Sydney FC Women 1 Canberra United 2

The once mighty Sydney FC welcomed Canberra United to Leichhardt Oval on Sunday and went close to snatching something from the game even when reduced in numbers. A much-changed line-up battled to reach half-time at 1-1, Madison Ayson with a slo-mo header, before a silly red card for Kirsty Fenton reduced the Sky Blues to ten. Despite a spirited display and surviving a penalty, it was down to yet another ex-Sydney FC player, Mary Stanic-Floody, to give Canberra the precious winner with less than ten minutes to play and condemn the home team to a very familiar home defeat. Where to next for our girls in blue?

Club duties and a first pre-season hit out had us leaving quite late for this one, but such is the ease of getting to Leichhardt thanks to the new tunnel, we were at the Orange Grove Hotel before 4pm. Michelle headed in for a pre-game pint as I circled the main car park before opting for Le Montage car park, knowing that it was too late to make the journey back to the pub. So, instead, I had a walk around the stadium. Leichhardt Oval is one of a number of ovals in the area, and there was a rugby league game just finishing on the adjacent No. 2 oval right next to the aquatic centre, and there was a baseball game on the Glover Street oval. Plenty of parking around the back, note for next time to save the walk back up the hill.

Conditions were ideal for football, the rainy morning replaced by a warm overcast afternoon and Sydney FC had purpose and intent about their warm-up, a few changes having been made to the starting line-up. No place for superstar Willa Pearson, Riley Tanner on the bench too with Skye Halmarick. Claire Corbett was in for a start, the pacy Caley Tallon-Henniker on the left and the youthful Ruby Sullivan on the right in a 5-4-1-ish formation. Good to see rotation – after all, the season is a write-off and we look towards next season to get some more promising combinations happening.

Michelle arrived with super capo MMTV with 15 minutes to go, after fielding a few questions as to where the Cove was today. Truth is, the bulk of the crew was in Auckland for the men’s game, so this was set to be one of the leanest Coves for some time. MMTV was in fine form though, and there was no doubt that this would be a fun early evening making noise in support of our famous Sydney FC. The teams emerged to a slightly strained We Are Sydney; the home team must have won the toin coss as we were shooting away from the Cove in the first half, and the game got underway in a familiar pattern, Sydney trying to build out of midfield, but their opponents looking dangerous every time they got the ball.

There were only two minutes gone when the most A-League moment stopped play, the spinklers at the Cove end coming on to disrupt the Canberra flow. Whether or not this was pre-planned to prevent an early goal is open to debate, but the fact that the sprinklers stayed on for ages with no intervention from anyone suggested that this was in fact a classic Peak A-League moment. Would never happen in the men’s game. Sprinkler FC, duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-der-der-der, sang the Cove until finally the taps were turned off. The referee checked the holes and we were back underway.

Heather Hinz made a flying save to push away a curling shot as Canberra continued to threaten, and direct attacking down the left gave Sydney headaches, Fenton deflecting a header just wide. We didn’t have to wait long for the opener, Sydney carved apart on the Canberra right, a cross not dealt with and Beth Gordon smashed home unmarked at the far post. For a five-man defence, that was particularly galling, but the Canberra players all doing forward rolls was lovely to see – a team with spirit and togetherness and a willing to celebrate together in a slightly unorthodox manner.

Sydney survived some hairy moments, the Cove trying their best to rally the rest of the crowd with a Come on you Girls in Blue with the main stand. The offside flag was catching Sydney out, but they got their goal eventually, from a free-kick on the right. Mackenzie Hawkesby floated the ball in, up went Ayson with the Canberra goalkeeper in all sorts of trouble, and the header trickled towards goal, the last-ditch attempt to clear only helping the ball over the line. Sydney scoring mid-chant, love it! This was a joyful moment, and tails were up. Canberra were all over Sydney though as the half drew to a close, Hinz making a smart stop from close range, and it was with relief that the half-time whistle sounded.

Pearson and Halmarick on at the break, this was a welcome set of changes, finally choosing not to wait until after half-time to make changes. Both players were immediately involved, Halmarick looking menacing and teeing up Jodi Ulkekl who fired just wide with a stinging effort. The visitors were racking up the possession though, and Michelle Heyman got into good positions but was held up well by the Sydney defence. The pressure was piling on, and when Heyman looked to have broken clean through, Kirsty Fenton’s impudent tug of the shirt sent the Matildas striker tumbling. There was litle doubt, even from our view from afar, that it was a red card offence, perhaps a little unnecessary with Heyman’s radar not fully on today, but it at least gave Sydney the opportunity to preserve their lead, the free kick smashed into the wall.

Down to ten, Sydney were industrious and still managed to come forward, Tanner able to find room on the left but she had no support, and when Halmarick did get away, she had no option other than to shoot from distance, the ball wide of the goal. It was no surprise though when Canberra did regain the lead, a cheap giveaway giving Stanic-Floody the opportunity to shoot with her right. That initial shot was blocked, but her subsequent left-foot effort went across Hinz and somehow bounced out of her grasp and into the net for 2-1.

