A first half hour of outrageous profligacy from Sydney FC followed by a game-changing referee decision signalled the end of summer at Kogarah Oval on Sunday. The football spectacle didn’t end the way we wanted, but the day out was another cracker in the hot sunshine. Remember, scroll left and right through the photos on your phone.

Fitting in Sydney FC and other football commitments is getting harder as the start of the NPL and local seasons draws closer. This should be a message to those in charge. A summer season makes sense. We don’t want to clash with any more football than we already do. Getting in late from a trial game at Christie Park it was a quick turnaround to seek Michelle just before 2pm. The magic of Google Maps had us in Carlton by 2.30pm, and in a prime car spot right by the Royal Hotel opposite the station. That’s where we met Bruno and Anna to sample the deep fried delicacies, a quick lunch and a pre-match brew before heading to the stadium down the hill.

We eventually made it in after being turned away at gate B, and armed with cans of vodka, lime and soda, we found a good spot. We’d been cooking in the sun all morning and it was bastard hot, so a shady spot a few bays to the right of the Cove was our vantage point for the day. The active bays were going off, there were a few Bulls in up the far end singing the same songs with the name Macarthur swapped for Sydney FC. The scene was set for a classic derby encounter.

As has been the case in almost every game this season, the pretty play wasn’t matched with devastating finishing. We had loads of chances, Kosta Barabarouses was played through but the ball was slightly behind him, and his shot was just wide, Alex Baumjohann smashed one against the bar, but to top it all was a chance for Paddy Wood, clean through with the whole goal to hit and he chose the goalkeeper instead. Just as we were scratching our heads at how this was still goalless, Macarthur won a corner. It was half cleared and some trickery on the byline teed up a simple chance for Derbyshire to drill home from close range.

What came next was complete confusion. Paulo Retre seemed to pull out of a challenge but caught his man with his studs. The rather picky ref instantly brandished a red to the shock of everyone present. Corica was carded. It was chaos. Sydney still pressed and should have equalised, but they were again guilty of fashioning great positions but lacking bite where it mattered. Half time and a shabby 0-1 scoreline.

Half time was entertaining. There were obviously a few Macarthur buffoons out in the street behind the Cove who were giving as good as they got, although declining the invitation to come and have a go. The dreaded sprinkler again interrupted the half time miniroos players, blasting into action as the youngsters ran for cover. A miniature Sydney FC fan in full kit then showed the fans how to finish, it was quite a busy break.

The second half was exactly how you would expect. Macarthur showed little prowess going forward after hitting the bar early in the half, and they were content with the single goal. Until Bobo came on, there was very little to cheer for the home fans, and once Milos Ninkovic was withdrawn late on, our fate appeared to be sealed.

The whistle was greeted with apathy. It had been a tough watch, but no one had left early just in case there was a late development. From then on, we had to make the best of the situation and try and turn our frowns upside down. No problem! Once we’d had a chat with Sydney FC’s membership king Shane, bedecked in his Bobo shirt, and unsuccessfully tried to get photos with the remaining players at the edge of the field, we wandered outside to see what was happening. Given the mood at half time, it wouldn’t have surprised me to see running battles down Jubilee Avenue. Instead it was a convivial atmosphere, a few fans standing around chatting, the Macarthur bus waiting for the players and the Sydney FC WAGs milling around for their beaus to appear.

The first players out were the ones who didn’t play or left the field early (stand up Mr Retre), Bratts was giving all the women waiting the feels by playing with baby, while Alex forgot his shoes and had to wear his trainers (only joking, sir!).

We had a chat with CEO Danny, talk of keys and ignition giving us lots of hope, while Aurelia was keen to get up close and personal with the dreamy Rhyan Grant, our number 23 consistently her favourite player and a top bloke too.

That put a spring in our step, and the day was rescued. By now there was no traffic whatsoever. We got to the car and with a quick U-turn were out and on the road back to base camp. A bit of a late night trying to catch up with all the things we were meant to do on Sunday, homework and the likes, but a thoroughly enjoyable experience. A dilemma for the next game. We’ve got a direct clash with a refereeing course. Something creative will need to occur to make that one. Stay tuned.

With our Saturday night now football free, it’s time to look back on Sydney FC’s latest game, through the eyes of a fan. Double header too, but the 4.30pm kick off was totally unachievable with school, work and a cross Sydney journey getting in the way.

