Somehow halftime came with only the one goal, despite a plethora of chances.

The second half started identically to the first, with Fowler being denied a clear penalty. The Glory front man reacted quickly to get on the end of a poor backpass and was promptly bundled over by the recovering Hughes. The referee was once again not interested.

Moments later the Glory were even less impressed with Griffiths-Jones. Williams skipped around Naum Sekulovski on the right and the Glory man quickly halted William's progress. Griffith-Jones waved Sekulovski his second yellow and he was on his way.

In the immediate aftermath the Fury began to press with real purpose. Malik nodded just over from another good delivery by Talay. Talay himself was the next to go close. His free kick was sneaking inside the near post by Velaphi flew to the rescue to push it wide with his left glove.

The game was beginning to heat up, despite the rain, and the two sides clashed after a mid-air collision between Velaphi and Malik. What happened next did little to soothe the atmosphere. Glory defender Brent Richards kicked the ball away after the whistle had gone and was shown a second yellow card for his efforts.

Perth had half an hour to hang onto their lead with nine men.

The Fury continued to press and first Payne then Williams had shots deflected just wide. The Fury were now queuing up and Perth couldn't get out of their half.

With ten minutes to go the Fury finally cracked it. This time Talay's corner went far post and Hughes was on hand to head past Velaphi in torrential rain.

The Fury continued to press but couldn't find a way past the desperate Glory in the time remaining and it finished one each. The Glory will feel hard done by the referee, but showed real character to hold on for a point. The Fury had plenty of chances but will need to begin to finish them to climb off the bottom.

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Beckham wins hearts in Galaxy loss

David Beckham and his Galaxy side crashed to their second defeat to A-League opponents, going down 2-1 to the Newcastle Jets in the Qantas Challenge on Saturday night.

The streets of Newcastle were more like Hollywood in the lead up to the match this week as most hotels booked out and media flooded into New South Wales' second largest city.

Local newspaper and radio saturated the Hunter with 'Becksmania' in the lead up to the Galaxy’s arrival, which included a month long ‘Becks watch’, while the name ‘David Beckham’ was hot on the tongue of every Novocastrian.

Once in town, the Galaxy players checked out the city ranked ninth on Lonely Planet’s top 10 cities for 2011 and mingled with locals on Darby Street and at a kids coaching clinic run by the players.

Australian celebrities, including Silverchair, booked their seats for the match, while speculation over the state of the pitch added to the hype of the estimated 2 million dollar match organised by Nathan Tinkler.

The community kept their end of the bargain as a full house of 23,317 turned out at EnergyAustralia Stadium to witness the star studded event that will be a once in a life time chance for some.

A match billed to entertain, Landon Donovan delivered almost instantly when he got the scoring underway after some confusion between Jets’ players Taylor Regan and Matthew Nash in the seventh minute.

The soft goal didn’t deter the Jets as they shaded the first half’s play and pulled a goal back courtesy of a clinical strikers’ finish from Sasho Petrovski in the 39th minute.

Labinot Haliti sealed the win for the Jets in the 52nd minute when he collected a through ball from Kasey Wehrman and easily brushed aside his marker to slam the ball in the back of the net.

While lacking the intensity of a competition match, there was still plenty of passes to admire and emotions to meander through with several players from both sides going close to scoring on a number of occasions.

Beckham showed glimpses of his best throughout the match and went close to scoring when he sent an outside of the foot shot whizzing past the far post in the first half.

The fact that Beckham lasted the entire 90 minutes carrying a back injury was a testament to his character and determination as a person.

Beckham conducted himself as an absolute professional and gentleman in the post-match press conference where he revealed that in normal circumstances he would not have played; the toll of the match visibly evident as he limped out of the room after the interview.

While the performance wasn't spectacular, the form from David Beckham all-round was vintage as he threw his playing shirt into the crowd at full time, the true entertainer leaving a warm and lasting impression on the Hunter community.

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2-2 draw for Victory and Phoenix

Wellington Phoenix hosted Melbourne Victory on a sunny afternoon, and it was largely an even match. 6421 saw the Phoenix draw 2-2 at home in a what was a good match to watch for the neutral fan.

Archie Thompson provided some good early movement off the ball, something the Victory will be thankful to have once again in the starting line-up.

On 6 minutes, Tim Brown had the first chance of the match, only needing to slot home after successfully rounding the keeper. His powerful shot hit the side netting.

The second chance for Phoenix came in the 14th, Brown with a well aimed pass left to right finding Ifill, who was only able to find the 'keepers hands, despite a decent effort. Thompson

Tim Brown was again in the action, whose strike opened the scoring on 18 minutes. After some excellent one-touch football from the Phoenix, Brown put a decisive shot past Michael Petkovic.

Archie Thompson found his 50th A-League goal on 20 minutes, leveling the scores by linking well with Carlos Hernandez on the right of the box. Thompson coolly hit home for Melbourne to make the score 1-1.

The second part of the first half went in favour of Melbourne. Both sides had several chances, but it was the Victory who broke the deadlock before halftime. Robbie Kruse tapped in to complete a well crafted goal in the 40th. Hernandez chipped a ball wide to Celeski, who passed across the face of goal for Kruse.

The opening of the second half provided Victory with continued pressure. For Phoenix, Leo Bertos was substituted on 55 minutes for a fresh Nick Ward, with Greenacre coming on 4 minutes later for Daniel. Whilst Wellington looked more likely, neither substitution immediately impacted the scoreline.

Robbie Kruse was seemingly shoved in the face by a fast moving Manny Muscat, which was missed by the referee, and may be subject to the Match Review Panel.

A yellow card to Angulo on 74 minutes for a deliberate hand ball led to a Nick Ward free-kick in a dangerous area. The set piece came to nothing, however, and the play quickly headed down the other end of the pitch once more.

In the final 15 minutes it was Wellington who piled on the pressure, with several shots on goal, and large amounts of possession.

Thompson and Kruse were taken off in quick succession (81st and 83rd), replaced by Pondeljak and Dugandvic.

A moment of brilliance from Paul Ifill in the 84th brought the scoreline back to even. An individual run down the right finished off with a good strike had the Phoenic fighting in the dying stages of the match. But it was to stay 2-2, an apt result for both teams.

Wellington Phoenix: M Paston, M Muscat, T Brown, L Bertos, P Ifill, Daniel, J Musa, T Hearfield, J North, V Lia, A Durante (c)

Subs: D Vukovic, N Ward, C Greenacre, M Rojas

Melbourne Victory: M Petcovic, K Muscat (c), L Broxham, G Brebner, A Thompson, M Angulo, R Vargas, B Celeski, C Hernandez, R Kruse, A Leijer

Subs: S Mattei, M Dugandzic, D Ferreira, T Pondeljak

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Reds return to form with smart display

In a clash that would provide continued momentum for either side Adelaide United prevailed two goals to one over the in-form Gold Coast United in the Round 16 Hyundai A-League opener at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Both sides came into the encounter with unbeaten records as Adelaide had not lost a match at home whilst Gold Coast United had not lost a match on the road. Gold Coast United were without first choice goalkeeper Glen Moss as Scott Higgins stepped in between the posts whilst, at the top of the park, 23 year old Socceroos striker Bruce Djite returned to cover for the injured Joel Porter.

