Baumjohann insisted that at no stage was he angry at Babbel, and said there was no point wondering what might have been. "I was very, very upset and sad that I couldn't continue to play because I was so excited for this game," Baumjohann told the Herald. Pivotal: the Wanderers were leading 1-0 before Vedran Janjetovic was sent off against Sydney FC but fell to a 3-1 loss. Credit:AAP "Derbies are the most important games - not just for the supporters, also for us players. Being substituted after 25 minutes, it was not easy for me. "For the coach it's really a very, very hard decision and he has to make it very quick. He has not so much time to think about it.

"He had to do something. I'm not angry with him because I know it's very hard for him. I was just disappointed with the whole situation." Loading The Wanderers were 1-0 up when Baumjohann went off after what he described as probably the best 25 minutes of football they've put together all season. They went on to concede three goals from set pieces to surrender their best chance of beating Sydney FC in recent years. "We knew Sydney were struggling a little bit and maybe the confidence was a little bit down because I think they had lots of pressure. They had injuries, so the midfielder (Brandon O'Neill) had to go back to central defender," Baumjohann said. "Everything was perfect for us, and then we got the red card. These are things that happen in football. We cannot be angry with Vedran because he's saved us so many times. He has lots of experience so he knows he did a mistake. Football lives from mistakes. If nobody makes mistakes, all the games would be nil-nil."

Baumjohann re-emerged from the sheds for the second half and saw enough to convince him that the Wanderers can be a force this season when they get things right. It is obvious, however, that they are a better team when he is on the park. The question many Wanderers fans are asking themselves is how long they can keep him for. Baumjohann's contract only runs until the end of the current season and while he believes it is too early to start thinking about his future, his family is loving life in Sydney. "When I signed here, I'd never been to Australia before or played in this league, so I signed for one year because I wanted to know how it is. I did the same thing in Brazil because I had no experience," he said. "All I can say is I'm very happy here, my family is happy. The only thing we need now is more success. When I see the new stadium and the training facilities and all the guys working at this club ... there's no doubt for me that this club will be the best in Australia."