Spend your days in the sunshine

Sydney FC Women 1 Central Coast Mariners 0

Sydney FC made it a six point weekend with a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Central Coast Mariners at a sunny Leichhardt Oval on Sunday. The third top-flight football game in three days at this venue, with conditions in total contrast to the previous evening’s win for the men, saw the Sky Blues rise to the top of the A-League ladder with a sweet strike from Maddie Caspers. The crowd was entertained, the Cove was loud, the girls delivered and there was nothing but happiness at the end of an exciting contest. This was a tumultuous week for Ante Juric, but what a smashing end.

Back at the same pre-game venue, the legendary Orange Grove Hotel, and we were settling in to a delicious lunch by 2.15pm, catching the end of the Auckland FC v Brisbane Roar game and getting our voices back from last night over some middies of frothy shandy. We had been singing away just outside only 15 hours before, today’s scene and conditions the complete opposite to last night’s busy rainy evening. The path to the stadium was almost the same, veering instead to the front entrance, the traffic signals still pointing the fans to the back entrance despite it being closed.

With Michelle looking at the snazzy new Jacaranda third-shirt at the merch van outside, the lure of silverware was again too great, the hard-fought spoils from seasons gone by not hiding the sheer disaster of last season, a season of no trophies, no finals and hardly any goals.

There were a good number of fans already in the stadium, the yellow shirts of the visitors dotted around, with a handful in the area that had been disinfected after last night’s visit of our Big Blue adversaries. The Cove set up in the shade, which was a sensible place to be, most of the crowd in the main stand away from the beaming sun. The scene was set for a marvellous afternoon, Sydney looking unchanged from last week, but the visitors showing togetherness and strength in numbers, their extended squad containing many faces from the NPL. Somehow the Skye and Blue stickers on the new drum, placed in homage to the creche that often builds up in the Cove as the afternoon wears on, were covered up as the Sydney Cove stated their desire to move away from a babysitting corner into an Active area that strikes fear and intimidation in the opposition.

Nat Tobin still ceded her captain’s armband to Sarah Hunter, and this was a familiar blend of youth and experience. We Are Sydney rang out at kick off and we were straight into the action, the Mariners shooting towards our end, the toin coss having gone the way of the Sky Blues, or perhaps the Mariners not caring a jot about the ratbag tradition of turning the teams around to anger the home fans.

The football was fast and flowing, Hunter pinging one in from distance, but the visitors had the better chances, the busy Annalise Rasmussen proving a handful, but she couldn’t direct a free header on goal. A rasping shot from distance just cleared the bar at our end as the Mariners went close, and Kirsty Fenton went into the book for wrestling her player to the deck, and followed it up by foolishly kicking the ball away. The referee was playing this one by the book, making decisions based upon the screams of the players, and it was irking the Sydney fans.

The Come On You Boys In Blue chant took on a twist today, two of the Cove crew racing to the main stand to provide the response role of the call and response, creating good noise, and then they raced around to the deserted Hill to provide the same from the other side. Sterling work, and the fun continued, capo MMTV urging her bay to greatness. Tori Tumeth’s tough tackle to concede a corner warmed the fans. The half-time whistle was a relief, Sydney having much less possession than their visitors. Perhaps it was all part of the plan.

Into the second half, and Sydney looked lively but were still second best. Mackenzie Hawkesby was replaced by Jodi “the Ukelele” Ulkekul, who brought her own brand of bustling to the game a la Millie Farrow, but it was Central Coast Mariners with the chances, a ball swung in and somehow the taller Mariners players couldn’t get the better of our own mini keeper Tiahna Robertson, right under the bar. Ukekul had a shot into the side-netting when well-placed and skewed a pass inside that would have been a tap in for Riley Tanner. Caley Tallon-Henniker came on to liven up proceedings, and then the dangerous Skye Halmarick came on to replace the utterly spent Tanner, who had received a good kicking all game.

Tallon-Henniker flashed in a superb cross that Halmarick hadn’t read and hands went on heads. Robertson made a flying save to push away a long-rang effort that was going in. This could go either way. The moment we’d been waiting for came from another good run by Tallon-Henniker, which was recycled on the edge of the box. Caspers picked up the ball, took a touch and rifled a shot over the Mariners keeper, just under the bar for a thrilling goal. Get in! Thenkfully the Casper the Ghost chant didn’t get traction and the Cove, their numbers swollen by a number of curious youngsters, bounced around in glee.

The last few moments were nervy. Tallon-Henniker danced up the right and decided to go it alone this time, the ball bouncing off the top of the bar to oohs from the main stand. Halmarick had a glorious chance as the ball was flashed in at pace from the right, but she completely mis-kicked, and dreams of a searing volley to open her account were dashed. The game ended with the Cove in full song. We Are Sydney bookended a marvellous three points to propel the sky blues to a most unlikely position at the top of the pile.

The Sydney players bummed around in the middle of the park as the Mariners locked into the biggest huddle circle ever, before finally coming to the Cove to celebrate. The players were surprised to see Tori Tumeth already in with the Cove, laughing when they spied her as they applauded, but she rejoined the players in time to link hands and salute a massive three points. The Super Sydney FC chant was short and sharp and a slightly cursey Wanderers chant was met with a hint of embarrassment – the players didn’t know whether to sing along or not. The players then dived into their favourite post-match ritual of meet and greets, the absence of baby Ante Juric, star of last week’s post-match party, bringing as-yet-unconfirmed rumours of an untimely end for Ruby Sullivan’s ill-timed CAFS project.

This was a statement win by Sydney FC, as the Cove sang Sydney’s won two in a row in jest, and sitting on top of the A-League ladder was the most unlikely scenario for even the most optimistic Sky Blue fan. The smiles carried out onto Mary Street, and we picked up the car from the Orange Grove, arriving back in North West Sydney in time to walk the dog before it was too dark. Football weekends done right. Forza Sydney FC!