Sydney kept probing, knowing that they still had a say in the game, but when another one that got away, Manly United’s Sienna Dale, raced trough and was upended by Hinz, a penalty was awarded. We couldn’t see if it was in or out of the box, the award of the penalty a little bit of a suprise, but when Stanic-Floody hit the penalty, the post came to Sydney’s rescue, Hinz at full stretch. That teed up a cracking finish to the game, Canberra pressing, but Tanner dribbling through midfield to keep Sydney interested. A fierce drive from Halmarick then had the Canberra keeper scrambling to touch it over, what a goal that would have been, but the sight of Tanner ambling to take the corner was frustrating to see. There were seconds remaining, and sure enough, when the corner was too deep, that was the last action, Sydney FC players doubled over in anguish at having battled so hard for no return in a tough second half.

The Sydney players were quick to come over to applaud the Cove and receive the love in return. This had been a much-improved showing, and the feedback from our capo was that we’ll be here for you, whatever the result, as long as the effort is there. The post-game mood was uplifting; there’s no time for unhappiness at a Sydney FC women’s home game, and walking out of the stadium, it was clear that the visitors had a large following of freinds and family, all handsomely rewarded for their journey.

We were back by 7:30pm, nice and quick on a Sunday night, disappointed but not dejected as we had been midweek. What can we take away from today? Plenty of positives; Madison Ayson given her chance at the back took it, Halmarick looks class when she gets the ball, Claire Corbett looks even younger in person than she does on the field, but she can definitely hold her own, and Riley Tanner showed the fans her rippling six-pack when she came to take a corner, her marauding run through midfield at the end giving the Sydney fans plenty of hope. Kirsty Fenton will perhaps rue that drag back on Michelle Heyman, with teammates perhaps able to put pressure on the Canberra striker, but fair play, she made the decision and she’ll have to sit out the next game.

No home games for a month now, with the Asian Cup coming up. Five games to go, will Sydney FC tease us all like last season with a late run of form to keep us guessing right til then end? Forza Sydney FC! See you all soon.

Sydney FC Women 1 Brisbane Roar 3

Our girls in blue crumbled to another dismal defeat, their obvious failings exposed again for all to see at their Inner West home in Leichhardt, and this time it was Brisbane who hustled their physically weak opponents to come away with the points and send the home team to the foot of the ladder. Ante Juric wasn’t the only absentee, as a threadbare coaching staff and an interim manager did nothing to suggest that the rest of this A-League season will be anything other than the same shit. There was effort, there was intent, but the execution was as bad as we’ve seen this season, the only consolation being a superb strike from Hana Lowry to give the noisy Cove fans false hope in the first half. The only way is up, baby.

A lovely Sydney day was coming to an end and with Michelle playing football, I made the solo journey to Leichhardt Oval, jagging a spot in the main car park to avoid the walk back up the hill and headed past the entrance where the gates were just opening at 6.15pm. Numbers were low, but this was still over an hour from kick off, and I was heading through the back streets to the Orange Grove Hotel for a quick pit stop to meet up with fellow Women’s Cove members. The lack of merch van at the entrance told a story, the slightly later 7.30pm kick off in the first week of a new school term likely to attract a smaller crowd than usual. And so it transpired, a manual head count five minutes before kick off giving us just over 100 people in the main stand and perhaps 50 more scattered around the stadium. That would of course be swollen to about double that figure by the time the game was underway, but I’d love to see the official attendance and compare it to what was actually seen by the naked eye.

Sydney FC warmed up in a ramshackle way, there seemed to be a lack of coaches, and no sign of our new interim head coach; a very young lady was putting out the cones for the warm up while the Brisbane Roar team looked regimented and united as they went through their structured warm-up. A few changes, now that Sarah Hunter, our Sky Blue Wonder, is out for the season, Heather Hinz back in goal, Amelia Cassar playing the central midfield role again and Amber Luchtmeijer up front with Abbey Lemon. No place for the hard-working Jodi Ulkekul, with future Matildas captain Skye Halmarick joining her on the bench. There was no welcome for our new head coach, James Slaveski, it was a weird kind of feel to the pre-game, as though the lack of coaching staff was being ignored.

A stray ball knocked out the blasting music at our end, much to our relief, but the technicians were onto it, and the eerie silence in the breaks between songs made this feel very much like an NPL fixture. We Are Sydney was delivered by the miniature Cove, with a few of the core group away in New Zealand ahead of the Auckland FC men’s game on Saturday, and with the extra echo it sounded good once we compensated for the out-of-time member of tonight’s core. Erik was again providing the beats, our fearless capo MMTV getting into the zone and leading us away with some fun chants.

