Sydney FC 2 Macarthur FC 0
Sydney’s won three in a row! And so sang the Cove after the Sky Blues eventually put Macarthur FC to the sword at a blowy Leichhardt Oval on Sunday afternoon. In the same vain as the last home game, the visitors looked to have stifled Sydney FC’s attempts to dominate the game, but they finally caved in when marquee defender Marcel Tisserand headed home in the final quarter of the game, and were put to the sword when Joe Lolley popped up with the second deep into injury time. The blue carpet was rolled out for the Sydney fans in the Cove, and the fans and players joined in celebration at the end to make this a joyous conclusion to the weekend in suburban Sydney.
A weekend that started with Oasis and included a thriller at Kogarah in the Australian Championship could only be topped by a Sydney win, and we were heading to the Orange Grove in Leichhardt just before 1pm to meet up with many likeminded souls to enjoy an quick pint before an afternoon of top flight Australian football. The outdoor area was almost deserted, the chill in the air sending most people inside, the two Macarthur fans were barely noticed and the pub started emptying out just after 2pm. The short walk to the stadium saw us detour to the back gate – we usually don’t even try as you never know when it’ll be open – but today it was open and there were good numbers going through the gate and spilling onto the world-famous Hill.
The non-playing squad members were signing merch under the face-painting marquee, the new Jacaranda shirts were obviously selling well, and the Hill had barriers to make walkways either side of the scoreboard. Everything was set for a fabulous day. Except it was windy as all hell, and any doubts about the direction of the wind were dispelled when the sprinklers were turned on and the photographers dived for cover at the Cove end while the fans got doused in cold water. And, despite the sunny conditions, it was cold behind the goal, fans in t-shirts a little under-dressed for the constant wind and chilly shadows. The appearance of the players warmed things up, We Are Sydney being lost a bit in the wind, but we could hear it loud and clear.
The first two rows of seats in the ‘home’ end had been covered by a blue mesh, the incidents of a fortnight ago prompting the safety officers to keep everyone away from the fence for fear of crushing. Parents had been warned to supervise children and not leave them unaccompanied in the active area. It made no difference to the atmosphere, but the blue covering was an unusual sight. The Cove continued to sing well past kick-off, and the conditions looked tricky, Sydney shooting towards the far end in the first half and both teams not really mastering the conditions. Former Sydney maestro Anthony Caceres tried an audacious long range shot when he spied Harrison Devenish-Meares in his customary offline mode but the ball cleared the bar, and when he went in for a tackle in front of the benches, the crowd watched on amazed as a bird got caught up in the action, emerging unscathed from a close-call with the Macarthur man’s boot.
Sydney, sporting their jazzy new third kit, carved out some openings, Lolley fizzing one in but the header from Campuzano was always going wide. Macarthur went close too, their new Mexican star Rafael Duran jinking inside to curl a shot just wide that must have got a touch for a corner. The Bulls were also very close to scoring when Sime Grzan raced in from the right, Devenish-Meares getting an important tackle in to send the ball over the bar – incredibly the referee waved away appeals for the corner and Sydney FC had dodged a bullet. There was plenty of huffing and puffing, but very little in the way of quality goalmouth action, Sydney seeming to get stuck trying to find the last ball in, and Macarthur getting the ball in but there was no one on the end of the crosses.
Lolley rescued Rhyan Grant, who was caught upfield in attack, as Macarthur countered, the silky winger getting praise from his central defenders for covering for his captain. Come on you Boys in Blue was sung to the main stand, and then tried with the Hill, but the sound wasn’t carrying today in the non-stop breeze, so they went back to the main stand again for a second round. The Sydney mascots Muph and Plutonic came round behind the Cove looking drunk, the costumes clearly a bit tricky to negotiate and they needed a helper to guide the way. A frustrating half for all involved came to a close and it was time to walk up to the Hill to thaw out in the sun, the malfunctioning audio from the loud speakers making it uncomfortable for everyone.
