Western Sydney Wanderers 0 Sydney FC 2

The perfect Sydney derby away day brought three precious points for Sydney FC as the decision to offload their misfiring coach was proven emphatically correct. Under heavy police presence, the Sydney Cove experienced a cohesion and a desire from their team that steered them into third place in the ladder, Al Hassan Toure and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos with a goal in each half. There was controversy, excitement, flare-ups on and off the field, and at the final whistle there was nothing but love between Sky Blue fans and players, even Patrick Kisnorbo feeling the love that never once was shown to his predecessor. It’s now confirmed; this city is ours.

Sydney derby day, coinciding with the opening day of the local club season, this was always going to be a busy one, but we managed to get away in good time and made the short journey on the Light Rail from Sydney Royals HQ in good time for the arrival of the Cove train into Parramatta Station. The false belief that we had time for a beer was laid bare when the march had already left by the time we’d downed a quick loosener in the Station Hotel, where fans of both teams were enjoying pre-match refreshment together in harmony. A swift walk along the traditional route of the march saw us eventually catch up, the flares and noise hitting us as we turned into O’Connell Street. The mood was joyous, this favourite day in the A-League calendar always bringing emotions to the boil; unfortunately the entry process to Gate H, the Cove gate, is needlessly slow, only one gate open and airport-style screening preventing us getting in to enjoy the pre-game atmosphere. Wrist-bands for everyone again. Another futile attempt to spoil the fun, and the police presence was unusually visible, especially at the back of the Cove.

We took up our spot after a long wait in the beer queue, standing in the undercover disabled area (there were no wheelchairs) but were told to get out by the bank of police, who then disappeared to deal with something elsewhere and a load of other fans took our place. Seemed like they were making it all up as they went along. The Cove was buzzing, spread across at least two bays, while the RBB at the far end looked more concentrated – it is possible that we had more fans in our end, unsurprising given the cack that the Wanderers fans have endured all season from their basement-dwelling team.

The fireworks display that preceded the teams coming out was impressive – Wanderers were using up the last of their firework budget for the season, one that has had very little to celebrate. We Are Sydney rang around CommBank Stadium, the Sydney players were revved up for this one, pumping each other up in the lead-up to kick off, the teams kicking off in the right direction, aiming to finish the game strongly shooting towards their own fans. The action was immediate, Ben Garuccio could have shot when he raced into the area but decided to prod the ball through for Stamatelopoulos, and the star striker couldn’t stretch quickly enough to poke the ball into the empty net. Hopefully that wouldn’t be a key moment.

Newly in-favour Wataru Kamijo, a quality player completely ignored this season, tried a blind pass that resulted in him bringing down his man. Chief stirrer Anthony Pantazopoulos lined up the free kick, but it was comfortable for Harrison Devenish-Meares in front of the travelling fans. This was exciting. Twenty minutes in, we had our goal, and it was remarkably simple once Wanderers’ Lachie Rose wannabe Jai Rose had given away the ball, Kamijo bursting forward and feeding Toure who seemed to be in way too much space in the area up the far end, and he took a touch and lashed the ball past Lawrence Thomas for a smashing finish. The Cove erupted as Toure jumped the advertising hoardings and goaded the RBB, the Sydney fans going berserk, a plume of red smoke rising from the away end as a flare was ripped in celebration.

The police were straight on the scene. A line formed on either side of the main bay and there was action all around from important-looking people on walkie-talkies; it eventually transpired that the drum and megaphone had been instantly confiscated by security as a direct result of the flare. This was the majority being punished for the minority, the atmosphere immediately changing, but the Cove refusing to be beaten. The chants continued, and they were mostly organic. It almost felt like the derby from a couple of years ago when the Cove boycotted. F*ck The Police went the chant. The sight of a Sydney fan weaving through the line of police officers with a tray of Stone and Woods was a juxtaposition akin to the flower power Vietnam war protests or the shopping bags of Tank Man on Tiananmen Square.

The Wanderers pressed, Pantazopoulos brought a save from HDM, Brandon Borrello smashed a shot off the top of the bar. I did something I never do – I headed to the bar with about five minutes to go of the first half, as play was held up briefly and was back moments later – they had opened up the full bar area and it was flowing smoothly. The first bit of common sense seen all evening. The game was getting spicy, Stama taken out en route to goal but the referee only brandishing a yellow. Half time gave us a moment to take a breather, Michelle reporting back that one of the Wanderers fans had been forced out to the same smoking area outside the stadium as the Sydney fans, which was a head-scratching situation.

