The protracted 20th round of A-League football produced the ultimate irony.

Under the weight of fatalistic hysteria around crowds, more empty expansion promises from the FFA, and poor pitches – chopped up by the bully boys at AFL house – the football was stunning.

It was compelling, controversial, poorly officiated and blessed with skill and drama that was unrivalled across the weekend.

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Beginning two Fridays ago, when the Roar stunned Victory in Melbourne, and finishing late Saturday on the minefield that was Coopers Stadium, the league shone.

The only pity being that more people didn’t witness the drama in person.

Brisbane were outsiders against the Victory, with many still patiently expecting Kevin Muscat’s men to click into gear. As difficult as it is to comprehend, the club that has played finals in each of last five seasons might just not be the powerhouse they once were.

For John Aloisi, it was a crucial game and one which saw his team execute the gameplan that he had drawn up. Despite his critics, Aloisi has taken nine points from the last 12, all the while fielding a squad with an average age that caused many to question his recruitment.

In the face of mockery at his ageing list, the manager promised wins late in the season, as players returned from injury and combinations began to form. Right now, he appears somewhat vindicated. The final seven rounds will be the acid test.



As the Roar start to see some of the home fans slowly drifting back into the stadium, which was evident in the last home match against City, the manager will continue to parade in the technical area with a confidence and resolve.

The Saturday night fixture on the first weekend of the split round saw Sydney FC demolish Melbourne City in one of the most anticipated clashes of the season.

As a contest it was nothing but a disappointment, yet as a spectacle it was stunning. Milos Ninkovic and Adrian Mierzejewski orchestrated the performance and Bobo continued his frightfully effective run in front of goal.

The Western Sydney Wanderers continued their revival this round – twice.

The embarrassment of a sub-standard pitch at Spotless Stadium for their clash with Wellington and the subsequent postponement of the fixture saw the red and black with the chance to nab six points in as many days.

The first part of the equation was a cake-walk, with a 4-0 drubbing against the seemingly hapless Phoenix (more on them later), yet it was the following Friday night’s match-up with the Jets that would be their real test.

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It developed into something of a chaotic fiasco, with an early disallowed goal for the Wanderers, two penalties and one of the most atrocious VAR decisions of the season that somehow suggested Nikolai Topor-Stanley should be able to make his hand disappear at the speed of light.



It was a dramatic night of football capped off by Andrew Nabbout’s equaliser from the corner of the box that rumbled the stadium and recalibrated goal of the year assessments.

Twenty-four hours later and facing an axe-swinging John Kosmina, a frustrated fan base and an insecure future, Wellington took on Perth in the ‘credibility derby’. Most were oblivious to the fact that the Phoenix had in fact secured seven points from their last 15 and, despite two recent 4-0 losses, had improved considerably before that.

They jumped the Glory early and the stunning left-foot strike from wunderkind Sarpreet Singh rivalled Nabbout’s hit. Diego Castro pulled back the lead with a free kick that penetrated the defensive wall.

The goal was well worked by Perth and came about via the growing popularity of attackers making a nuisance of themselves in the wall, providing excellent distraction for the defence and limited vision for the keeper.

From the height of heights, Castro sank to the lowest of lows after a slightly too clever panenka appeared more like a poorly played tennis drop shot and Tando Velaphi, standing completely still, took it with ease.

With such drama unfolding it seemed likely a winner would be found, and sure enough it was, after Roy Krishna created space in the box and Shane Lowry deflected the cross into his own net.

It was mayhem and I loved every minute of it – probably because my team wasn’t involved and I had tipped the Kiwis.



Then, Saturday night saw the cherry on top with some insanity thrown in for good measure.

Adelaide United were robbed in the first half against the Central Coast Mariners. As I called the game, the staggering number of decisions that went the visitors’ way fuelled the fury of the fans and Marco Kurz looked more and more like Vesuvius about to erupt.

In the end he did, and earned a yellow for his trouble. Andrew Hoole had the Mariners in front early from a set piece and things worsened for the Reds as Ersan Gulum was red-carded for bringing down Trent Buhagiar outside the box.

As a straight red it was a ridiculous decision and Buhagiar, expectedly, exaggerated the minimal contact. From an impartial standpoint, one couldn’t help chuckle as a sweaty and pressured Shaun Evans consulted the VAR and Kurz went ballistic at all and sundry. You could feel it all coming to the boil and Gulum’s reaction might see him in a spot of bother during the week.

A second goal to the visitors from Ryan Strain’s unfortunate header into his own net appeared to seal the deal for Wellington yet somehow – and I am still trying to work it out – Adelaide found a goal via Jordan Elsey’s head and began to look the stronger side.

When George Blackwood found the net in the 83rd minute, the comeback was complete and only some good luck saw the Mariners hold on for a point.

It was a round of football I will never forget, and all amidst match day one in the Asian Champions League. But that is a completely different story of disappointment, drama and controversy, and another that just makes football so great.