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A-League: 2009 - 2010 Season
'Top Six Teams Confirmed With Round To Spare'
The six teams which will contest the Hyundai A-League play-offs were confirmed with a full
round to spare on the first weekend in February, with Perth Glory, Wellington Phoenix and
Newcastle Jets benefiting from defeats suffered by the teams below them in the penultimate
round of league action.
North Queensland Fury kicked off the week by keeping their play-off hopes alive with a
come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Newcastle Jets in a match postponed three days from last
weekend.
Matt Thompson gave the visitors a nineteenth minute lead on Tuesday evening, but they were
pegged back six minutes before half-time by Chris Grossman's driven equaliser, and it
was left to namesake Chris Tadrosse to clinch the points ten minutes from time, to the
delight of the 4,156 fans present at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
That win needed to be repeated by North Queensland three days later, but league leaders
Melbourne Victory were reading from another script, and were sound 2-0 victors in front of x
fans at Etihad Stadium.
The reigning champions won despite being without suspended captain Kevin Muscat and injured
striker Archie Thompson, and saw an early addition to their injury list during the match
when Matthew Kemp's knee gave way in a challenge.
Cue Carlos Hernandez, who scored two superb goals - one in each half - to keep his team on
top of the table with a round to spare. His first was a solo effort which saw him turn a
defender before beating 'keeper Justin Pasfield all ends up at his near post, while
his second was a sumptuous free-kick
The visitors came close when Robbie Middleby's effort was tipped onto the post by
Mitchell Langerak, but the victory they sought eluded the league debutants, so
there'll be no play-offs football in Townsville later this month.
Nor will there be any in Adelaide or Brisbane, with bottom-placed Adelaide United, having
had their hopes of extending their campaign snuffed out last week, ensuring they would be
accompanied as outsiders looking in by Brisbane Roar, who slumped to a 2-0 defeat at
Hindmarsh Stadium.
Goals inside the first seven minutes of each half from Fabian Barbiero and Lucas Pantelis
clinched a first home win since October for Adelaide, a result which delighted the 8,244
fans who made the effort to see their last home game of the season against opponents who
rarely looked like getting back into the contest, the late dismissal of captain Matt McKay
killing off any hopes Brisbane held of mounting a last-ditch fightback.
That result on Saturday evening confirmed the play-off contenders, and means Adelaide are
still in with a chance of avoiding the wooden spoon, while also confirming that the
play-offs would involve a New Zealand team for the first time ever.
And Wellington are well on course to mark the feat by hosting a semi-final, after stunning
Gold Coast United 1-0 at Skilled Park to lift themselves into fourth spot on the table, and
leave the beaten team in third spot and out of contention for winning the premiership phase
of the competition.
Andrew Durante, who, with Jon McKain, was outstanding at the heart of Wellington's
defence throughout proceedings, hit the post for the visitors in the first half, but it was
Paul Ifill's penalty on the stroke of half-time which ultimately separated the sides,
despite the best efforts of Gold Coast to drag themselves back into the contest throughout
the second spell, which saw the aforementioned defensive duo at their very best.
Prior to that match, 8,359 fans braved the elements and converged on a rain-sodden
Parramatta Stadium to watch Sydney FC and Perth Glory do battle, and they duly did - a
battle royal, in fact.
The home team were all over Perth like a rash in the early stages, and after Alex Brosque
had been denied by Scott Neville's goal-line clearance, Steve Corica broke the
deadlock from the penalty spot half-way through the first half.
Sydney were good value for their lead, but they were pegged back deep in first half stoppage
time when Wayne Srhoj's well-struck volley through a crowded penalty area deceived
Clint Bolton and ended up in the net.
The home team were swift to restore their advantage after the interval, but in decidedly
controversial circumstances. John Aloisi's shot four minutes into the second spell
seemed to be cleared off the line by Chris Coyne, only for the ball to go through a large
hole in the net by the post.
Referee Chris Beath initially awarded a corner, but changed his mind and awarded a goal
after checking with his eagle-eyed assistant, having been surrounded by protesting Sydney
players.
Now it was Perth's turn to surround the official, their anger not placated by the
sight of ground staff repairing the net before play could resume. When it did, the
visitors' anger was akin to a slow-burning fuse, which ignited eleven minutes from
time when Daniel McBreen stabbed home from close range on the far post to drag the visitors
into the contest once more.
Perth needed to win this game to have a shot at overhauling Sydney for third place, but it
was the home team who responded at the death when Aloisi soared skywards to head home the
winner three minutes from time and clinch the points for the Sydneysiders, whose fate, in
terms of a first-placed finish, is now in their hands.
The final game of the round took place forty-eight hours after it had initially been
scheduled. The heavy rains which deluged Sydney put paid to any attempts to stage the last
New South Wales derby of the season on Saturday evening, so Central Coast Mariners and
Newcastle eventually got it on at Bluetongue Stadium on Monday night.
And it was the home team who were celebrating come the final whistle, thanks to a 3-0
triumph over their rivals, who found themselves trailing to a powerful Nigel Boogaard header
in the seventeenth minute, and could not find a way past Danny Vukovic in reply thereafter.
Adam Kwasnik's deft lob added further to Newcastle's woes five minutes after
half-time, and when Labinot Haliti was sent off soon afterwards, any hopes they harboured of
somehow claiming a fourth-placed finish followed him down the tunnel.
Matt Simon applied the coup de grace eighteen minutes from time, and despite the last-minute
dismissal of Pedj Bojic, Central Coast were ultimately comfortable victors, and found
themselves in seventh place as a result of their well-earned win.
Next weekend marks the final round of regular season action, with Wellington kicking it off
at Westpac Stadium against Central Coast on Friday, followed later that night by
Newcastle's clash with Adelaide at EnergyAustralia Stadium.
Saturday's fare sees Perth welcoming Brisbane to ME Bank Stadium, prior to North
Queensland and Gold Coast locking horns at Dairy Farmers Stadium, while you can guarantee
there'll be no love lost during the Valentine's Day duel between Sydney and
Melbourne at the Sydney Football Stadium, particularly with top spot at stake.
Details: Hyundai A-League, Round 25:
North Queensland Fury FC 2 (Chris Grossman (39), Chris Tadrosse (80)) - Newcastle Jets FC 1 (Matt Thompson (19)); HT 1-1
Details: Hyundai A-League, Round 26:
Adelaide United FC 2 (Fabian Barbiero (7), Lucas Pantelis (51)) - Brisbane Roar FC 0; HT 1-0
Details: National Youth-League, Round 23:
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