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A-League: HAL 6 (2010 - 2011 Season)
'Adelaide And Perth Locked Together At Top'
Adelaide United and Perth Glory are locked together at the top of the Hyundai A-League table
following fifth round action on the first weekend in September, with both teams boasting
identical records - three wins and two draws, each having scored ten and conceded six.
The Lord himself said in last Sunday's Gospel, 'The first shall be last, and
the last first'. Look no further than this week's clash between Sydney FC and
Adelaide as proof that this is true!
The reigning champions are rock-bottom after five rounds, last season's
cellar-dwellers Adelaide having inflicted upon them a 3-1 win at a saturated Sydney Football
Stadium to surge to the top of the league table, some nine points clear of the
title-holders.
Sergio Van Dijk's cute free-kick left Sydney ‘keeper Liam Reddy groping in
vain in the ninth minute, and the visitors, who were good value for their win, doubled their
advantage in front of The Cove, Sydney's notorious supporters, eight
minutes before the interval with a well-conceived and executed Matthew Leckie strike.
The home team came out all guns blazing in the second spell, but had the wind knocked from
their sails when Van Dijk swooped to make it 3-0 eight minutes into the second spell, a
deficit which Stephan Keller reduced five minutes later with a fine headed goal.
It wasn't enough to stave off a third Sydney defeat, however, one witnessed by just
7,557 fans - they're voting with their feet, and one suspects coach Vitezslav Lavicka
may not have too many more opportunities left to arrest the slide.
The table-toppers going into the round, Perth, kept up their impressive start to the
campaign with a deserved 2-1 win over Wellington Phoenix at NIB Stadium, where the biggest
crowd of the weekend, 10,844, saw Mile Sterjovski open the scoring in the fifth minute with
a goal made by a gorgeous Robbie Fowler pass.
The duo reversed roles on the hour to double the home team's advantage, eight yard header proving to be the match-winner, as Wellington
pulled one back from nowhere twenty minutes from time courtesy Ben Sigmund.
Perth spurned enough chances to win three matches, but could so easily have been pegged back
by a Wellington side who didn't create too many opportunities as they made the first
of two trips out west this season.
Well-taken headed goals in each half from Rostyn Griffiths and Daniel McBreen secured a 2-0
win for the Central Coast Mariners over Melbourne Victory in front of 6,829 fans at
Bluetongue Stadium on Friday evening.
Last season's runners-up weren't without their chances to score, but were
found wanting in the attacking third of the park as the Mariners ground out a deserved
victory to earn themselves an overnight share of the league lead.
One of the highlights of the round was Melbourne Heart's maiden A-League victory. In
front of 4,184 fans at a rain-soaked AAMI Park, they held out North Queensland Fury 1-0
thanks to Nick Kalmar's eleventh minute header.
The visitors were the better team on the day, but Melbourne rode their luck as North
Queensland squandered their fair share of chances, some of which were of the gilt-edged
variety on a day when Clint Bolton was again to the fore in keeping the opposition at bay.
Newcastle Jets, meanwhile, held Brisbane Roar to a scoreless draw at EnergyAustralia
Stadium, extending the visitors' record of clean sheets for the season to four from
as many matches, with this one watched by 7,066 fans.
Reinaldo came closest to breaking the deadlock when heading against the bar in the second
half for the unbeaten visitors, while Newcastle were frustrated on a few occasions by
Michael Theoklitos and, nine minutes from time, by referee Kris Griffith-Jones, who sent off
Ruben Zadkovich for his second bookable offence to leave the home team with ten men on the
park for the duration.
Next week's action sees Central Coast kicking things off again on Friday, this time
at home to Melbourne Heart. Twenty-four hours later, Wellington welcome Sydney and Adelaide
entertain Newcastle, while on Sunday Melbourne Victory are visited by Brisbane on a day
Perth greet Gold Coast United, who sat out their second - and last - round of A-League
action this weekend.
Details: A-League Results, Round 5:
Central Coast Mariners FC 2 (Rostyn Griffiths (21), Daniel McBreen (50)) - Melbourne Victory FC 0; HT 1-0
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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