Sydney started the game looking lively, having lost the toin coss and shooting towards the Cove in the first half. That was until a total mystery goal up the far end had us scratching our heads. There was absolutly no danger as Hinz played a simple ball to Willa Pearson, but somehow she was dispossessed cheaply and the ball was rolled into the net for a totally underwhelming opening goal. Silence at Leichhardt Oval, disbelief even – when things aren’t going your way, the footballing gods certainly know how to show you new levels of despair. It’s a goal that’s been coming all season, the young Pearson guilty again of trying to dribble out of trouble at the wrong time – this time there was no escape and she was duly punished. Don’t let it distract us from the fact that she has been a shining light in a horrible season, but this was really bad. A goal down already, Michelle having arrived full of life from her summer football victory just as the goal went in, the game swung in Brisbane’s favour and there were chances, loads of corners, and one shot from the edge of the area that curled just wide with Hinz at full stretch and looked to be in, but it was a goal kick.

Luchtmeijer and Riley Tanner were connecting, the crosses just not hitting the target, and when our players did get into good positions, there was nothing to aim at in the middle. When Cassar played in a hopeful ball from the right, it turned into a glorious pass, the Roar goalkeeper not reading it and Tanner raced on to beat her to it, sending the ball into the net. Alas, with the celebrations underway and the keeper having taken quite a knock, the offside flag went up and the goal was disallowed. Would love to see that one from a different angle. Didn’t look offside when the ball was played.

We didn’t have to wait long though, and what a fantastic equaliser it was. Lowry picked up the ball in the middle of the park and weaved around two players before smashing a low shot into the corner of the net with such confidence that you would think she does it every week. Bedlam in the Cove, twirling scarves and joy at a superb strike. Hinz was busy up the far end, but we seemed to be in control, despite conceding a flurry of corners. With half-time beckoning, Sydney were again caught out by their achilles heel – the smallest player on the field, Momo Hayashi, rising above Cassar at the far post to thump home a header straight from a corner. Heads were in hands, water bottles slammed to the floor in disgust, and the Roar players celebrated as the referee blew immediately for the end of the half. Awful defending, simply awful.

A walk around the stadium gave a good feeling of the attendance, maybe 500 to be generous, and there were two Roar fans, their smiles wide after taking the lead again at such a pivotal time. There was a strange moment at half time when the music stopped and there was deathly silence – so much so that more than one of us remarked that it seemed like a minute’s silence was taking place. That feeling continued as the referee held the kick off for the TV coverage, the lack of noise giving this a really strange feeling. You could hear everything that the players were saying, and if it wasn’t for the Cove making a noise, the atmosphere would have been like a local park game.

The instruction for the Brisbane players at half time should have been simply to get the ball into the box in the air. Hayashi somehow got another chance with a free header that went just over. The Roar player taking the corners from in front of the Sydney fans was laughing at the comedy noises trying to put her off, and Hinz made a smart stop at her near post when Roar broke through on the right. This was a matter of survival now. Sydney did have some decent possession up the field, but it was unproductive, one pass from substitute Ulkekl just played straight into the Brisbane legs with not an ounce of thought, and Roar on the break was a dangerous proposition. From one wandering run by Pearson upfield, Roar broke and we were seriously undermanned and got away with it, but we were punished soon after when Hayashi was given the ball in acres of space in the middle of the park, took a touch and unleashed a screamer into the bottom corner of Hinz’s goal from miles out. It outshone Amy Chessari’s goal from the weekend for Western Sydney Wanderers and the Brisbane players quite rightly celebrated in style.

It could have been much worse too, Brisbane were all over their lacklustre opponents, and it wasn’t until Claire Corbett came on that the Sky Blues seemed to want to spread the ball wide with intent, Caley Tallon-Henniker showing her blistering pace out on the left. When the ball did make it into the penalty area though, the lack of ideas was upsetting, and there was little to cheer for the hardcore fans who had made the pilgrimage tonight. The sad sight of Skye Halmarick being sent to warm up with five minutes to go, all by herself, only to be completely ignored by the coaching team brought the plight of this once mighty team to the fore – she stood forlornly waiting for any sign from halfway until the final whistle sounded and her team’s fate was sealed.

The players did come and thank the Cove corner and the mutual applause was warm. Capo MMTV revved up the girls, letting them know that this is not the Sydney we know – we’re better than this – and that they have our full support. No song, no chant, it just didn’t seem appropriate.

The security guards saw their opportunity to clear the stadium early when they realised that there were hardly any kids at the fence and we were happy to leave the players and their families to it, heading out into the night, and taking advantage of the fluid traffic, thanks to the tiny crowd. We were back in the North West suburbs of Sydney some time around 10:30pm, not the greatest time for families with young kids going to school which probably led to the lack of numbers at the game tonight.