The start of the second period was frantic; the home team wasted good situations, while Paul Okon-Engstler showed us his best Willa Pearson skills on the sideline to wow the crowd. Piero Quispe showed us a trick in the corner, nutmegging his man to delight from the Sydney end. Wanderers were building though, and when a cross from the left up the far end was headed on goal, HDM stretched but the ball pinged off the bar, the goalkeeper unable to get to his feet in time to thwart the incoming Bozhidar Kraev who finished it off. Being in an away end when the home team scores is frustrating, and the game was just about to kick off when the big screen began to be of interest – it looked as though Kraev had used his arm at some point, and sure enough, after the Sydney players started complaining, everyone seemed to go back for the goalkick even before the referee had commented on the situation. Rescued! Still 1-0.

Chief ratbag Pantazopoulos then flicked a header off the bar, but HDM didn’t seem that interested, getting his angles spot on. Wanderers threw on the big guns, Ryan Fraser, Hiroshi Ibusuki, and Kosta Barbarouses entering the field to boos from his former fans. Sydney mixed it up too – forgotten man Akol Akon on for what may have been his first appearance since his five-star showing in the previous Sydney derby, a freshly shorn Rhys Youlley and then Patrick Wood, the right sort of player to bring on in a bubbling cauldron. There was biff, a thundering challenge on the sideline near the benches taking out Garuccio and we had an all-in, Kisnorbo getting involved from the bench. Akon had a double-chance to settle the game, his first shot blocked on the rebound from Tiago Quintal’s initial effort and his second shot well saved in front of us. The ball crew were being super-efficient, trying the get the Wanderers back into the game, delivering the ball to Thomas even before the ball had gone out of play. We had two balls on the field for some time, the referee not interested.

The chants from the Cove were becoming more and more intense, although with no drum and no mega, it was difficult to keep the rhythm, and the chants were often too quick, and too difficult to maintain across the whole away end. The icing on the cake came towards the end, Quintal winning the ball in midfield and sliding through a pass for Stama to run on to, clipping the ball past Thomas for the clinching goal. The Cove went mental. Talay, Talay, what’s the score? This was such a good feeling, and watching Paddy Wood’s goalmouth tomfoolery had the crowd going even more. You’re f*cking shit, you’re f*cking shit, you’re f*cking shit! The final throes of the game were a party, the players knew the drill, stroking the ball around and keeping possession much to the annoyance of the home team and their unfortunate fans.

The final whistle saw the squad come over to salute the Cove. With no mega to share with the players, there was instead a rousing F*ck you Western Sydney scum, ole which the players loved, and when Talay is a tw*t was unearthed, Joel King looked particularly keen to join in. Kisnorbo was given a chant, how different the feel of the Sydney FC squad is right now, and the away bay started to empty.

Spilling out of the back exit, we were tempted to walk along Victoria Road to the light rail, but our instinct told us to take the offer of the police escort back along O’Connell Street and through to the station on Argyle Street. There seemed to be more police than people, there were some brave souls goading the Sydney FC fans, and almost a flashpoint at the corner of Church Street when some local rapscallions decided to provoke the Sydney fans from the safety of behind the line of police. We left the Cove at the station as they were guided through the unsuspecting crowds to their platform, and we ambled through Parramatta Square to the Light Rail and through to our suburban home in time for the final 20 minutes of Arsenal’s demise in the Premier League.

What a win, what a day, this was one of those occasions that restores your faith after a run of mediocrity. It also highlighted that we’ve got it all backwards in Australia when it comes to policing at football games. A well-segregated away bay does not need police overlooking it, provoking reaction. Yes, the police presence to get the fans back and forth to the station is necessary, but there is an element of self-policing about away bays. And flares, what can I say? They were happily ripped during the march outside the stadium, there shouldn’t have been any way of getting a flare into the stadium (all of our bags were checked and our bodies scanned for metal – is there metal in a flare?) – and if there is a flare, is it really a big deal? I’m sure the A-League marketing team would love the extra ambience given by the smoke coming from the crowd, and we had a whole stadium full of smoke before the game with the extended fireworks display. I feel that a lot of police resources were completely wasted yesterday by playing the role of heavies in the away bay. And confiscating the drum and megaphone, come on. That’s tit-for-tat and tantamount to cutting off the nose to spite the face. Do we want full stadiums? Do we want a bouncing atmosphere? Yes. Then why remove that atmosphere when the first thing goes wrong?