Adelaide though returned to form which had deserted the Reds in recent weeks with a very tactically assured, very compact display that will stand them in good stead going into the second half the season.

Reds Captain Travis Dodd is returning to form in the second half of the season and fired Adelaide to the win in the second half with an excellent headed goal which was laid on by the precocious young talent, Iain Ramsay.

The tyro has been slowly improving form in the last month building on an already very solid foundation of pace, trickery and the element of the unknown in his game. Now that he is being better understood by opponents, Ramsay’s trajectory has not diminished as last night’s performance would attest. His crosses into the box were a feature throughout and indeed his contribution from a wide position provided the match winner for Rini Coolen’s rampant Reds outfit as Dodd headed home from 6 yards

Adelaide opened the scoring on ten minutes through an excellent piece of play between Paul Reid and Marcos Flores; two men which unlocked eleven. Reid played it from a holding position to Flores who had his back to goal. The Argentine held the ball up, superbly evading the attention of Bas van den Brink, whilst Reid continued his run unchecked into the box. Flores peeled left drawing centre half Kristian Rees out of position to block the run, leaving Reid advancing into the box all alone. Flores, without looking, chipped the ball onto a five cent piece for Reid to smash home on the half-volley. Stand in ‘keeper Higgins could only look on as Reid wheeled away celebrating one of the goals of the season.

Van den Brink atoned later in the half when he fired Gold Coast back into the match from distance with a superb shot into the roof of Socceroos ‘keeper Eugene Galekovic’s goal. Gold Coast were back in the match at half time.

In the second half, Adelaide retained shape and built further momentum in front of an adoring Hindmarsh crowd, taking all three points through Travis Dodd late on.

Coolen was full of praise for his chargers who trail Hyundai A-League leaders Brisbane Roar by three points with a match in hand.

“We can only be happy with the points we needed” said Coolen smilingly.

“Tactically we were perfect, keeping the ball well”.

Adelaide have a difficult trip to New Zealand in eight days time whilst the Gold Coast will host North Queensland Fury in a midweek match up at Skilled Stadium.

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Clare Polkinghorne: Round Four

After notching up our first win of the season there is a spring in the step of all the Roar girls at training that has been somewhat ‘missing’ over the first few weeks of the season.

Last weekend's game against Newcastle was the perfect opportunity for us to gain some confidence and put some goals in the back of the net. Coming off a loss and a draw in the first two rounds, the pressure was on us to take our first 3 point win of the season and to start gaining momentum heading into the middle of the season. Although we came away with the win, we know that as a team there is still a lot for us to work on. At the same time we are improving every game, which is what any team wants.


Round 4 is set up to be a cracker of a game with Perth sitting just one point below us on the table. Perry Park (Brisbane) will host the clash on Saturday at 4pm. The likes of Collette McCallum, Katie Gill and Sam Kerr will be on show, making the Perth outfit a very formidable force with strengths all over the pitch. Shutting these three players down is key for the Roar being successful against the Glory.

We are looking to continue from where we left off against Newcastle and take control of the game from the first whistle. What ever happens, it is sure to be an electrifying game to watch.


It has been an exciting week for the women at Roar, not only with the return to action of our newest signing Lisa De Vanna, but we also see the return of Lauren Colthorpe who has arrived home from a stint in Denmark. Lisa is looking forward to playing her old club this weekend after her 20 minute cameo last weekend, where she came on, earned a penalty kick and finished in fine fashion. No doubt we’ll see a very determined Lisa out there on Saturday.

Lauren has returned home and is looking to settle back into life in Australia and earn her starting spot for the Roar. Lauren is highly experience and will add some spark to the Roar squad. It is great to see two Westfield Matildas back in action in the W-League.


Players to watch this week are Tameka Butt, who is looking extremely sharp in training sessions and has managed to score in each of our first three games. Kim Carroll will be a key player in defence trying to keep Gill and Kerr quiet and of course Lisa, who is doing a good job at pumping us up for the clash on Saturday.

Hope to see you out at Perry Park on Saturday for a 4pm kickoff!

Clare is a girl with a strong passion for football and the womens game in particular. Captain of W-League side Brisbane Roar, Clare is also a current Matilda. Catch the W-League every week at your local ground, or if you cant make the game live on ABC1. To read Clare's other columns for The Football Sack, click here!

Clare is a girl with a strong passion for football and the womens game in particular. Captain of W-League side Brisbane Roar, Clare is also a current Matilda. Catch the W-League every week at your local ground, or if you cant make the game live on ABC1. To read Clare's other columns for The Football Sack, click here!

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Becks to get shirt off for charity

For all those women (and men) who have been dying to get David Beckham’s shirt off, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is after the Newcastle Jets’ announced Beckham and a host of other players competing in Saturday’s Qantas Challenge will put their match jerseys up for auction, with all proceeds going to charity.

Along with Beckham, the likes of Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle, Tarek Elrich and Ben Kantarovski will also put their match jerseys to public bid in what has been described by the club as a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The jerseys will be auctioned on Ebay with the bidding opening today, Thursday 25th November, at 12pm (AEDT) and will close Tuesday 30th November 12pm (AEDT), all proceeds are to be donated to the Jets’ charity partner, Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI).

Director of the Hunter Medical Research Institute, Professor Maree Gleeson, spoke to the media about the Jets’ commitment to kicking community goals off the park.

“Today’s announcement truly confirms the Newcastle Jets’ dedication and commitment to improving our community. The club and its management team are an asset to the Hunter.

“Every cent raised from the auction will be invested directly into medical research leading to improved health of people not only here in the Hunter but around the world".

For those intending to bid, all Ebay jersey listings will be featured on the Newcastle Jets’ website from 12pm Thursday.

Full list of match jerseys to be auctioned.

Newcastle Jets:
#4 Nikolai Topor-Stanley
#6 Ben Kantarovski
#7 Kasey Wehrman
#10 Ruben Zadkovich
#11 Tarek Elrich
#18 Marko Jesic

LA Galaxy:
#23 David Beckham
#10 Landon Donovan
#14 Edson Buddle
#4 Omar Gonzalez
#1 Donovan Ricketts
#6 Eddie Lewis

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No surprises as Roar see off Glory

It was an action packed game at Suncorp Stadium tonight as Brisbane Roar saw off a plucky Perth Glory side 3-2.

There was very little missing from the 90 minutes including two penalties, a red card and a serious contender for Goal of the Season.

It was a special day for Massimo Murdocca who was playing his milestone 100th game for the Roar, and he was buzzing in the middle of the park as his side enjoyed the majority of the possession.

Despite their domiance, Brisbane didn’t open the scoring until four minutes before half time when striker Juan Carlos Solorzano scored from an angle at the second attempt.

The hosts doubled their lead on 58 minutes when defender Matt Smith, who was an injury doubt going into the game, scored from a corner.