Where to now for Sydney FC? As the Wanderers head in the opposite direction, leaving us stranded at the foot of the A-League ladder, is there any way back this season? Canberra at home on Sunday should be a good test of our resolve, and we would hope to see some sort of change of approach to convert our bunch of misfiring players into a fuctioning team. Not to dwell on tonight’s performance, but when we see Mackenzie Hawkesby easily muscled off the ball, we see Kisty Fenton play a simple ball straight to an opponent’s feet, Willa Pearson gifting possession in her own penalty area under no pressure and we see Amelia Cassar’s undoubted energy run into a dead-end once again, there are some fundamental issues with this team. Along with the powder-puff physicality, we just seem to be off the pace and lacking focus, precision and concentration. James Slaveski, you have quite a job on your hands.

See you all at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday. Forza Sydney FC!

Sydney FC 2 Western Sydney Wanderers 3 (Women)
Sydney FC 4 Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Men)

Sydney FC emerged from a tempestous derby encounter with a handsome victory against their local rivals in front of a bouncing bumper home crowd, but the day was tarnished with yet another stinking defeat for the women’s team and a clear demonstration by the club of how little regard is given to the women’s game. The evening may have ended in joy and jubilation as Joe Lolley came on to take the piss out the noisy neighbours, but for those in the Sydney Women’s Cove, new depths had already been plumbed. Continuing to lose with such a talented side is tough to take, but it’s the manner of the defeats that is the most irking, simple tasks not done correctly and this is a team full of powderpuff players with no physical presence. Is this now the end of the road?

Setting off from home in the suburbs of enemy territory, plans changed suddenly when we found out the Northern line was closed and an impromptu car ride to the city saw us rock up at the Dove and Olive next to the light rail in Surry Hills. Chancing a rockstar car park in an adjacent street, that gave us two hours to bring the crew together over German beers and sumptuous pub food. Interest in the game was high, for once we might all be in attendance, at least for the men’s game later in the evening. As it was, a splinter group of four peeled away to make the short tram trip to Moore Park to take in the women’s derby, our girls in blue with last place in the A-League ladder on the line.

Before heading in, it was clear that there was an issue with women’s members tickets, and one-off ticket vouchers were being handed out to women-only members who were being denied at the gate. Not a good look. Did someone forget to program it in? Once inside, the full extent of the oversight of the women’s game was clear when we were denied entry to the Cove. No wristband, no entry. Yes, we know that, but that’s the men’s game afterwards, right? With echoes of CommBank Stadium where our fearless capo was forced to capo alone in an empty wristband section, only those members who were also Cove members were allowed in. Seemingly defeated, we made our way down the shady side of the General Admission section to take up position to enjoy the women’s game in a non-Active zone, the game already underway.

Of course the flimsy taped partition to separate GA from the Cove stopped a few rows from the front, so we just wandered over uninhibited to where we wanted to be, in the Women’s Cove, and joined our pack to boost numbers in a very small active section. Common sense had prevailed and we were in full song and getting into the groove when the eagle-eyed security team appeared at our side to usher us out. They could all understand the situation, they knew we had no intention of staying in the Cove for the men’s game, there was no disagreement, but the no wristband no entry policy applied to the women’s game too. Even a swift call to the club contact by the security guys confirmed the policy. So out we went, back down to the GA section from where we had come. Sydney sliced through the Wanderers defence at the far end and flying winger Riley Tanner swept home for the opening goal. Get in! At least we’d seen a goal.

Now, what then transpired was a little bit of real common sense and wristbands were supplied so we could then return via the entrance at the top of the stairs, and now feeling like a criminal, being denied entry with my bottle of water was a real face-palm moment until I decanted my bottle into a plastic glass. Yes, that same plastic bottle I’d had in my hand in the General Admission section. We were back in place, other non-compliant fans were being ushered out too, and the flimsy tape was hastily being extended to the bottom of the GA section to make it clear to everyone that no one was to enter. Erik was doing a great job on the drum in the absence of our usual big hitters, and capo MMTV was really up for it. Sydney FC were stroking the ball around nicely too, and looked nothing like the meek team that we had seen so far this calendar year. Without Heather Hinz and with Madison Ayson in and Abby Lemon up front, this was a changed team.

There were one or two more people in the Cove by now, youthful faces with no interest in making atmosphere for the women’s game, and that began to irritate. The lack of singing and interaction as the game wore on was obvious, and the feeling of pure worthlessness was acute. There was no ‘passing trade’ that we would normally get to swell the numbers, the everyday fan excluded needlessly from this mostly empty yet sacred section of the stadium.