We did make good time though, Michelle‘s uncanny knack of finding the quickest way from Ryde to Carlton via the backstreets of the Inner West getting us there at half time in the W-League opener. We got a great spot a hundred metres from Gate C and met up with Siobhan, but comically Gate C didn’t open til 6pm, so we found our seats after walking around half of the stadium and entering via the main stand.

The A-League game was finely poised at 1-0, the crowd was growing, and Sydney were dominant against high flying Canberra United, with Michelle Heyman, the gazelle, in a rich seam of form. Remy Siemsen somehow smashed the ball off the bar from close range when it looked easier to score, and from our angle it did have a touch of the Frank Lampard v Germany ‘goal’ from the 2010 World Cup. It was the Sky Blues who scored the next, and it was a neat finish from the W-League player who looks the most like a member of the royal family, the elegant Cortnee Vine picking her spot from just inside the area. Canberra offered at least some resistance before collapsing to two Siemsen goals, the first a follow up to her own blocked shot, the second a close range header after she was left completely unmarked from a corner. It could and should have been more, but the 4-0 win served as the perfect appetiser to the A-League encounter that followed.

With Michelle and Aurelia both selected for jobs on the field, there was a different vantage point for the warm-ups. It was interesting to see just what goes on before the game, the players warming up, the admin and fussing, the cameras and interviews.

The players came out to applause, followed by Michelle who did the coin toss with the captains and the refs, and Aurelia who presented the match ball to Chris Beath. A big thrill for the girls and they were both a bundle of nervous energy. One of the perks of being a member!

Plenty of pantomime as the sprinklers caused their now familiar carnage on the sidelines. The groundsman used his tricks to divert the spray from the Fox team and the cameraman tracking Harps was saved by the quick-thinking Blanket Man.

The game was made a lot easier by the fabulous beer choices on offer at Netstrata Stadium – 4 Pines and Balter a nice change from Iron Jack. The action on field took a while to get going to be fair as we reverted to our spot next to the Cove. A great chance early on for the visitors was spurned, and the game looked to be following the same pattern as the first encounter in week 1. That was until Alex Baumjohann’s radar spotted the run of Kosta Barbarouses and he played in a magnificent through ball for Kosta to tease in a right foot shot in off the far post at the far end of the field. Get in!

The second half saw Sydney create opportunities, but were again sluggish in the final third. Up the other end they let former Chelsea man Ulises Davila romp through to crash a shot off the bar, the bank of Mexican fans in a frenzy at this stage. To be fair the Mexican contingent gave the atmosphere a more lively twist, cheering and jeering the goal kicks and raising the volume whenever their man got the ball. Sydney then got their second, a goal straight from the Jack Charlton book of tactics, route one, the flick on, and the devastating control and shot from Kosta to make it two nil. The relief all round from the Sydney fans was obvious, and we could finally sing his name with conviction after a very lean spell.

Both teams had chances, and the home team made subs that showcased their depth. Unfortunately it was one sub too many, and when Chris Zuvela went down under a routine challenge, the result was the stretcher and Sydney down to 10. That led to a twist at the end. Davila somehow scored from way out, the ball bouncing past Andrew Redmayne up the other end, and it was game on for an extended injury time. The Sky Blues looked shaky, and when a looping cross came in with the Phoenix keeper joining the attack, the ball was nodded over Redders and onto the bar. Thankfully away to safety. The ten men held on and the players joined the Cove in celebration, the old 2 Unlimited tune to the chant of Kosta, Kosta Kosta … great to hear that again.

Game over, and in the car moments later to join the snaking traffic to King Georges Road and to home. Not too late for a school night, and we look forward to our next game here. Six points to Sydney!

The first ever derby between Macarthur FC and Sydney FC, and lots of grumbling about the price of a ticket made this an unusual build up to the game. Would there be any Sydney fans there? Would the rains make this an epic Saturday night? Would Sydney FC get their mojo back? The answer to all those questions was ‘yes’.

Buying a family ticket, and Aurelia asking her mate Bonnie along, we at least saved a bit of cash off the $45 a head asking price for tickets. The flat $50 a ticket for an over 18s ticket for the away active bay was an utter joke, especially when the bays were separated by nothing and the stadium was at 25% Covid capacity. We made our minds up early though to get the slightly cheaper non-Active non-away bay next door and we were off and running early, the last pick up for Michelle at 4.30pm in Ryde.