Third place in the ladder, a new coach and a new direction in a full-blooded derby victory. Sydney FC, A-League champions 2026; now that has a nice ring to it.

Sydney FC 1 Newcastle Jets 2

Sydney FC’s faltering attack gave under-fire coach Ufuk Talay more headaches as Newcastle Jets staged a marvellous smash-and-grab to shorten their odds of Premiership success and make former coach and playing legend Steve Corica’s job of retaining the crown that bit more difficult. On a baking afternoon where the Sky Blues looked to have done enough to come away with a point, following Tiago Quintal’s classy strike, they went for the win but ended up gifting their lively opponents one last chance, which was happily accepted to send their bank of fans into delirium. An exciting game, but more questions about the cohesion at Sydney FC as strikers barked at each other and refused to pass in a horrible series of misses.

The day started so well; with sleep and hangover cures pushed aside after Australia’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup final, the Matildas had no idea that they would provide the pre-game entertainment for the big A-Leagues clash up the road at Allianz Stadium. Catching a lift with super-capo MMTV but hitting the ridiculous traffic light sequences en route to Moore Park, we were running a little late, the grass car park almost full and the parking fellas taking their time to get everyone in place. As a result we were going to be late, but only a little, and we weren’t the only ones (hello Noel!) who were walking up Driver Avenue knowing that We Are Sydney was already being sung. Our regulars in Cove Heights were very few, the early-afternoon kick off and a hot day not conducive to a big turnout, but the Jets had brought loads of fans and were swelling the numbers all around the stadium.

Sydney must have won the toin coss; either that or Newcastle didn’t care less which way they were running, and an even start to the game was punctuated when Piero Quispe swept through his opponent from behind to earn a yellow card. The Rhythm of My Heart had just been sung by another small Cove when Newcastle should have taken the lead, young sensation Will Dobson firing in a shot, Harrison Devenish-Meares opted for the one spot not to push the ball out to, and Japanese winger Kota Mizunuma smashed the rebound off the post when he should have scored. What a let-off! Lachie Rose made a great effort to keep a ball in that he should never have been able to rescue and the in-form striker managed to get around HDM but couldn’t find a cross to a teammate for the tap-in.

The Jets looked slick, Sydney looked less so, Marcel Tisserand launching a ball straight out of play and he was booked soon after, hardly covering himself with glory upon his return to the side. The home team had a free-kick up at the other end, Ahmet Arslan and Ben Garuccio over the ball, and it was the former who struck the ball straight into the wall, and with the rebound too. We didn’t have to wait long for the Jets to make the Sky Blues pay, and when Sydney reject Max Burgess played a simple ball over to Mizunuma, he steadied himself and rifled an unstoppable shot past HDM for 1-0. His celebration looked like the starting of a petrol lawn-mower, but he thoroughly enjoyed the moment, as did his teammates.

The Rhyan Grant v Lachie Rose duel was entertaining, but it was up front where things were just not happening. Arslan lifted a ball over the top for Rhyno, but he’d stopped his run, then Garuccio was in a great position on the left but frustratingly chose not to pull the trigger. The sun was beaming over the main western grandstand, no excuse for Quispe’s rubbish control that saw the ball roll out. Tisserand treated us to another one of his collection of balls to no one, and Paul Okon-Engstler tried to play in Garuccio but it was too hard. The half ended with boos ringing around Allianz Stadium. The failings of this malfuctioning team were on display for all to see.

The half-time toddler race was a one-horse race, the Jets fans were loving life at the far end of the stadium, most people chasing the shadows as we had seen in the Asian Cup last week at Accor Stadium. As a result the crowd was concentrated in certain spots leaving swathes of empty seats. The Sydney Harbour Bridge pattern over the field was impressive. There was a massive queue for the merch shop, people deciding it was a more interesting place to be than watching the football.

Sydney were just really bad at the start of the second half, the passing was unimpressive, Alex Grant thumping a cross-field pass in the general direction of Garuccio, the ball bouncing out of play to hand the initiative to the guests. Victor Campuzano was full of running, as if he’d been told he had 15 minutes to shine or he’d be off, and he infuriated his teammates by going for goal from an acute angle when the easy pass was there. The Spaniard then had a chance when a clearance from the Jets’ keeper landed his way, but he’s no Juan Mata and his attempted lob was miles wide, albeit under pressure.