Glory were handed a lifeline just after the hour when they were awarded a penalty for deliberate handball against . Robbie Fowler, who had just come onto the field as a substitute, stepped up to convert with his first touch.

However, their hope lasted less than ten minutes as Scott Neville took down Solorzano in the area and again referee Matthew Gillett pointed to the spot. Having only been booked moments earlier, Neville was given his marching orders and to add insult to injury, the Roar striker fired past Velaphi for his second of the game.

The ten men persevered and managed to find the net again with seven minutes remaining. Adriano Pellegrino picked the ball up 25 yards from goal, took a touch and fired a stunning swerving effort that gave Theoklitos no chance as it flew into the top corner.

It wasn’t to be for the West Australians though as, with 91 minutes on the clock, Josh Mitchell was shown a straight red card for a foul on Reinaldo.

Brisbane could, and probably should, have added to their three goals late on but a combination of poor finishing and superb goalkeeping from Tando Velaphi kept the score at 3-2.

Brisbane Roar: M Theoklitos, M Smith, L DeVere, I Franjic, E Paartalu, K Barbarouses, M Murdocca, J C Solorzano, M McKay, T Broich, M Susak.

Subs: A Redmayne, Reinaldo, M Mundy, M Nichols.

Perth Glory: T Velaphi, S Neville, J Coyne, N Sekulovski, T Amphlett, H Fondyke, J Burns, T Howarth, B Jelic, A Jukic.

Subs: A Vrteski, R Fowler, A Pellegrino, S McGarry.

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Jets sneak home equaliser

The Newcastle Jets have salvaged a draw in injury time against their A-league rivals, the Central Coast Mariners, at Energy Australia Stadium tonight.

It took the Jets 91 minutes to equalise and extend their unbeaten run to four matches going into their much-anticipated game against David Beckham's LA Galaxy.

The Jets were staring down the barrel of a home defeat after Matt Simon threaded the needle in the 49th minute.

The evergreen Central Coast striker loves nothing more than an F3 derby, and when a miss kick from Ben Kantarovski rebounded off Mustafa Amini and landed at the feet of Simon, he must of thought all his Christmases had come at once.

Simon extended his tally to five goals this season.

The Jets scratched and clawed home the equaliser through out of favour substitute, Sasho Petrovski, after the Central Coast failed to clear a long throw from Nikolai Topor-Stanley.

Unfortunately for the Jets, their injury woes deepen.

After losing captain Ljubo Milicevic and their star import, Francis Jeffers, in the first half, the Jets were facing an uphill battle against their better-placed rivals.

Jeffers aggravated a niggling groin injury, whilst Milicevic didn’t return after the break after injuring his ankle late in the first half.

But that wasn't all for the Jets, keeper Ben Kennedy limped off just before full time after a physical mix up in the box.

It's fair to say the injuries took the edge off the Jets, after providing the 7730 strong crowd with plenty to cheer about in the first half.

Matt Simons finish was somewhat clinical, and oozed of experience from the Central Coast stalwart. But they too lacked the x-factor to take bragging rights back to the Coast.

For me, it was great to see such a jubilant and passionate crowd.

It's not easy to summon over 7000 spectators to any sporting event on a Wednesday night, particularly when the majority of fans are saving their vocal cords for the arrival of Beckham later in the week.

It's positive for the A-league to see this rivalry flourish, not only for the supporters of these two inter-connected smallish towns, but also because it takes the sting out of the more well known derby's that get the majority of media attention.

Culina and his men only have two days to prepare for the arrival of the Galaxy.

Despite this match having no bearing whatsoever on the A-league standings, the result will be a good yardstick for the standard of the A-league.

Yes, the Jets are under strength, however, the Galaxy are done for the year, and are probably still recovering from mad Monday. So, perhaps the two sides will meet on level terms.

The Mariners now return to Bluetongue to take on Sydney FC. Although the Mariners position on the ladder would assume favouritism, a sleepy Sydney is not someone you want to take lightly.

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Clare Polkinghorne: Introduction

Clare Polkinghorne: 21 years old

Position: Midfielder

Team: Brisbane Roar; Captain

Matildas: 41 caps

Off the field I am a uni student, studying Psychology/Criminology at Griffith University. I live in Brisbane with my mum, dad and two brothers. On the field I am just a girl who has a passion for the game, playing for the same reasons as any other girl who plays football. A game that offers so much, presenting opportunities that would not otherwise be presented. So how did the journey start?

I first began playing football at the age of 5 in my older brothers team. Back then it was rare to see girls playing football. At that time I was unable to register for a team because I was too young but I would go along to watch my brother and would always be my dad (who was the team manager) to put me on for the last 5 minutes of the game. From my first 5 minutes as a 5-year-old girl, I fell in love with the sport. I continued to play club and eventually played through primary and high school. I represented Met East in the schools competition and made my first QLD state team in Year 6.

Dreams became a reality when I made my debut for the Young Matildas (U20’s) and eventually the Westfields Matildas on June 19, 2006. I was the 140^th woman to put on the green and gold and represent the Matildas. My first international competition was the FIFA U20 Women’s World Championships 2006, held in Russia. As a 17 year old, competing in a world event only fuelled the fire for bigger and better things. The next year, 2007, I was shocked but ecstatic to be selected in the Matildas World Cup squad for the FIFA Women’s World Cup held in China. This experience is one that I will never forget, as I was a part of Australia’s first ever win at a Women’s World Cup as well as the Matildas most successful World Cup, reaching the quarter finals, losing to Brazil.

Another memorable moment as part of the Westfield Matildas came at this year’s Asian Cup in China, where we won Australia’s first piece of silverware for football, by winning the Asian Cup and qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany 2011. This result has seen our ranking reach number 11 in the world, with the Top 10 in our sights. The recent success of the Westfield Matildas can be greatly attributed to the Westfields W-League, a national competition giving women the opportunity to show their skill and passion for the game on a weekly basis.

The resurgence of a women’s national league in Australia has seen the Westfields W-League become one of the most exciting new prospects for Women's sport in Australia. To be apart of the W-League since its first season is something that many of the girls are extremely proud of and we are happy that we have the opportunity to promote the women’s game in our own backyard and encourage all those young girls to pursue their dreams.

With the third season of the Westfield W-League season under way, I will take you behind the scenes of the Brisbane Roar team – how we prepare for games, our training week, our thoughts on the previous weeks game as well as insight into us women off the pitch.

Clare is a girl with a strong passion for football and the womens game in particular. Captain of W-League side Brisbane Roar, Clare is also a current Matilda. Catch the W-League every week at your local ground, or if you cant make the game live on ABC1. To read Clare's other columns for The Football Sack, click here!

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W-League: Rumblings at Roar

Some interesting events happening at Brisbane.

In Brisbane Roars last game at Wanderers Oval against Newcastle, in the 71st minute, who should come on the field and claim a spot kick before duly dispatching the ball into the back of the net? A one Lisa De Vanna.

In a surprise move Lisa is playing for the Roar this season. The Matildas striker is coming back from injury (broken ankle) and still has some recuperation to go but that didn’t stop her from taking the field last weekend and scoring.