The bustling Sarah Hunter was flattened in a challenge and was clearly in a lot of pain with her shoulder, but she ran back on to rejoin the game, although quite gingerly. The visitors had controlled the game in the last fifteen minutes of the half, the tall Yuan Cong looking as dangerous as she did in the first derby at Marconi Stadium earlier this season. Incredibly there was only two minutes of stoppages, Holly Caspers having been down for an age before succumbing to her injury and heading off the field. There was some injustice in the air as Wanderers ended up with the ball on the edge of the box with injury time running out in the first half, and when the ball was touched back to the oncoming midfielder, we had no idea what was to come – we stood right behind a cracking shot that sailed over the defence and past the desperate dive of our miniature keeper Tiahna Robertson. What a goal! Half time, and a half that we had led for the most part ended before being pegged back.

The appearance of Naara the Women’s Asian Cup mascot at half time was a reminder that the tourament is only four weeks away, and we had only one of the Sydney mascots on show. I was feeling even more like a marked man after getting a ticking off for ducking under the tape as a shortcut to rejoin our exiled pack for half time. Honestly, why do we have to put up with this shit for the women’s games? Does the club not value the Women’s Cove? Is it just a nuisance?

The second half was still in its infancy when Cong was given all the time in the world to turn and shoot, Robertson making a full-length save to tip the ball away. The dangerous Tahlia Younis was dictating play now, and it was from her corner that the Wanderers struck gold, a poor bit of defending coughing up an opportunity right in front and Robertson and two defenders couldn’t keep out the scuffed shot. Hunter had gone off to be replaced by the youthful Claire Corbett, the mean age of the Sydney team plummetting again.

We didn’t have to wait long for another goal, and it was Cong again, unmarked to head home from a Younis corner. The warning signs had been there, Younis herself firing a screamer just over, and no one even made a challenge as the ball flew into the net for a simple set-piece goal. Tanner looked dead on her feet, but that must be her default state, like Chris Waddle back in the day, and she was a constant source of danger. When Amber Luchtmeijer swivelled and finished brilliantly with ten minutes to play, all of a sudden the atmosphere changed. There were more people in the Cove, more voices getting behind the team, and there was a genuine belief that Sydney could snatch something. Ruby Sullivan looked weak in the challenge when a more gutsy approach was called for as the Wanderers broke at speed. The chance did come though, and Sydney worked a great opening on the right, crisp passing finding feet like it never has done this season, before Tanner was released for a one-on-one with Sham Khamis who saved well. Corbett picked up the pieces on the edge of the box, steadied herself and time stood still as she fired on goal but couldn’t get the shot past the Wanderers’ keeper. We were right behind it, and when Khamis crumbled to the floor for no reason to waste time, we knew the game was now beyond reach.

As usual in a double-header, the men’s goalkeepers were loitering behind the goal, ready to take over the goalmouth for warm-ups, and when the whistle sounded, they rushed on before the women could take stock of the final disastrous score. The sprinklers coming on as the players shook hands was another kick in the face. This had been a frustrating afternoon; Sydney had coughed up two soft goals and had left their charge too late to try and get back on terms. The Cove had sung their hearts out, our drummer managing to keep the beat even when one of his drumsticks ended up five rows further down the terrace. The general apathy from the Cove young’uns was disconcerting, and we made our way out of the Cove to make our way back up to Cove Heights to our usual home for tonight’s main event. There was much activity in the concourse.

The atmosphere was growing now. The players took an age to come out, kick off time having already passed. There was a touching moment’s applause, not a full minute, for Rado Vidosic, all sides of the stadium respecting the moment, and the RBB had grown to fill the middle section behind the far goal, with some overspill in the adjacent bays. The front two or three rows all had their shirts off. It was warm, but not that warm. The pre-match “bla bla blah” video was very well done in reference to all the shit-talk they had served up during derby week. The Cove was already bouncing to F*ck You Western Sydney scum, before We Are Sydney greeted the start of the game. Sydney must have won the toin coss, shooting away from the Cove, but it was the first move from the Wanderers that paid dividends before the Sky Blues had taken a meaningful touch; we had seen what new EPL recruit Ryan Fraser can do after his match-wining cameo last weekend, and there he was, in too much space, to curl home in the first minute with a lovely finish. What a start, the pre-game chat out of the window; while the Wanderers had their English import firing on all cylinders, Sydney FC’s main man Lolley remained on the bench. His face all over the publicity for today’s game was a good reason for the uptick in attendance; what a disappointment to see him only amongst the subs.

Sydney got their equaliser inside ten minutes, and it was a deft pass from new man Akol Akon, making a surprising home debut, that set Victor Campuzano scuttling away. He had a lot to do, and he seemed to take a hefty shove from Robert Mak’s nemesis Philip Cancar as he shot, but the ball somehow went through goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas’ legs and trickled over the line for a dramatic goal in front of the RBB. Game on! Aidan Simmons was allowed to run almost all the way through the Sydney defence and former Sydney FC star Kosta Barbarouses looked lively. A comedy moment from Harrison Devenish-Meares saw him seemingly scoop the ball back into play, the assistant referee somehow not flagging for the corner. Akon was fantastic in the first half, showing the flair and propensity for simple tiki-taka football that Ufuk Talay is striving for. Fraser did get another chance towards the end of the half but hit the ball straight at HDM in the Sydney goal, and Rhyan Grant was one of three players unmarked at the far post, but couldn’t squeeze the ball in from an acute angle. One goal a-piece at half time was about right, despite HDM giving us another moment in his catalogue of cheap giveaways in front of the Cove. The second half would be a cracker.