Alex Grant’s long ball found Apostolos Stamatelopoulos clean through, and he looked odds-on to score but put the shot wide, the offside flag raised to spare his blushes. The Alex Grant long-ball was the go-to move, this time Stama hauled down, Campuzano claiming he was clean through and would have scored had the ref played the advantage. Of course he wouldn’t have, there would have probably been an offside somewhere in there too. Captain Rhyno had a good chance coming in from the left, and his shot across goal was just wide with players homing in at the far post. There was a lot of applause when Campuzano was finally taken off, Al Hassan Toure on, but he was immediately offside and getting stick from his teammates as the team harmony looked to have crumbled.

A fan was seen being ejected, perhaps it was all getting too much for some, especially when Stama lined up a free kick and to a buzz of anticipation, blasted the ball way over the bar to groans from all around. It all looked lost when Toure played a ball out of play after Quintal had given up waiting for the pass, but it all changed soon after when Quispe waltzed through the midfield, drew players towards him and offloaded to Quintal on the right. The much-loved Lo Lo chant was reaching its rubbish-launching chorus line in the Cove when Quintal unleashed a shot that surprised everyone, nestling in the far corner, an undeflected goal from the talented youngster. Could Sydney go on to win it?

Toure was in the mood, but his radar was off, firing one wide when the Jets coughed up possession, and when Arslan played him in again, he only had eyes for goal, Stama booting the post in disgust when he didn’t get the pass for the tap-in. Sydney had decided to go for it, and when they lost the ball they looked exposed. That didn’t stop them. Forgotten man Jordan Courtney-Perkins was rusty, ballooning a cross over everyone, and the replacement of both star January signings, Arslan and Stama, with the game there to be won, was perhaps a nod to their unnecessary and destabilising recruitment. Crowd favourite Paddy Wood was on now, and he just failed to connect with a cross from the left from JCP, before Okon Jr slashed a long-range effort way wide, going for the spectacular.

The drama that was to follow was superb, if you were a neutral. Paddy Wood got there first in a one-on-one with goalkeeper James Delianov, and dived over the challenge, the penalty awarded to cheers from the Cove. It didn’t look like a penalty, and VAR took an age, but the decision of penalty or not was spared by an offside and play restarted with a drop ball. Moments later the ball was in the net up the far end, Ben Gibson slotting home but he looked offside even from our lofty position 100 metres away. The game was heading for a draw, but Sydney were doing the pressing, the Jets happy to wait for their moment. And it came. Okon was dispossessed, and the Jets broke up the right, Alex Grant labouring, there were two players in the box and Rhyno picked neither to mark, the ball falling for Gibson to prod home at the far post from a simple cross.

There was one last chance from a free kick with time already up, the Newcastle defence rushing up to play Sydney offside. Grant played on and finished well, but the Sydney fans never believed, the offside confirmed immediately. The final whistle sounded as a Newcastle player was down injured and boos rang out again.

HDM came to applaud the fans, but nobody was reciprocating, and he just shrugged his shoulders. This was a hard blank from the disinterested fans, but this was softened as more players came to give thanks to their supporters for making the effort. The goal areas were hastily cordoned off as the dwindling crowd awaited the families on the field initiative for Members’ appreciation day; there was no hesitation and we went on the field when the gates were flung open, the Jets players having finally finished their love-in with their jubliant fans.

The state of the Allianz Stadium field was there for all to see, all chopped up and not coping with the multi-sport demands, and there was a fantastic moment when the Newcastle Jets gadget man walked to the centre spot to plant his flag, Allianz Stadium wel and truly conquered by Premiers-in-waiting Newcastle Jets.

We left the stadium as one of the last, taking the light rail to the city where we would ultimately go our separate ways, Michelle in need of some down time after a manic three-week Matildas journey, while a boisterous Cheers Bar was to provide another painful home defeat for my beloved Toon Army in the Tyne-Wear derby.

Hard to feel aggrieved after such entertainment, and credit to Sydney for going for the win. The daggers being sent across the field at times told the story as Sydney wasted their golden opportunities, but ultimately Sydney once again proved blunt in attack and lacking in options in the penalty area. All the pretty football can only get you so far; it could have easily been Anthony Caceres instead of Piero Quispe, Jaiden Kucharski instead of Al Hassan Toure, the result would have been the same. A lack of penetration, a lack of application in the six-yard box and giveaways in the centre exposed Sydney to the ultimate sucker-punch which was delivered in style for the delighted Newcastle Jets fans. We get a week off now as the Socceroos go into battle with two unfamiliar foes, but we’ll be back before you know it for the run-in to the finals series, where Sky Blue may not feature at all. Forza Sydney FC!