A flawless drive down Silverwater Road and onto the M5 saw us pulling in to the Wests Leagues Club car park at 5.30pm and jagging the final free car spot. Result! Any illusion that there would be no Sydney FC fans was immediately dispelled when walking through into the club, the sky blue shirts outnumbering the home shirts as we settled in for a pre-match feed and a schooner or two. Plenty of familiar faces around. We gave ourselves 20 minutes or so to get to our seat pre-kick off. Little did we know that Gates A and B were next to the club, but Gate C was a bloody mile away. Memories invoked of trips to Vicarage Road to see Watford in the 1990s and having to circumnavigate the allotments to get to the away end.

We arrived at the gate right on kick off, a group of African drummers all bedecked in their Macarthur gear being denied entry thanks to the unmoved stewards. The whistle blew and we hadn’t even reached our seats. Plenty of space, and an Active Bay next to us that was both active and vocal, in between visits from the local constabulary to suggest that they stop being both.

The game was played at a good pace, and both teams had gone close. We were right next to Ryan McGowan as he rifled in a thrilling half volley up our end that had Adam Federici acrobatically pushing the ball away, while Redders made himself big to deny Derbyshire at the other end when a more prolific striker would have finished calmly. A misplaced header from an aimless upfield punt then put Trent Buhagiar away and he was too fast for Milligan. The clumsy challenge sent the young Sydney FC striker to the ground and was a definite red card. The Macarthur captain was cheered and jeered off, but the rest of the half was all Bulls, plenty of chances and some rather sluggish play from the visitors that had their fans worried. There were glimpses though, and Anthony Caceres showed us his best Milos impersonation with some incredible trickery to beat three players, but the goal just wouldn’t come. Just as half-time sounded, the accumulating cloud above the stadium opened, sending 90% of the crowd scurrying to the undercover parts of the stadium.

All Covid regulations went out of the window as fans squeezed together to shelter from the chilly rain, and it became obvious that the players weren’t coming back out. The storm eased and 40 minutes later than scheduled, the players finally returned, still no goals at this point.

The second half was again Macarthur on the attack, Redders coughing up a low cross and relying on his teammates to bail him out, and there were chances. A clear offside goal for the hosts was not even sent to VAR, and then all of a sudden, Sydney found their higher gears after some tinkering by Steve Corica. A sweet turn by Ninkovic in his own half had the crowd frothing for more before Rhyan Grant, lead singer of Lime Cordiale, slipped through Kosta Barbarouses in the clear. His snapshot was well saved, but sub Paddy Wood was there to stab the rebound into the empty net. Next up was Milos Ninkovic, and it was from a similar position to Grant for the first goal, this time no pass, but instead a deft surge through the static defence to finish with class despite a lunging tackle. That was a cracker of a goal.

A third goal wasn’t far away, and new boy Wood was well placed to take advantage of a fortunate rebound and looked to have all day to pick his spot for 3-0. Sydney FC were rampant, but took their foot off the pedal, reverting to the frustrating style of the first half, unable to penetrate the penalty area despite dominating possession. It was a procession by now anyway. There was huge applause from the away fans at the end.

A lovely moment, akin to last season’s trip to Central Coast when Marco Tilio and Harry Van Der Saag both scored on their debuts, this time Patrick Wood thrust into the spotlight to lead the celebrations with the visiting fans.

The evening was finally over, an hour later than planned, and still with the best part of an hour in the car ahead. Michelle returned to Wests to continue her evening as the rest of us drove past a rowdy Lumeah station echoing with ‘Forza Sydney FC’. Farewell Campbelltown, the pleasure was all ours, and we look forward to the next visit.

The scene was set on for a Friday blockbuster. Sydney FC on the back of a derby draw, Mariners having been undone by the Wanderers midweek, this one could go either way. The betting man would tip a draw, but we were expecting something special that we haven’t yet seen this season from our heroes in Sky Blue.

Kogarah Oval is typically an absolute arse to get to for someone living relatively close to Stadium Australia, and the decision was made early on in the week to drive. Negotiating Sydney roads around peak hour though on a Friday, when a lot of people were heading out of town for the long weekend, was a gamble. The easy route of taking King Georges Road right down the middle of Sydney seemed obvious, but navigator Michelle knew best, commandeering Google to find a better route. And Google delivered. We were there in 40 minutes via a winding route through the backstreets of Belmore, and the reduced capacity and early arrival meant that there was a pick of many street parking spots right next to the stadium.