Lisa, who played her early years in South Australia, also plays for Washington Freedom in the U.S Professional League. She was born and built her football career in Western Australia, and has said “Perth is always going to be home for me but it is not where my heart is at the moment…” Roar play Perth this weekend so it should be interesting for Lisa.

The match kicks off in Brisbane at Perry Park, Bowen Hills this Sunday at 4pm.

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W-League: The Juggernaut called Sydney FC

Who is going to stop Sydney?

The Sydney FC girls are looking quite sweet. Coach Alen Stajcic certainly has his players humming and their results show it.

On paper Canberra United are a team who should be a prospect. With arguably the best defensive lineup in the competition featuring fabulous central defenders Ellie Brush and Caitlin Cooper, wing defenders Ellyse Perry and Lyndsay Glohe along with 'keeper Lydia Williams at the back not to mention Sally Shipard holding in front, Canberra should do well.

But the combination's up front don’t look completed.

They certainly have the quality there but as yet I don’t feel they are combining well enough. As opposed to Sydney, who’s pointy front end who looks quite well drilled and working as one. These two are yet to play each other.

Brisbane Roar have played Sydney and lost 4-2 in the first game. But Brisbane will come back and will certainly be a threat to Sydney when the finals are played. I feel they will only improve over the short W-League season.

Maybe the only other team to trouble Sydney on the day could be Melbourne Victory who do have some quality over the field and may, as can happen with soccer, cause an upset. Let good football play and time will tell.

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The Unbearable Lightness Of Being John O'Shea

(Click the comic to enlarge)

John O'Shea is just great, isn't he? All those trophies, the winning goal in front of the Kop and a delicate chip at Highbury that surprised no one more than Johnny himself. Truly, his has had the career of an Eric Cantona, achieved with the talent of a Phil Neville.

He's also played literally every position on the pitch for Manchester United, including a spell between the pipes during which he saved a one-on-one from Robbie Keane. You might think that his versatility has been the only thing that's kept him at Old Trafford all this time, but the likes of Quinton Fortune and the aforementioned Neville have been shown the door in spite of their utility. I like to think that O'Shea is well aware of his technical limitations, and makes up for it by baking cookies for the backroom staff. Or something similarly wholesome.

The idea for this comic came from a conversation with UFJamesT on Twitter, so thanks must go to him for his help. If you'd like to follow me on Twitter you can do so here. I'd particularly like to hear from anyone who can think of a less talented player than John O'Shea but who's enjoyed a more glittering career. If you want to peek at some more stick figures on A4 paper, I'd love to see you over at my Things Fall Apart webcomic.

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Ready, Set, Mo!

The Football Sack’s mo-ment of truth has finally arrived. Many hours have been spent itching, combing, petting, plucking and styling as our Mo Bro’s finetuned their handsome lip-ticklers to change the face of men’s health.

There was many highs, and of course, the odd low. Most experienced higher levels of interest from females of 18th Century Nordic and Slavic backgrounds, while others, ironically, ran into trouble with the law when slowing to 40km/h in school zones.

More importantly, our moustache sporting gentlemen have raised some much needed cash for men’s health, even if it did cost one of them some shifts at Toys ‘R’ Us this month. Without further adieu, The Football Sack is proud to present our pin-up boys for Movember.

Neil Sherwin DONATE	Chris Hills DONATE
Michal Roucek DONATE	Christian Layland DONATE

While the battle is nearly run, the war is far from over. Do your bit for men’s health by simply casting a mo-te in the poll for the ‘mo you think should claim ‘Moustache Supremacy’. The winning ‘mo takes home a prize pool of cash to donate to the Movember Australia Foundation. Tell your mates and encourage everyone to get involved; lets face it, the mo the merrier!


While deciding on your vote, The Football Sack extends an invitation to enjoy a video made for this month’s ‘Moscars’. You can see the rest of the entries here.

Even Old Spice has got in on the action.

Now get back to voting!

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Condo's Weekly Wrap

Its been five straight days of A-League football stretching back to Wednesday last week when the resurgent Jets took on the mighty Roar at Energy Australia motor park. The Jets have hit a purple patch and over 7,000 fans to a midweek match is testament to how quickly new owner Nathan Tinkler has turned this football club around. Results are helping as well. The Jets took it to the ever impressive Roar and came away with a point that a few weeks ago would have looked like mission impossible.

In contrast, Melbourne Victory's lowest ever crowd of 9,674 saw the Thursday night game against the flying Mariners at AAMI Park. I have narrowed the reasons down to three for this decline in crowds:

1. Victory fans have gone soft, Having been a custom to a stadium with a roof, a few rain drops have frightened the navy side of Melbourne.

2. Victory's Jekyll and Hyde performances have finally tipped their fans over the edge. OR

3. The A-league fixturing is rubbish.

Football fans generally are creatures of habits. If fans know they are going to be playing every second Friday (or Saturday/Sunday) they can plan their lives around it and will turn up. As it stands games are played Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, constant fixture checks are essential.

Anyway, back to the football.

The Victory were horrible in patches and great in others. The Mariners are the Mariners. They are the Adam Sandler's of the A-League; hardly what you call entertainers but they get the job done.

"Adelaide win in Melbourne" is not a headline that we've seen in a few years but the Reds did exactly that on Friday night with a clinical hit and run away display.

Adelaide scored early then parked the bus for 80 odd minutes before scoring again late on in the game to secure a well deserved three points. The highlight of the game for me was the wonderful step over skills shown by captain Lucas Pantelis before going down in a screaming heap after either tripping over his own feet or being shot by a sniper. Thankfully no bullets were found and Pantelis was able to continue with only his pride hurt.

The Jets were at it again at home against the Phoenix, This time 12,000 plus were at Energy Australia dirt track to see Marko Jesic score his third goal in three games to lift the Jets into striking distance of the top six.

The Jets welcome David Beckham's L.A. Galaxy next Saturday and a crowd of over 20,000 is in reach.

The Fury flew south to Brisbane on Saturday night and nearly pulled off the upset of the season with the go-ahead goal coming after 9 minutes (I solemnly swear never to use the phrase 'go-ahead goal' ever again) David Williams the provider, Edds the goal scorer. Now bear with me for a minute because I might have mentioned this before, but Williams MUST be in Holger Osieks Asian Cup squad. He is a gem. In the end the Roar showed why they will finish the season looking down on the rest with the equalizer from Ivan Franjic with five minutes to go.

Sydney were at home at Parramatta Stadium to Perth Glory. The Killer B's were back for the Sky Blues and made the world of difference with Perth unable to contain the runs of Brosque and Bridge, who comfortably lead Sydney to a 2-zip win. Brosque was at his uninjured best, scoring one and setting up another. Sydney are now only 4 points off sixth placed Victory.

Sundays game saved the best for last, a five goal cracker at Bluetongue Stadium between the Central Coast Mariners (playing their third game in eight days) and the Gold Coast. The Mariners probably could have had the game sewn up at half time but chances went begging and when you let Steve Pantelidis score you really don't deserve the three points. In the end a dreadful mistake by the ever reliable Mariners captain Alex Wilkinson saw Gold Coast pinch the game 3-2.

