Sydney FC 3 Melbourne Victory 0
A second-half blitz by Sydney FC gave the travelling Melbourne Victory faithful absolutely nothing to cheer about as the league’s form team dispatched their arch-enemy in handsome fashion. The skies opened on Leichhardt Oval to give the spectacle an extra edge, which the Cove harnessed to urge their heroes on to the win in the pouring rain. Joe Lolley showed us why he is considered one of the biggest talents in the league with two quality strikes, and Alex Grant added a third with a towering header as an even first half turned in the home team’s favour as the game wore on. Sydney’s won four in a row… and I like it!
A slow overcast day saw us descend on the Orange Grove in Leichhardt around 5.30pm with the outdoor area in full swing. It was heart-warming to see so many familiar faces meeting up for this one, the lure of a Big Blue always too strong to resist despite the looming rain. The appearance of the police signalled the start of the march, a couple of Victory fans having been ushered away from the pub earlier for their own safety, and we were off, the first march of the season, through the backstreets of Sydney’s Inner West. We were directed through to the back gate, the police wondering why they had to be there, such was the relative calm of the home fans. Two away fans were harangued away from the home gate and directed back into the gloomy streets by the police, and we were in the stadium in no time.
The Cove area was a peculiarly cordoned-off area, two strips of blue material at either side and barriers at the rear making it impossible to get in without the required wrist-band. The newly-grassed area behind the Cove would get a work out, and the crowd grew nicely up until kick-off, the majority of the Hill side setting up shop under the huge trees at the rear, away from the treacherous steep section that remained empty as the rain started to tumble.
Melbourne Victory had brought a few fans, but not enough to fill their small section at the far end. They were in good voice, not as good as the Cove though, who were enjoying the opportunity to berate their foes prior to kick off. The flag bearers and mascots lined up ready for the entrance of the players, the rain getting harder and harder, and the players were still not out by the allotted time. We Are Sydney rang out as the players exchanged clasped handshakes, Victory having turned the teams around just to maximise their nuisance. Sydney Ole then had the Cove going for more than ten minutes, the Sydney fans barely noticing the wild weather. We were in for a treat here.
Both teams had their moments in the first half, Piero Quispe flashing a cross across goal, and Harrison Devenish-Meares coming out quickly to dive at the feet of the Victory striker at the far end – it was difficult to see up the far end with the rain in our eyes, and the ball was up that end a little too much. Roderick Miranda was involved in a number of flashpoints, ending up in the advertising hoardings at one point to joy from the partisan home crowd. Sydney finished the half strongly, Lolley putting a cross in from a free kick that Rhyan Grant seemed odds-on to thump in a header, but he had leapt too soon and the ball just grazed his shiny head. Devenish-Meares had to go down to his right to push away a stinging shot from the Victory left but Sydney held on until the break, which gave us all a chance to go to the toilet and have a couple of minutes out of the rain.
A quick walk up the far end confirmed that the away following was indeed quite small, and the containment lines between home and away fans were quite loose; the conditions had changed the mood somewhat and there was little angst between the fans.
The second half started with Sydney on the attack – Rhys Youlley had a great chance in front after Lolley had kept the ball alive on the right, but Jack Duncan made the save. Al Hassan Toure shot from the left and we couldn’t tell how close it was, but it got an ‘ooh’ from the crowd, before Sydney broke the deadlock, and what a superb goal it was, just after Jason Davidson had sliced a good opportunity hopelessly wide right in front of us. Sydney were working the ball up the left when Joel King played a ball inside and there was Lolley racing onto it and he smashed the ball past Duncan for a fabulous opening goal. Bedlam in the Cove, what a relief. Ain’t nobody, like Joe Lolley, makes me happy….
The moment of the night though saw Rhyno push the fiesty Nikos Vergos into the Sydney FC substitutes in the corner and all of a sudden it was all on, players racing in, squaring up, the home fans absolutely loving it. A rousing F*ck you Melbourne Victory from the main stand and the Cove let the away players know where they were, and Paddy Wood was given a yellow for his part in the nonsense. The tempo had certainly changed now. The crowd were at peak volume, the players had a spring in their step, they were going in for the kill.
Kids were crawling under the blue material to get into the Cove, the stewards were having their work cut out. Captain Grant then played an exquisite ball up the right, Victor Campuzano scuttled after it and played in Quispe, but the shot was wild and ended up way into the clouds. The second goal was class though. Lolley cleared up at the back and played a cheeky one-two to get out of trouble. He set off through the middle, players making runs either side and he just kept going, eventually taking aim and firing the ball past Duncan with a cracking left-foot shot. We couldn’t believe it. What a goal! He just kept going, no one challenged him, what a finish! The stadium erupted again, this was turning into a rout.
Victory did have the ball in the net from a horrible deflection, but the player it hit was adjudged offside, much to our amusement. That saved us from a nervy finish. A third goal followed when Alex Grant met a corner from the left, we were in celebration mode now, and when Lolley nutmegged his defender the crowd was loving it. Our central defender Grant was substituted late in the game and received the love from the Cove as he walked past, clearly loving it, and the game concluded with Sydney having demolished their visitors in a superb second half display.
The players were over quicker than normal to celebrate with the Cove, the home fans urging them closer instead of hiding behind the advertising boards. Devenish-Meares grabbed the mega for a Come On Your Boys In Blue, which was awesome, and the players were swift in their meet and greets after the game, the conditions just putrid, fans and players all soaked to the core. The gate to the Cove was closed behind us as we headed for the bathrooms, which forced us out of the main entrance, and we were back at the Orange Grove after a ten-minute walk through the snarled-up traffic. Perhaps wisely, the pub had closed its doors, but the Sydney fans were in full voice as we arrived, a mystery guest capo geeing up the delighted Sydney fans for one last sing-song.
The car seats were swimming in water when we got back to the North Western suburbs after 11pm, but what an evening we’d had. It’s nights like this that make you crave for more, fantastic entertainment on the field in atrocious conditions, the crowd in full voice and plenty of incident to fire everyone up for next weekend’s massive showdown with the other side of Sydney at the far end of Victoria Road. That one’s going to be epic! See you there; don’t be a knob and pretend the EPL or La Liga is all you care for. This is real football, just as entertaining and just as passionate. Forza Sydney FC!