We had tickets in the section just next to the Cove – the current Covid rules meant that a membership card wasn’t enough to get you in, you had to book a ticket. The tifo was ready to go, the players were out and the new additions to the stadium beer family – 4 Pines in a can – were starting to go down well. A great moment before kick off saw the groundsman dive on the sprinkler, like Steve Irwin would pounce on a snake, to save the Fox Sports presenters from an absolute soaking. Big applause all round for his selfless act that must have left him drenched.

Being at a stadium well before kick off gives you an extra sense of occasion. The crowd swells, almost unnoticed, familiar faces from previous games wandering by, the TV presenters do their thing as ballboys and mascots get organised in front of you. The Cove doing their thing with the tifo, including one of the guys clad in the black ‘casuals’ uniform treating us to a somersault when walking on the field to raise the banner. A beautiful sunset this time provided a backdrop for what would be an absorbing game.

Sydney FC looked chirpy early on, the play all up the other end of the park. Rhyan Grant went close with a well-worked free-kick and Kosta Barbarouses missed the target completely with his shot when turning sweetly in the box. It was not completely one way traffic though, and there were warning signs, Matt Simon allowed to run way to far unchallenged before firing wide, and a spectacular overhead kick easily fielded by Redders. The game was finely poised at the break, with the expectation for an onslaught from the home team in front of the home end.

What followed was 45 minutes of excitement and controversy. A potential handball right in front of us ended in a mystifying goalkick, before Kosta crossed low into the area for Trent Buhagiar to coolly finish. The flag was straight up and it looked offside, but the big screen showed what fine margins we were talking about. The usual VAR delay where the stadium remains unaware of what is happening gave the crowd time to digest the situation – is the arm part if the body when considering offside, is the angle correct – and that delay fuelled speculation of a VAR goal. Alas, no goal was the correct option, the Cove now fully awake and incensed. It wasn’t long before Mariners took the lead. Sydney were hesitant to close down the runner down the left, and the cross was perfect, the visiting striker lunging in for what looked like a great finish. Later this was to be confirmed as an own goal, but it looked good from our position.

Cue an ugly scene as a crazy young fool in a Mariners shirt started to big it up in front of the Cove. He was politely ushered away by a steward, before security got involved and forcibly extracted him from the area in a ruthlessly efficient manner to cheers and jeers from the home fans.

Sydney toiled for an equaliser, but some wasteful crossing and bad decision making in the area denied them several times. It was no surprise when the visitors knocked in a second goal, and what looked like a decent shout for a penalty wasn’t given but the follow up was drilled home up the far end and the away fans lapped it up. It’s always a great sight, the away fans enjoying a goal being scored in front of them as the rest of the stadium sits and stares in envy. The Sydney FC fans were stunned. That was the end of the scoring and Mark Birighitti made sure with a close range save.

The Mariners celebrated with their fans as the stadium cleared out, Mariners current and past caught up with each other on the field. The post-mortem was discussed by Adam Peacock and Robbie Slater at the side of the field while the tifo was bundled away and a few players went through some routines on the pitch.

Google might have been a good option for the journey home, but we instead joined a long snaking line to King Georges Road and were home by 10pm. This was a good evening out, and as a spectacle it was a great success. When we look around the world at empty terraces and suspended leagues, we are definitely blessed here.

Sydney FC though are starting to show signs that they’re not the formidable force they once were, and there was dissent in the crowd for the uncharacteristically wasteful attacking play that ultimately cost them any chance of the points tonight. We march onwards though, and we now have to find $50 for a trip to Macarthur next Saturday night. What a rip!

A-League. Saturday 2nd January 2021. Sydney FC away to Wellington Phoenix in Wollongong. 5pm kick off. As someone who travelled regularly to away games in my youth, following Newcastle United around the delights of the old Division 2 in the early 90s, the wish to recreate that buzz is always there. I’m happy to report that it still exists, and any opportunity to head off on an achievable road trip to follow my team is taken with open arms. I see it through different eyes these days, but as reported earlier in 2020 in the first edition of Play On, the away day is alive and well.

For those of you not familiar with Wollongong, it’s a 90km drive from Sydney, so maybe just a little further than Newcastle to Middlesbrough or maybe London to Southend or even Melbourne to Geelong. An absolute must for the away fan then. This one though was a very unusual event. Wellington Phoenix, a team from across the Tasman Sea, have set up home in Wollongong in order to take part in the A-League this season with all the restrictions in place. So, despite being a three hour flight from home, they call WIN Stadium home for the 20/21 season.