Now by my reckoning that's 18 goals over 7 games in 5 days.

Some quality football with some horrible defending thrown in - with more than a pinch of entertainment.

Hero Of The Week

Hard to pick one this week, with no real standout. Shannon Cole's somersault deserved a mention, the Jets crowd are also of note, and the Roar's 'brand of football' deserves a mention too.

Iain Ramsey's audacious chip would have been the winner had it crossed the line.

Villain of the week

Defensive mistakes to Alex Wilkinson, Michael Petkovic weren't a great look for the standard of the game, Wilkinson gets off with a reprimand, Petkovic now fits into the serial offender category.

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W-League: Canberra vs Melbourne ends 1-1

Canberra United was at home to Melbourne Victory on Saturday which turned into a good clash between the pair. It was all Melbourne for the first five minutes but as can happen in soccer it was Canberra who scored first.

Canberra secured a corner kick which they promptly took short, surprising the Melbourne defence. The ball was crossed in, patted down in front of Caitlin Cooper who durably touched then smacked the ball towards goal taking a ricochet into the net.

Melbourne poured on the pressure with numerous shots on goal and balls into the 18yard box with a few hitting the crossbar with Canberra co-captain and keeper Lydia Williams parrying some nice saves over the top.

In the 35th minute English import Jodie Taylor showed great tenacity to keep the ball in play and was nearly rewarded with a goal, but Canberra didn’t fade also applying pressure, and without Melbourne and Matildas Captain Mellissa Barbieri (ankle injury) one would think Melbourne were at a disadvantage.

To everyone’s surprise (except Melbourne) the 15 year old keeper Brianna Davey stood tall and denied any more goals. 1-0 halftime and even though Canberra were leading Melbourne were slightly the better team.

The second half started as the first finished - with plenty of nice football played by both sides. The centre back pairing of Ellie Brush and Caitlin Cooper were safe, reliable and steadfast for Canberra. The game looked as though the two teams were even but Canberra seemed destined to get away with the win when lo and behold with only seconds left in extra time the tallest player in the league, Maika Ruyter-Hooley nodded a corner kick into the back of the net. A 1-1 stalemate was the final result.

Best for Canberra was Sally Shipard anchoring the midfield, the sleek wing defender Ellyse Perry playing forward as much as possible and in the second half Emily Van Egmond.

Best for Melbourne was US import Kendall Fletcher, UK import Jodie Taylor upfront, Snez Veljanovska and stepping up in goal Brianna Davey. Melbourne certainly look the goods for a fourth placed finish this year. The only female coach in the league Vicki Linton should be proud of her girls.

Other results for this round were Brisbane Roar defeating Newcastle Jets 4-0 while Sydney continued their great form against Adelaide United with a comprehensive 4-1 win. Perth Glory had the bye.

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Brosque hits home on his 100th

Alex Brosque put today's game beyond doubt, scoring his 5th goal of the season. It was his 100th appearance in Sky Blue colours, and he was pleased with his strike.

"Just to get a get a goal is always good. But on a day like today, personally, and for the team more importantly we needed the points and it was good to have got them" said Brosque.

"It wasn't pretty, two teams really battling to get into the six and it was always going to be that sort of match. But we had to keep calm and push forward - keep pressing, keep trying things - and we did that.

"Once we got that goal it opened up a bit and we were able to get a second one".

Sydney now sit in 10th place on the table, but their recent results point to a revival in their season hopes, and Brosque agrees.

"If you look at the last 5 games we picked up a fair few points, so there is belief within the team that we can go on and have a go at it. It's just, we're not in that position at the moment, obviously - and the ladder doesn't lie" he said.

And on the subject of the team's tradition last season of lining up in front of the Cove and joining in a cheer at the end of a win, which has been missing this season to date, Terry McFlynn stated:

"If we keep winning for sure we'll have to [bring it back]".

Coach Vitezslav Lavicka also had an opinion on this.

"We need to improve many things maybe - this is one of them " he said - in jest.

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Understrength Gold Coast edge Mariners

Gold Coast United have grabbed all three points in a smash and grab thriller at Bluetongue, scoring three goals to two to end the Mariners' unbeaten home record.

The game started quickly, with each side getting a good chance early on. First Culina side footed tamely to the keeper from a good position inside the box, then Daniel McBreen headed narrowly wide for Central Coast.

The early action was favouring the Mariners and they nearly went ahead via the toe of Gold Coast centreback Kristian Rees after a dangerous ball across the six yard box.

Just before the fifteen minute mark the home side really should have been ahead. Wilkinson curled a perfect cross into the six yard box, this time from the right, and Matt Simon somehow contrived to knee wide when it looked easier to score.

Amini was the next Mariner to have a strike on goal. His strike from 20 yards was well hit but too near to Moss, who gathered comfortably after an initial juggle.

The Gold Coast were struggling to keep the ball in the Mariners' half, and the home side were able to easier pick the pocket of isolated Gold Coast players.

Michael McGlinchy was again influential for the Mariners, and on the half hour mark he tested his All Whites colleague in goal for the Gold Coast with a powerful strike off his left from just outside the area. Moss was up to the task and beat the strike away well.

Moss came to the Gold Coast's rescue superbly again five minutes later. The Mariners strolled forwards and Amini found himself alone with Moss after a deflection off a Gold Coast toe. He put his foot through it but the keeper flung up a hand and pushed the strike just over the bar.

Despite all the pressure from the home side it looked like the game might drift to half time without a goal, but with five minutes left in the half Josh Rose and Simon combined to give the Central Coast a deserved lead.

Fullback Rose burst onto a good ball in behind the visitor's defensive line and Simon was able to steer in his well weighted cross at full stretch. The home side were one up, and looking good for their lead.

The Gold Coast had barely been in the match in an attacking sense, but minutes later they were bizarrely level. A Jason Culina corner wasn't well dealt with and it fell to the unlikely boot of Djulbic, whose snap shot flew into the top of the net to deflate the Mariners right before the half time break.

Things nearly got even worse for the Mariners just five minutes after the break. Taj Minniecon found himself one on one with Matt Ryan after a chaotic attempt at playing the offside trap by the Mariners. He had all the time in the world but somehow blazed high and wide. The replay showed there might have been a bobble just before he struck it, but it was a bad miss regardless.
Moss was on hand to make another save from a good strike from McGlinchy not long after as the Mariners struggled to pull themselves back into the lead.

The game drifted into a stalemate soon after, with neither side able to produce the quality required to change the game, and the silence of the crowd was testament to that.

The Bluetongue crowd were back in full voice soon after as their side almost managed to bundle the ball home after a goalmouth scramble, but a combination of Moss again and a crowd of players managed to keep it out.

After 70 minutes the Gold Coast were back to their old tricks of scoring goals against the run of play. Robson floated the ball into the box and Pantelidis was on hand at the far post to smash home the loose second ball. 2-1.

