WESTERN Sydney have put on hold their hopes of expanding Parramatta Stadium's capacity, but hope that they may yet be able to add another 4000 seats later in the coming season.

The Wanderers yesterday capped their membership just above 15,600, a remarkable figure but still one that left the club frustrated that talks between government bodies and the stadium had not been able to execute a plan for an extra block of seats to take the capacity past 24,000 from its existing 20,741.



The Federal Government had committed money towards upgrading the stadium, but Wanderers chairman Lyall Gorman said he had admitted defeat - for now.



"Our efforts haven't produced the fruits we'd hoped for, and the extra seating certainly won't be in place for Round Two when we host Wellington in our first home game," Gorman said.



"But we never stop pressing, and maybe there'll be a better understanding of why we need the extra seats when we see a couple of full houses at the stadium. Ultimately bringing thousands of people into the Parramatta centre benefits everybody."



Gorman said that ultimately the question of paying for the extra seats - erected as a medium-term structure over the hill at one end - proved the dealbreaker.



"We certainly don't have the funding capacity, and we had hoped it would come from the government funding," Gorman said.



Meanwhile, Sydney FC have completed the signing of Serbian defender Nikola Petkovic, but have brought him on board for the whole season after being denied permission to sign him as an injury replacement.



Petkovic, once of Red Star Belgrade and who has also played in the Bundesliga and the Europa League, will join training next week to begin a one-season deal.

Sydney had sought permission from A-League bosses to bring Petkovic in as a replacement for Terry Antonis while the midfielder continues his comeback from a serious thigh injury. Antonis is expected to be out until the new year at least.



But Football Federation declined, it's believed as the two players are not "like for like" positionally. The injury replacement rule was initially designed to allow cover for relevant positions but clubs have caused controversy in the past by signing completely different players.



"Nikola's signing is an excellent piece of business for Sydney FC and completes our squad," said coach Frank Farina.



"He can play anywhere across the back four and will give our defence strength and depth. I am expecting big things from him this season and believe he will have a big influence on the squad."



The 27-year-old fills Sydney's last squad position and also becomes the fifth and final visa player.



Originally published as Wanderers expansion plan on hold