This particular day was the antithesis of the typical Australian January day, a relatively chilly 19 degree day with a thick fog and drizzle. Having just watched Season 1 Episode 4 of the Crown the night before, the ‘Gong was eerily similar to a fog-bound London in the early 1950s, with the scene of the industrial end of town at Port Kembla seemingly spewing all the cloud into the sky. Having taken the scenic route along the Grand Pacific Drive and the Sea Cliff Bridge, featured on a large portion of car adverts in Australia, we had time first to have a look around the lighthouse and be tourists. The surf was up, but there were only a handful of people in and the ocean waves were frothing.

The venue for a pre-match beer was the Steelers club, directly opposite the main entrance. We met up with some of the hard-core Sydney FC followers who were down for the weekend, just in case this might be the last away game for a while. The beer was good, the banter was flowing, the questions started about when to head into the stadium and which gate we were. That brought back good memories of way too many pints in pubs before games. Not to be caught out this time, we ducked out with 20 minutes to kick off and got in the stadium after a bit of a wait, way before the players came out onto the field.

WIN Stadium is quite tidy. Three stands and one grassy knoll, but the weather and the increased Covid restrictions meant that the grass area was closed off. Fans were well spaced out, but the lack of numbers meant that navigating the toilets and the bars was very efficient. The stadium announcer made the Wellington fans feel at home, announcing the Sydney FC team quickly and then making a fuss over the Phoenix squad. A lone Wellington fan cheered every name at the top of his lungs. Fair play to him. There were, to be fair, quite a number of yellow and black shirts. It was great to see.

The action on the field was free-flowing. Sydney got the fans going with an early chance, and Phoenix had plenty of play down their left. Just as the game looked to be drifting, Calum Nieuwenhof nonchalantly lashed in a shot from thirty yards out, we were right behind it, and it flew into the top left-hand corner for an amazing goal up the other end of the park. The first half was coming to a close when an unexpected equaliser came, Wellington breaking down their right into the corner. The cross wasn’t that good to be honest, but the striker got enough on the header [Edit : turns out it was a volley – it was difficult to see from our angle] and it had a long way to travel, bobbling against the post and in. We didn’t know until much later that the TV coverage had missed it.

The second half was superb entertainment, Sydney FC playing some lovely football, Wellington going close at the other end and Redders was tested on more than one occasion. The second goal for the visitors was a moment of magic from Luke Brattan. I made the call that ‘nah, that’s way too far out’, and from a relatively ambling run up, the Sky Blue midfielder rifled a shot straight into the top right hand corner, again from 30 yards out. Bloody amazing. This season we’ve already seen three worldies from Sydney FC (Princess Ibini on Wednesday was a good ‘un) and we’re only a week into it. A late rally from the home team saw a breakaway well defended, but with moments remaining, a shot just inside the box took a wicked deflection off a Phoenix player and the ball rolled in for an equaliser. VAR to the rescue for Sydney though, the assistant referee had his flag up and it was confirmed that the scorer was offside. Phew. Three points for Sydney FC then to start the season, get in!

Today was a good day for Railsy too. She got to meet her idol Rhyan Grant, our table number was 23 and a big socially distanced thumbs up from the man himself. If Aurelia enjoyed the day even half as much as I did, I reckon it’s been a massive success.

Leaving the stadium, plenty of opportunity for some more away match tourist photos and a bit of Australiana on the walls of the Entertainment Centre on the way back to the car. Car parking today was a piece of piss too, no limits, no fees, only a short walk to the ground. We were out of Wollongong and into the fog and drizzle within minutes and home by 8.30pm. Another cracking away day. Can’t wait for the next one.

A fantastic afternoon and evening of top-flight Australian football saw Western Sydney Wanderers totally outdone by their fiercest rivals Sydney FC in the W-League. An absolute bomb of a goal from the more prolific of the Ibinis on show steered the Sky Blues to a 3-0 win, and it could have been more. With the big game out of the way, we could enjoy a moment in history as Macarthur FC came up with a goal, a clean sheet and plenty of positives from a slender win against the home side.

Bankwest Stadium is only fifteen minutes down the road, so this was a no-brainer – drive to the game, park in the Leagues Club car park and head straight into the game. There seemed to be quite a few people about in the plaza before the game, a queue at the ticket office, and plenty of people hanging around the Pixar putt putt opposite the main entrance.

After a quick go in the football cage and the football pool table, it was time to get in to the stadium as kick off approached. We were in the away section, so a walk to the other end of the ground and up a flight of stairs into the magical Wanderland. There was very little time between the opening of the gates and the kick off of the game, so any thoughts of grabbing a leisurely beer and checking out this wonderful amphitheatre were replaced by the need to get to our seats and catch the start of the game. No chance to see the warm ups, not a great deal of pre-game action.