The walk around the stadium to avoid the mammoth queue at the gents bathroom on the Hill was very busy, a mass migration of people around the perimeter path quite tricky to navigate, and the line for an ice-cream and the line for food by the main entrance was enough to make you go hungry. Back to the home end and the second half kicked off almost unbeknownst to half of the crowd, Bruno going bush to find his hat that had blown off. Sydney were shooting towards their home fans, with the breeze, looking to get reward for their toil. The Sky Blues looked the better team, although Joel King seemed afraid to be the one to put the cross in, and Lolley couldn’t get the ball onto his left foot and had to squeeze in crosses from the right on his weaker foot.
Rhys Youlley thrashed one over from distance, before the home team reshuffled, last week’s goal hero Al Hassan Toure making way for Abel Walatee and Youlley heading off to be replaced by will-o’-the-wisp Tiago Quintal. With Toure off, it was Piero Quispe on corner duty and he finally noticed the classy Paul Okon-Engstler shouting for the short corner. The new Socceroos player took his time and lifted in a delicious ball that Tisserand was first to, glancing a lovely header past veteran Filip Kurto in the Bulls’ goal. The Cove erupted, beer filled the air, Tisserand raced over to celebrate in front of the fans with the remaining substitutes and all the struggles were forgotten.
Former Sydney FC captain Luke Brattan, who had been all class as always, brought down Quispe on the run for a deadset free kick, earning a harsh yellow card. Lolley and Quintal stood over it, but it was Lolley who hit it, the ball arrowing just over the bar. This was going to be a nervy finish. Macarthur missed a sitter right in front, the ball skied over at the far end, and then Devenish-Meares looked to be beaten to the ball, but a shot hit the side netting instead of the target and the Sydney fans could breathe a sigh of relief. The Cove was in full voice as the four minutes of injury time was approaching the end, and a lot of the part-timers on the Hill had made for the exits for some reason. Cue Paddy Wood, on for the last fifteen minutes, who somehow kept in a long ball with a back-header and then ran away up the left as the ball fell his way. There looked to be plenty of low-percentage options opening up, but Wood took his time and flicked the ball in for Lolley, who met the ball perfectly, drilling a shot first time under Kurto for 2-0, and heading over to the Cove to celebrate properly. Fantastic!
We Are Sydney saw out the final throes of the game, the whistle went straight away, and the three points were in the bag. “Sydney’s won three in a row” sang the fans, coining the tune of another legendary British rock and roll band. “And I like it, I like it…” What a turnaround in fortunes from a pre-season that saw Brazilians leave, the Australia Cup end in disappointment and then the opening day defeat in Adelaide. Second in the table! Time to celebrate, and after captain Grant had his captain’s interview, the players came across to link hands and cheer with their delighted fans. More was to come though, as first goalscorer Marcel Tisserand was given the mega, and led the fans in an exotic version of Come On You Boys In Blue, which was lapped up by the Cove. Brilliant stuff!
Today must have been family day, as there were lots of kids on the field afterwards, Tisserand with his two little ones loving seeing Dad interact with the crowd. There was lots of love for Anthony Caceres, and Alex Grant was loving the limelight, the good times were back for Sydney FC and even the wind seemed to lull for a while at the final whistle to make the post-match a pleasant experience.
Back to the Orange Grove for a quick post-match drink while the traffic calmed down – it was nothing like the Central Coast post-game snarl-up – and we were back to the North Western suburbs and home for the end of the Brisbane Roar thrashing of Newcastle Jets, which kinda dampens our big win last weekend – we thought the Jets were going to be good this year. A fabulous end to the weekend, and honestly, if you’re looking for a similar kind of buzz to seeing Oasis for the first time, head down to a Sydney FC game and experience all the emotions while you sing along. It’s good for the soul, a real outlet to be able to shout nonsense into the void and you can enjoy a beer while doing it. See you back at Leichhardt on Saturday when a fast-improving Perth Glory women come to town. Forza Sydney FC!