It took less than a minute for the Mariners to strike back. Supersub Kwasnik leapt on poor positioning from Djulbic at the back from a Mariners long ball to skip around Moss and slide home another goal off the bench. Moss thought Kwasnik had nudged Djulbic as they competed for the long ball, but the goal stood.

The goal rush wasn't quite finished. This time it was Alex Wilkinson making an uncharacteristic mistake at the back. His control on the chest was heavy and Barisic, another substitute, pounced on the loose ball and finished coolly to put the Gold Coast back into the lead.

Three goals in four minutes, and the Mariners somehow found themselves battling to preserve their unbeaten home record after cruising at half time.

The Mariners continued to push but the Gold Coast closed the game out well to snare a valuable three points in a game the Mariners will be disappointed to lose after they should have been out of reach by half time.

The Gold Coast, however, deserve plenty of credit too, after hanging in early on and coming out on the right side of a goal rush in the middle of the second half.

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Sydney drone out Glory

Sydney FC have given themselves every chance to make the final six in this year's A-league after scoring two goals in the final 15 minutes to sink Perth Glory.

Perth looked set to escape with a scoreless draw until Shannon Cole scored in the 75th minute, which was closely followed by a goal from Alex Brosque in his 100th appearance for the sky blues.

A crowd of 6654 fans made the trek west to Parramatta Stadium to witness what was a lackluster performance from Sydney for the majority of the contest.

The victory lifts Sydney out of the cellar, and gives them a glimmer of hope for the finals.

Although Sydney put two goals past the Glory, it could be said that they lack the x-factor which is being displayed by other teams around the league at the present time of the season.

And although you wouldn't bet against a side like Sydney – particularly with the stock due to return – it would appear to be an uphill battle for Lavicka and his men from here on in.

An athletic Shannon Cole pounced on a clever pass from Brosque to calmly put the home side in front going into the final portion of the match.

Cole's acrobatic celebration – a double backflip - brought the home crowd to life after 75 unconvincing minutes of play.

Brosque was the next to drive one home as it made the performance from Sydney look more dominant than it actually was.

Hirofumi Moriyasu's pass sent Brosque on a run in which he only had Perth keeper, Tando Velaphi, to beat.

A fitting reward for a player who has been the shining light in Sydney throughout his career.

A tired and careless Glory had nothing to show for their troubles, and were clearly frustrated with outcome.

Brosque was brought down by Brent Griffiths in a sloppy challenge whilst on route to goal.

Griffiths was shown a red card and the Glory were forced to finish the contest with only 10 men.

Sydney seemed to play themselves into a bit of form late in the match, the hot and humid conditions at Parramatta stadium could have been the form finding match they need heading into the remaining rounds of the season.

The Glory sent a chance begging when a soft header from Michael Baird gave defender Terry McFlynn all the time in the world to clear the ball from under the crossbar.

Although Sydney seemed to have bounced back from their 3-1 loss to the Gold Coast the previous week, the standard at the bottom of the ladder is clearly lacking.

It's a disappointing time for the Glory, who started the season with such promise.

It seems they still have a lot of work to do even after their encouraging victory the previous week.

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Stalemate at Suncop in battle of the Queenslanders

A late equaliser from defender Ivan Franjic gave the Brisbane Roar a share of the spoils in their derby clash with the North Queensland Fury.

It was top against bottom coming into the game at Suncorp Stadium and Brisbane, who were playing their ninth game in just 36 days, welcomed back skipper Matt McKay who had been on international duty for the Socceroos midweek. For the Fury, Isaka Cernak was given a starting spot to face his former club.

It was all Brisbane early on but the visitors took the lead on nine minutes when David Williams crossed form the right and Gareth Edds, running into the box from midfield, beat the defence to turn the ball home.

The pattern continued in much the same fashion for the first half with the hosts having up to 70% possession at one stage. They came close to fashioning an equaliser twice but Franjic’s cross cum shot struck the bar while Erik Paartalu headed straight at Justin Pasfield just before the interval.

Ten minutes into the second half the Fury wasted a wonderful opportunity to double their lead when Jason Spanguolo somehow contrived to miss an open goal after being found by another superb delivery from Williams.

The home side thought they had fashioned an equaliser just before the hour mark when substitute Juan Carlos Solorzano netted but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Having dominated for most of the game, the Roar finally drew level with just five minutes remaining when Matt McKay crossed from the left and Franjic was on hand to fire past Pasfield.

After the game Fury boss Franz Straka said he will delighted to end a run of defeats while also putting a good performance.

"I'm very happy with the point, especially after three defeats. We played very well tactically, which was the key to our success," he said.

"They play some excellent football, but we did well to close the gaps and shut down a lot of their midfield play."

His opposite number Ange Postecoglou had kind words for the Fury, while also stating that he was happy with the attitude of his players.

"Credit to the Fury, they came here with a plan and it worked well for them. They were good."

"You can't question the commitment of our blokes. There wasn't a lot of space and we lacked a little bit of spark, but individuals stood up when we needed and it was great for Ivan to get the goal"

Brisbane Roar: M Theoklitos, I Franjic, L DeVere, M Smith, M Mundy, E Paartalu, M Murdocca, M McKay, T Broich, K Barbarouses, Reinaldo.

Subs: A Redmayne, J C Solorzano, M Nichols, M Susak.

North Queensland Fury: J Pasfield, S Storey, M Hughes, P Nikas, B McDonald, U Talay, G Edds, O Malik, J Spagnuolo, I Cernak, D Williams.

Subs: S Usai, J Hingert, A Kilian, C Payne.

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Jets too strong for Phoenix ahead of LA Galaxy

Newcastle Jets welcomed Wellington Phoenix to Energy Australia Stadium for the Round 15 Saturday night Hyundai A-League fixture which the Novocastrians prevailed by one goal to nil.

The Jets were keen to continue the strong mid-season form that has built on the foundation provided by new owner Nathan Tinkler which has brought much improved crowds, a new shirt sponsor and the promise of a world class fixture against David Beckham’s MLS side LA Galaxy next Saturday night.

A new feel Jets line up gelled well with Taylor Regan a new centre back pairing for previous game goal scorer Nikolai Topor-Stanley. The two played strongly together and provided the basis for Italian Marcello Fiorentini, making his fifth A-League appearance supporting Everton and Arsenal prodigy-cum-journeyman Francis Jeffers down the left hand side.

Wellington would miss Socceroos defender Jade North due to international duty in the 3-0 loss to the Pharaohs in Cairo in mid week whilst Kiwi international Tim Brown was unavailable due to suspension.

The Jets, despite the shocking home ground surface, had excellent momentum throughout the match with a marauding Francis Jeffers roaming the pitch with purpose and distinction; creating space for fellow striker Marko Jesic whose creativity caused the Phoenix great concern for the full 90.

The Newcastle midfield dominated the first half providing an excellent passing performance, moving the ball around at pace and with good principle in a manner akin to Hyundai A-League leaders Brisbane Roar; young Socceroos Captain Ben Katarovski and veteran Kasey Wehrman the catalysts.