A quick count up of the crowd in attendance at kick off, and the numbers were estimated by our non-scientific half-arsed method at between 300 and 1,000. Ten people per section, maybe 80 sections, some of them completely empty. The different shading of the seats at Bankwest Stadium is genius – it actually looks full, even if the cavernous silence gives it away. The Sydney FC fans were in the away corner, and the view, as you will know if you’ve been here, was outstanding.

And so to the on-field action. The game was poised early on, but the chances started to come for the visitors. The wing play was excellent from Sydney FC, both flanks having success, and the ball just seemed to be falling for the sky blues in challenges. After Remy Siemsen clipped the bar instead of shooting low, this started to look like ‘one of those games’, but it was Courtnee Vine who opened the scoring soon after with a lovely finish when released into space on the right side of the penalty area by Siemsen.

One nil at the break, and the game didn’t look like changing much in the second half. It was all Sydney FC with an assured defence and options galore, and the chances came thick and fast. Vine tricked her way into the area right below us and fed a ball just behind Siemsen and Ibini. It was on the hour though that the sky blues got their second, and what a goal – Princess Ibini dropping the shoulder to move inside and blasting a shot into the top right hand corner of the net. An absolute worldie from the popular Sydney FC star. There were more chances with the away team threatening to run riot but they had to wait until late on for Princess to get her second, a superb run to latch on to a deft pass, and a finish without any element of doubt. All smiles for Sydney FC.

Needless to say, we were delighted in the stands. Our attempts to applaud the teams off were hampered by the blaring music starting for the A League warm ups, and the players simply walked over to the bench area to congratulate each other on the win before disappearing down the tunnel. Time for a beer then. There were two catering areas open at the away end, one only open for coffee it seemed, despite having the full array of beers on tap, the other one only selling cans of no one’s favourite beer Iron Jack. Still, they went down well, there’s no denying it. The main event was over, now time for the bonus game, the Macarthur fans filtering in to the away section. Plenty of pristine white shirts and the very neat black away jerseys were on display, with an even mix of families and groups of mates.

It was remarked (not by me I may say) that the men’s game was ‘so much quicker’. Fair point, it was quite a marked difference. But let’s not dwell on that. This game pitted newcomers Macarthur, with a whole side of new signings, some of them from the top drawer, against a Wanderers side full of established characters. Bernie Ibini was out there too with his trademark wrist bands. The away end was vocal. The RBB was conspicuous by its silence, the red and white tape across the home kop giving an air of sterility.

The game was a classic. There was a lot for the crowd to cheer, a nonsense penalty for the Wanderers for a handball finally overturned after a long VAR consultation but it looked like being another entertaining stalemate after a disallowed Macarthur goal for offside midway through the second half. This was an evening of firsts though for the away side, and after their first ever chant ‘Let’s go Macarthur, let’s go’ was thrown out there, the opening goal came. Macarthur were picking their way through the Western Sydney midfield, and won a free-kick on the edge of the area. A fairly poor shot from the kick struck a Macarthur player and wrong-footed the keeper to roll into the net for 1-0. Lots of joy around us in the stands.

Federici in the visitors goal was then made to work, a series of saves denying an equaliser up the far end, and the game ended one-nil to the Bulls despite the white-haired Muller changing the game with his energy. The fans were jubilant. Kids with families were getting photos with the stadium behind them, there were smiles and fist pumps. We were happy to hitch along for the ride. A new A-League franchise is born.

Plenty of love on the way out after the game, coaching supremo Brendon of Hills Football not showing too much distress after a double derby defeat, and Princess socially distant as possible for a selfie with the Sydney crew eager to show their appreciation. Oddly enough, plenty of hate too. As predicted, half of the crowd wouldn’t have known that the women’s game was on, so the sight of four out-of-context Sydney FC shirts walking through the concourse was too much to take for some of the less sober home fans. We just laughed it off though. The temptation was definitely there to sing ‘You’re shit and you know you are.’

A seamless exit from the car park after eventually remembering which floor we were on, and we were home before 10pm, a new record for Michelle! We go again this Saturday. With every day we expect to be locked down further, so we’ll take every opportunity possible to attend football and get our fix. Will Wollongong be declared a no-go zone? Will the game get moved? It’s so dynamic at the moment, anything is possible.