The concourse was so busy that I only got halfway down one side before turning back. Wanderers shirts mixed with Sydney shirts in harmony, the mood was good and the atmosphere was pumping, even moreso when one of the half-time cross bar challenge participants completed the task successfully.

The second half was only three minutes old when a corner from the right wasn’t dealt with, and the unlikely figure of Marcel Tisserand was on hand to poke the ball into the net for 2-1. Get in! Wanderers were still in the game though, and a clever through ball up the far end seemed to see a clear shot on goal that HDM saved at his near post, with perhaps a touch off the woodwork. The game was in the balance, but Sydney had their foot on the Wanderers’ throat when Tiago Quintal wriggled his way around the edge of the penalty area and managed to eventually get his shot away, an almighty deflection from the boot of serial wind-up merchant Anthony Pantazopoulos saw Thomas wrong-footed and the Sky Blues had a two-goal cushion. There was a little bit of spice brewing too, Cancar and Campuzano clashing, with the Sydney man seemingly carded despite Cancar being the instigator.

From here on in, Sydney were in control, and they found a fourth goal when Akon somehow kept possession after slipping over, prodding the ball back for Quintal, and another deflection, this time off Cancar, saw the ball fly past Thomas for 4-1, with still 20 minutes to play. The Poznan was on display at both ends, the Wanderers fans still making the best of a bad situation, the Sydney fans rubbing their faces in it. Two of the most reviled players with deflections to send their team sprialling – there’s no better feeling of justice.

The departure of Akon was well received by the crowd as the cheers for the fourth goal continued, and the roar to signal the entrance of Joe Lolley was huge. This was a luxury substitution, Uffie almost toying with the Wanderers in a show of grandiosity. And what we saw in the final twenty minutes was pure entertainment, Lolley at one point skimming an outside-of-the-left-boot through-ball across the pitch with incredible accuracy, Campuzano just unable to win the race with his defender. As Sydney pressed again, Piero Quispe fashioned a chance right in front, playing a sumptuous one-two but firing over the bar, every Sydney fan with their head in their hands at that one. He just had to score. The remainder of the game was spent hoping that he did get his goal, before we got some marvellous derby biff involving chief instigator Paddy Wood, making a scene at the home end that brought every player in on the action and at least a couple of yellow cards.

Lightning filled the sky behind the RBB, prompting memories of games that have been stopped for that reason, and we feared the worst, but there was no accompanying thunder and it may have been a long way away.

There was time for more biff too, as Waitaru Kamijo was manhandled and his defence came to the rescue, this time a Wanderers player in the book at the far end as the visitors looked for solace in front of their bank of fans. The whole stadium was on their feet to sing during stoppage time, and the final whistle allowed the players to make a bee-line for the Cove, such was the obvious delight in every single player at the fuill-time score and the manner of the victory. As always, the stadium tried to spoil the celebrations, with music playing and the pointless full-time interviews doing their best to drown out the celebrations. This should have been a special moment of connection to be enjoyed by the whole stadium, as Paddy Wood led the Cove in “Come on you boys in blue“, but nobody was listening to the irritating blah blah of the interviewers. Honestly, whoever is in charge of all that stuff at the end, you really need to read the room. I don’t recall Bohemian Rhapsody playing after the celebrations had finished either – that would have been superb, with most of the Cove end still in place.

The RBB had long scurried away into the night while the Sydney players made their way around the perimeter, and the home fans started to leave, the Cove still noisy as it made its way down the main steps to the light rail with rain sprinkling. Tonight had been the perfect tonic to blow away the sinking feeling from Melbourne, and the angst and dismay at the women’s result and performance was replaced with a spring in the step. We caught the one stop to Surry Hills to collect the car, avoiding the Shakespeare Hotel where we would have doubled the average age, and grabbed a final drink and debrief at the Dove and Olive before they closed the outside area. We were back in enemy territory around midnight, thoroughly entertained and happy after a day of top-flight football at Allianz Stadium.

So, what next for Sydney FC women’s? Bottom of the table, but a couple of wins in the next two home fixtures could repair the damage. Is the club ready to make a bold move and replace their long-standing head coach in a search for the magic bullet? Is it simply not worth it and we have to accept our fate as a cellar-dweller again this season and miss out on the finals for only the second time in our history?

And what about our men’s team? Coming from a goal down to smash our near neighbours, this was a sweet victory and it could have been more. For all the passion missing last weekend, we had it tonight in spades, and the collective joy of the squad as they saluted the home end was clear to see. Is our rocky patch over? Two games against Steve Corica’s Auckland FC in ten days will certainly be a stern test of our Premiership credentials.