Jesic generally found himself in excellent areas on the end of extended build up play with great opportunities after peeling off Kiwi defenders and into space. The young striker could have had made more than one mark on the scoresheet as he continued to thrive under Newcastle Coach Branko Culina.

On 55 minutes a quality finish which capitalised on a Troy Hearfield slip after a slick turn gave Marko Jesic the man of the match honours. The clinical curved shot bulged the net at the northern end of Energy Australia Stadium as a fully outstretched Mark Paston could do nothing to prevent the goal.

Ben Kennedy kept another clean sheet as the Newcastle Jets ran out worthy one-nil winners.

Crowd: 12,147

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Adelaide comfortably beat Heart

Adelaide United returned to winning ways with a perfect snatch and grab 2-0 victory against a tired Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park on Friday night.

An opportunist header from Robbie Cornthwaite after some poor Heart defending and a Marcos Flores toe poke was enough to give Rini Coolen’s reds two goals and a win to move two points behind league leaders Brisbane Roar.

Adelaide was back to defending in their customary tight and physical fashion and was clinical on the counter attack with Cassio, Flores, Iain Ramsay and Joe Keenan all playing well for the away side.

The Heart’s players looked jaded as they struggled in their transition of play, failing to link passes between defence and midfield.

Rini Coolen obviously did his homework on the Heart as he organised his Adelaide troops to sit deep and stifle Josip Skoko and co to perfection.

The first half was a physical and tightly contested battle with Adelaide really taking the game to the home side early.

It took just five minutes for an unmarked Robbie Cornthwaite to open the scoring for Adelaide when he glided in a free header from a Cassio free kick, though there was some controversy surrounding the blowing of the referee’s whistle before the kick was taken.

Adelaide created the better chances of the half with Cassio causing some major headaches for the Heart's defenders with some pin-point crosses into the box.

The Heart fought their way back into the match in the second half, Gerald Sibon spurning a glorious headed chance under physical pressure from an Adelaide defender just after half time.

Flores just beat Clint Bolton to the punch to score a toe poke after the ball rebounded off the crossbar and into his path from an audacious chip from lively substitute, Iain Ramsay, giving Adelaide a 2-0 lead after 72 minutes of play.

Sibon came close to grabbing a goal back immediately for the Heart when he hit the post with a swirling free kick in the 74th minute, Eugene Galekovic doing just enough to clear the rebound out for a corner.

John van’t Schip tried to pull his side back into the match, emptying his bench in an attempt to spark the attack of a Heart side devoid of much creativity going forward.

Ultimately all was in vain for the Heart as Adelaide ran out comfortable and deserved winners.

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Points Shared as Mariners Hold Victory

A crowd of 9,674 were treated to a cracking game of football between Melbourne Victory and the Central Coast Mariners at AAMI Park tonight.

The hosts came from a goal down to lead 2-1 only to concede an equaliser resulting in both sides taking a point apiece.

It was an even first half, but Victory striker Archie Thompson had a great chance to open the scoring when he was set up by a superb slide rule pass from Carlos Hernandez. However, his effort was tame and straight at Matt Ryan who saved comfortably.

The opening goal arrived just on the half hour when Alex Wilkinson’s ball over the top set Daniel McBreen free. The striker raced through and fired left footed through the legs of Michael Petkovic in the Victory goal.

Eight minutes into the second period, Thompson had another glorious chance to get on the scoresheet after linking superbly again with Hernandez. The Costa Rican’s through ball left Thompson one on one with Ryan but his effort was tame and easy for the keeper.

Victory did restore parity just after the hour. A high looping ball to the back post was headed across goal by Kevin Muscat, Adrian Leijer provided the knock down and Rodrigo Vargas applied the final touch.

That goal finally got the majority of the crowd involved and they were rewarded just two minutes when Carlos Hernandez stepped up and curled a stunning 25 yard free kick into the top left hand corner.

Last season’s Player of the Year has endured a difficult campaign to date but there is no denying his touch of class when it was really needed. Indeed, Hernandez nearly added to his collection of wonder goals shortly afterwards but his dipping long range volley went just over.

Somewhat against the run of play however Central Coast drew level in freakish circumstances. An inswinging corner dropped inside the six yard box and in the midst of a scramble, Victory midfielder Grant Brebner cannoned a clearance off Petkovic which rebounded into the net.

Robbie Kruse then wasted a glorious chance to put Victory back in front but his header from Tom Pondeljak’s cross flashed agonisingly wide of Ryan’s right hand post.

The final ten minutes ebbed and flowed but failed to produce any real chances for either side to claim all three points and the contest finished 2-2.

Melbourne Victory: M Petkovic, K Muscat, L Broxham, G Brebner, A Thompson, M Angulo, R Vargas, B Celeski, C Hernandez, R Kruse, A Leijer.

Subs: S Mattei, M Dugandzic, D Ferreira, T Pondeljak.

Central Coast Mariners: M Ryan, D McBreen, J Rose, P Bojic, P Zwannswijk, R Griffiths, O Bozanic, M McGlinchey, A Wilkinson, M Simon, M Amini.

Subs: P Henderson, M Lewis, C Doig, A Kwasnik.

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TFS Preview: Melbourne Heart v Adelaide United

Melbourne Heart v Adelaide United
Friday 19th November 2010
AAMI Park
Kick off: 8:00pm (20:00AEST)

Head to Head: Adelaide United 1, Melbourne Heart 0

Last Met: Adelaide United 3-2 Melbourne Heart

Melbourne Heart

After a miserable start to their inaugural season, the Heart have slowly but surely been making their presence felt both on the pitch and the A-League ladder. The Heart have been playing some quality football of late and will feel a touch aggrieved not to have gotten more from their narrow loss to the table-topping Brisbane Roar last week. After building momentum nicely, the only question mark looming over the side that has lost just one in their past six matches is the fitness of the Heart’s ageing players. If Heart coach, John van’t Schip, can get the defibrillators working on his elder statesman, then the Heart should prove hard to beat at home on Friday night.

Adelaide United

The up-coming fixture poses as a danger match for Adelaide with any result other than a win likely to put the hard chasing Central Coast Mariners in prime position to snatch second place on the ladder. After starting the season in red-hot style, Adelaide’s recent form has been patchy at best with just one win in their last four outings. The loss of Mathew Leckie to injury has hurt the side’s attacking prowess, while their defence that has been solid all season is beginning to look a tad frail. While some think the quality of Adelaide’s side is enough to have them bounce back with a big result, after coming off a 3-1 drubbing at the hands of a resurgent Newcastle Jets, Adelaide will have to show some bitter resolve and prove their mettle to be a chance of getting three points against the Heart.

Key Men

Josip Skoko: He has been the heartbeat (sick of the puns yet?) of the Melbourne side, the midfield general showing his class and experience with third phase vision and an array of passes to boot. If the legs can hold out, it will be no surprise to see Skoko orchestrate another Heart win.

