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A-League: HAL 6 (2010 - 2011 Season)
'Late Fowler Penalty Keeps Perth On Top'
A controversial stoppage time penalty from the Hyundai A-League's superstar striker,
Robbie Fowler, clinched a 2-2 draw for Perth Glory at league newcomers Melbourne Heart on 29
August, and kept the Western Australian club on top of the table on goal difference from
Adelaide United.
Melbourne came desperately close to claiming their first win of the season at AAMI Park, but
the point they got from the draw was enough to lift them off the bottom of the ladder, a
position now occupied by reigning champions Sydney FC.
Gerald Sibon gave the home team the lead from the penalty spot five minutes into the match,
but all their hard work appeared to be undone fifteen minutes later when a Fowler cross
wasn't dealt with by Clint Bolton, and defenders Brendan Hamill and Michael Marrone
combined to put through their own net for a Perth equaliser.
Melbourne made light of the setback and were rewarded for their enterprise eight minutes
before the interval courtesy a deserved goal for Nick Kalmar - a rasping shot on the turn
which delighted the 5,878 fans present.
The league leaders bossed the second half, with Bolton denying both Fowler and Naum
Sekulovski with vital saves. But the Liverpool legend wasn't to be denied his first
goal of the campaign, even though the foul debutant referee Kurt Ams deemed worthy of the
penalty from which 'God' scored was dubious in nature.
The round began with Brisbane Roar maintaining their unbeaten start to the season thanks to
a 1-0 win over Wellington Phoenix at Suncorp Stadium, a result which removed the duck-egg
from under the losses column in the visitors campaign.
Former Wellington starlet Costa Barbarouses haunted his old club by scoring the winner
seventeen minutes from time, much to the delight of the 7,339-strong crowd, who saw a
generally uninspiring match in which scoring opportunities were few and far between, such
was the dominance of the respective defences.
Twenty-four hours later, Adelaide took the overnight lead in the competition with a
come-from-behind 3-2 win at North Queensland Fury, who opened the scoring in the eighth
minute through Isaka Cernak.
The home team concluded it two minutes from time through David Williams, but the
6,130-strong crowd at Dairy Farmers Stadium had long been resigned to defeat after Marcos
Flores' superb volleyed equaliser half-way through the first half had been
supplemented by two goals in ten minutes just before the hour.
Debutant Brett Studman had the misfortune to put through his own net six minutes into the
second half as he attempted to deny Lucas Pantelis, before Daniel Mullen all but settled the
contest on the hour.
Adelaide held firm as North Queensland pounded away, and while the home team halved the
deficit, their unbeaten start to the campaign was at an end - it is their conquerors who
have yet to taste defeat after four matches.
Sydney's indifferent start to the campaign continued with a 1-1 draw in their New
South Wales derby with Central Coast Mariners at the Sydney Football Stadium, where 10,147
fans witnessed an uninspiring first half, during which Sydney's Sebastian Ryall came
closest to scoring with a post-rattler.
The game badly needed the goal Sydney's Rhyan Grant netted two minutes into the
second half against a visiting side missing goalkeeper Jess Van Strattan, who picked up a
season-ending injury in training.
The game turned on a 71st minute incident which saw Mariners debutant substitute
Patricio Perez go down in the penalty area under the challenge of Liam Reddy. Referee
Matthew Breeze, officiating in his 100th A-League fixture, pointed to the penalty spot then
sent off Sydney goalkeeper, who was harshly dismissed, given video evidence
suggested the Argentinian gained the spot-kick via dubious means at best.
Perez duly slotted the penalty past replacement 'keeper Ivan Necevski, who looked on
as his team-mates anger regarding the incident resulted in a flurry of yellow cards
in the next five minutes, then later saved Sydney from a third defeat when denying Perez in
fine fashion to preserve a point for the still winless title-holders.
Melbourne Victory, the team Sydney conquered in last season's Grand Final, scored
their first win of the campaign at Gold Coast United on Sunday, Robbie Kruse's classy
strike in the twentieth minute the only goal of the game at Skilled Park.
It was enough to inflict a first defeat of the season upon the home team, who were watched
by just 3,624 fans, and who next weekend are faced with their second bye in three weeks - a
quirk of the draw, and not a very good one, it must be said!
Next week's fifth round action commences on Friday night with Melbourne
Victory's visit to Central Coast. Saturday's matches see Melbourne Heart
hosting North Queensland prior to the clash of Sydney and Adelaide, while on Sunday
Newcastle entertain Brisbane before Perth welcome Wellington out west.
Details: A-League Results, Round 4:
Brisbane Roar FC 1 (Costa Barbarouses (73)) - Wellington Phoenix FC 0; HT 0-0
Details: Youth-League, Round 1:
Due to commence 18 September, 2010
Details: Womens League, Round 1:
Due to commence on 6th November, 2010
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