See you all on Wednesday night when Brisbane Roar provide stern opposition at Leichhardt Oval and our Girls In Blue go looking to right the recent wrongs and ressurrect our failing season. Forza Sydney FC!

Sydney FC Women 1 Newcastle Jets 2

On an evening that tested even the most hardened of Sydney FC fans, the Sky Blues managed to blow their slender lead, succumbing to the ultimate sucker punch from Newcastle Jets in added time to lose yet again, failing to manage the dying moments correctly. A second half dominated by the visitors should have been an alert to shut up shop and take the point, but a suicidal giveaway and a missile of a winner stopped the Cove mid-chant and spoiled what would have been an astonishing single-handed rescue act by Sydney goalkeeper Heather Hinz. Amelia Cassar’s sensational opener is now consigned to the bin, and an eerie silence fell over Leichhardt Oval at the end as the players huddled without their coaches to really set tongues wagging.

A 7pm kick off tonight and we were on the road just before 5pm, taking the express route through the tunnel to make it to the Orange Grove at a reasonable time to meet our fellow Women’s Cove crew members. As always, the leisure centre car park was full, so it was down to Le Montage again and the steep walk up the new path, through the back streets and back to the pub. There was a decent crowd at the gate already, the lines stretching onto Mary Street, but that crowd was inside by the time we returned from the pub with 20 minutes to go before kick off.

It felt like deja vu from Saturday, everything happening in the same order in the same place prior to the game; watching the players smash in goal after goal in the warm-up was surreal, given the lack of goalscoring confidence washing through the Sky Blue ranks. Today’s opponents won the toin coss and turned the teams around, Sydney FC shooting towards the Cove in the first half. It was a warm summer’s evening, a little breeze, but almost perfect conditions for football.

Sydney started well, future Matildas striker Skye Halmarick having a header cleared off the line following a corner, and with Riley Tanner starting, we had width and flair, even if the final ball never made it. The Cove was in good voice – in stark contrast to Saturday when voices felt strained and the key was maybe off, the corner of black and blue was in fine form. Even moreso when the much-maligned Amelia Cassar took advantage of a giveaway from a rushing Jets defender. The goalkeeper was out, the main stand urged Cassar to shoot but her first touch was a little heavy; nevertheless she lofted a shot over the stranded keeper and the ball hit the back of the net with a satisfying bounce. Cue bedlam in the Cove. A goal! Sydney scored a goal!

The lead didn’t last long and Sydney were a touch unfortunate, the equaliser coming from nowhere. Kirsty Fenton did well to race across the penalty area to make a challenge as the Jets advanced unopposed, but the ball fell perfectly for Melina Ayres, who swivelled and fired an unstoppable shot past Hinz for 1-1. It was tough to take, with the home team in charge up to that point, but it was one hell of a finish, even from our distant viewpoint at the other end. The Jets went on to go close just before the half ended too, the Cove in full song as Hinz pulled off an amazing save with her foot. Sydney were showing signs of their rustiness again, the misplaced through-balls and constant offsides against Tanner were frustrating, and the Jets’ keeper showed good hands to hold a Sarah Huter strike from distance. The half time score of 1-1 was a little harsh on Sydney, but we had a goal. We had a goal!

A quick walk around the stadium to see if any of the familiar Jets faces were in the away section (no Lucas, but Matt VDB was in the stand) and we were ready for the second half. The referee was irking both sides, falling for the cheap free kicks – one given on the edge of the Sydney area after a blatant dive, but I guess that cancelled out Tanner’s ridiculous dive into the player to buy a free kick at the other end. The Jets missed a sitter when a cross found the striker right in front, who had time to control and fire wide from close range, before Hinz made a stop with her feet from a one-on-one to save the day again. Hinz was exceptional, palming away another dangerous cross and saving another from right in front with a strong hand. The Sydney defence was prised open on numerous occasions on their left and only some desperate defending in the box saw the Jets repelled.

Sydney had toiled but not created a clear chance, and the subs started to rack up, Amber Luchtmeijer on for Halmarick, and eventually the youthful Claire Corbett came on to replace goal hero Cassar. Abby Lemon then somehow bundled through two challenges and looked odds on to get the ball back from Hunter for a free shot on goal, but the Sky Blue Wonder took the shot on herself and only just sent it wide. Hana Lowry wasted a free kick, playing it straight through to the keeper, before a mystery substitution saw Tanner replaced – she had been out of gas for most of the half to be honest – and surprisingly it was Madison Ayson thrust into the game at a late stage on the right. Not sure what Laurie-Ann Moise has to do to get minutes. The game wasn’t done yet and the Jets threatened, before Sydney hit the self-destruct button. We Are Sydney was underway to see out the additional three minutes. Hunter, who had been playing very poor low-percentage balls all evening, gifted possession to the Jets when possession and concentration was all we needed. The Jets broke upfield, the Sydney FC midfield missing, and Charlotte Lancaster simply leathered the ball goalwards, beating Hinz, the ball hitting the back of the net to kill the final chant of the evening stone dead. What a goal though!