Marcos Flores: Anything Adelaide has produced ranging from the good to the sublime this season has come largely down to the influence and genius of Flores. Though the silky Argentine’s form has dipped over the past few weeks, at any moment Flores has the ability to make like Harry Potter and magically lift Adelaide out of their rut with a win.

Betfair Odds

Betfair currently have Melbourne Heart as the favourites at $2.46 while Adelaide United sits at $3.20 for the win. The draw is paying $3.30.



To place a bet or take a look at other match odds, click the link below and take advantage of the best odds on the net!


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Tip
Melbourne Heart

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Jack's EPL Weekend Wrap

The Barclays Premier League title race, and relegation battle, were blown wide open after a pulsating weekend of football full of upsets, great goals and controversy. Without doubt the story of the weekend came at Stamford Bridge, where the league leaders and defending champions Chelsea were torn apart by Steve Bruce’s Sunderland. Two weeks ago the Black Cats were humiliated 5-1 by near neighbours Newcastle United, which prompted manager Bruce and some of the players to openly apologise to the Sunderland supporters. Who then would have dared predict that they would soon be celebrating a 3-0 victory at the home of the almost robotic, terminator-like Chelsea team that is sweeping all before it?

The win wasn’t just a win, it was a thrashing. Bruce sent his men out to compete with Chelsea, and compete they did. Not taking the approach of many managers who take weaker sides to the home of the champuions and park the bus in the hope of strangling a draw from the game, Sunderland passed the ball, worked the triangles and bossed the midfield. Nedum Onuoha dribbled his way thru the heart of the Blues defence to slot home a sensational opening goal, and when Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan capped off a neat passing move that opened up the Chelsea defence once again it was looking like game over with still over half an hour to play. Ashley Cole’s calamitous back-pass to Petr Cech summed up the afternoon for Carlo Ancelloti’s men as it was easily picked off by Danny Wellback who tapped home a third goal five minutes from time.

Chelsea’s nearest challengers for the title Manchester United were unable to take advantage of the leaders’ slip up as they were forced to share the points at Aston Villa. A penalty from Ashley Young and a neat finish from 21 year old winger Mark Albrighton had fired the hosts into a deserved 2-0 lead, only for a crisp strike from Pipo Macheda and a header from captain Nemanja Vidic in the 82nd and 85th minutes respectively to rescue a point for Sir Alex’s men. Villa will be disappointed not to have closed out the match earlier, as they had several good chances and were denied by the post and crossbar.

Arsenal were the big winners of the weekend as they moved into second spot following a 2-1 victory at Everton. Everton had the best of the early running, and should have taken the lead when young Irish fullback Seamus Coleman burst down the right flank before standing the ball up to the far post, only to see the most lethal header of a ball in the Premier League, Tim Cahill, wastefull put his header over the bar from 8 yards. The hosts were soon made to pay for that miss, as Andrei Arshavin teed up Bacary Sanga to smash home the opener high into the net inside Tim Howard’s near post.

The Gunners doubled their lead shortly after the interval as captain Cesc Fabregas cooly netted on the turn from 12 yards. Everton did, however, launch what is now a trademark late fight back at Goodison Park, and were given hope when Cahill pounced on Luis Saha’s knockdown to pull a goal back with 2 minutes of normal time remaining. However Arsenal were able to hang on and take all 3 points back to north London.

Their north London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed their first win in 5 league matches as they disposed of Blackburn Rovers 4-2 at White Hart Lane. In truth the scoreline flattered the visitors, as it could quite easily have been more for the hosts before Rovers pulled back two consolation goals late on after goals from Gareth Bale (2), Roman Pavlyuchenko and Peter Crouch had already seen the game put to bed.

Liverpool’s rollercoaster season continued as they went down 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium to Stoke City. Many people predicted Stoke to get something from this match, but to stroll to a 2-0 win will have alarm bells ringing on Merseyside. Another blow for the Reds was the late sending off of midfielder Lucas Leiva, who has been in decent form of late. Goals from classy striker Ricardo Fuller and former Reds target Kenwyne Jones got the job done for Tony Pulis’ men, who collected their second win in a week to give themselves breathing space from the bottom of the table.

Manchester City were booed off the pitch by their own fans at Eastlands after another 0-0 home draw, this time with Birmingham City. The outpouring of abuse directed at manager Roberto Mancini for his negative tactics reached a crescendo when, with ten minutes still to play, he withdrew talismanic striker Carlos Tevez and brought on defensive midfielder Gareth Barry. Whilst having strikers on the park does not guarantee goals, it surely was a move fraught with danger to take off City’s most potent goal threat and replace him with a player who rarely even sets up goals, let alone scores them. More points dropped and one would imagine another step taken to wards the exit door at Manchester City for Mancini.

West Ham United’s co-owner David Sullivan last week demanded his side pick up a minimum of seven points from their upcoming matches against Birmingham City, West Brom, Blackpool and Liverpool, however Saturdays 0-0 draw at home to the seasiders made it three draws on the trot and made the target of seven points impossible, and even a win at Anfield next week, where the Hammers haven’t won since 1963 will see them collect just six points from the possible twelve.

How this match finished scoreless is a miracle, as it could just as easily been 3-3. Both sides had plenty of chances but were let down by poor finishing. West Ham United were denied a penalty early on as the referee bizarrely awarded a goal kick after Pablo Barrera was brought down inside the area. If the referee adjudged the defender to have played the ball, which replays suggest he did, then the decision had to be either a corner, or, if the defender didn’t make contact with the ball, a penalty. How the officials came up with the decision to award a goal kick had Hammers boss Avram Grant incensed. His mood would not have improved moments later when a fierce goal bound shot was blocked by the outstretched arm of Blackpool defender Craig Cathcart only for the referee to again wave away the penalty claims. The officials incompetence was to soon favour the hosts as Blackpool substitute and former Hammer Marlon Harewood looked to have put the Tangerines in front ten minutes from full time, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside, despite replays showing that the striker was well onside. Harewood then squandered a late chance to win the match as he sidefooted wide from inside the six yard box when it seemed easier to score.

Bolton Wanderers continue to win over fans as Owen Coyle steers them away from the Sam Allardyce-Gary Megson-induced dour football they have become synonymous with. After playing Tottenham off the park last weekend Wanderers went to Molinuex to take on Wolves and jumped out to a 3-0 lead following a Richard Stearman own-goal and stikes from Johan Elmander and Stuart Holden. They were required to show their stubborn side late on, however, as goals from Kevin Foley and Steven Fletcher, who played under Coyle in the Premier League with Burnley last season, ensured a nervy ending for the visitors.

Wigan Athletic backed up their mid week draw with Liverpool with a 1-0 home victory over West Bromwich Albion. Victor Moses’ goal twenty minutes from time was enough to separate the two sides and see the Latics pull out of the bottom three of the Premier League.

Newcastle United were unable to put visitors Fulham to the sword at St James’ Park, although the west Londoners will be greatly indebted to goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who pulled off a number of fine saves to keep the Toon army at bay. To cap off a frustrating weekend for the Geordies, striker Andy Carroll was called into the England squad for the first time only to be ruled out with an injury picked up during the match.

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