Hands were on heads, the curse of this season and last was back to haunt us, but the Cove soldiered on and finished the game in full song, as they had been all night. Hana Lowry was the only player to acknowledge the Cove after the final whistle with a love-heart, but the rest of the team eventually came over to thank the active fans. There was no other song than “F*ck you Melbourne Victory”, sung in defiance at yet another defeat and with the Big Blue in mind, which may have embarrassed some of the players (not as much as Rhyan Grant with his little daughter on the weekend).

The players may have been expecting more, but there was no more. The sight of the players all getting into a huddle was telling – no sign of any coaches. It’s crisis time at Sydney FC. The blaring music had stopped by the time the huddle disbanded; the players and the remaining fans interacted in eerie silence, and we left them to it. What a disappointment, what a way to end the game, and once again the tactical changes of the coaches will need to be called into question. Is this the final straw? With the players in their circle at the end with no sign of Ante and Tom, it certainly looked like it.

We were home really quickly – there’s no traffic after a women’s game and the roads are in holiday mode. No game this weekend, no crushing defeat then, but we’re back to Allianz on Sunday for the blokes. Heads up, Forza Sydney FC.

Sydney FC Women 0 Adelaide United 0

The return of football to Leichhardt Oval after it was taken out of action post-Christmas presented a glorious chance for Sydney FC to build on a much-improved performance in Melbourne last week, one that they passed up with yet another blank on the scoresheet. A game interrupted by drinks breaks and dubious offside calls was going nowhere in a first half of such low quality that the fans barely raised their voices, but a more direct route in the second half gave the home support plenty to get excited about, the width of the bar denying Riley Tanner, and the Cove growing in numbers and fervour as the game wore on. Second bottom vs third bottom produced exactly the result you would expect, both teams proving that their positions in the table are a reflection of their uninspriring football this season.

Friday 9th January was a hot one. With Michelle at a family event, it was Tessa in the hot seat as we wound through Ryde, along Victoria Road and cut in through Rozelle to Leichhardt. An abortive attempt to park in the packed leisure centre car park ended up in Le Montage car park down below after dropping the passenger at the one and only watering hole, the Orange Grove, and a sweaty walk back up the new path (when was that built?) and through the back streets allowed five minutes for a refreshing soda water at the pub. A 7pm kick off and the sun was absolutely beaming. The crowd at the front gate had all now gone in and were almost exclusively in the shadow of the main stand as the players went through their warm-up routines. Adelaide were clad in a snazzy warm-up uniform that didn’t suggest that they were Adelaide, Sydney warmed up in the hot sun as the state of the pitch revealed itself. Sandy patches, leftover turf behind the goalline and different coloured patchwork throughout the playing surface. The groundsman plopping a pile of sand into a hole just before the players arrived back on the field for kick off told a story.

This was a small crowd. A thousand would be stretching it, and the Cove assembled in the usual spot in the shade, trying to remember how it all worked after so long away from home. The team line-ups were shown on the big screen at the far end, the names so small that you couldn’t read it. Voices were croaky to begin with, but We Are Sydney was belted out as always when the players entered the field, taking us by surprise. The line-up was a statement, keeping faith in last week’s team who battled valiantly, superstar Skye Halmarick given another chance to break her duck.

The first half was devoid of quality, Tori Tumeth giving the crowd something to cheer with a meaty challenge to concede a corner. Paige Zois took a series of corners from in front of the Cove before being relieved of that duty, and only one moment from a corner had our hearts in our mouths, Heather Hinz going up early and almost losing flight of the ball. Adelaide had a host of chances, the incessant singing by the Cove interjected with sharp intakes of breath as the ball whistled past the post on three or four occasions. Sydney had nothing going forward; or should I say the game was so unengaging that it was difficult to concentrate on what was and what wasn’t happening. The best chance was out of the blue when a goalkeeper clearance struck Jodi Ukelele and looped goalwards, but it was up the other end and didn’t really make sense at all in real time. Sarah Hunter was sliced down and Willa Pearson took a big hit, and the rampaging Kirsty Fento looked the most likely to make something happen going forward. Half time at 0-0 was no surprise, but Hinz’s goal had led a charmed life.

The second half was more of the same. Tumeth was up with an attack and was injured. Total confusion saw her ushered from the field before the physios could come on and treat her, and she was left marooned on the far touchline with no one to see to her. Eventually she just subbed herself back on, the physio team still waiting in the technical area. Adelaide had the ball in the net on the break, there was no flag, but no celebration either, the referee having given a free kick to Sydney before the finish for what could have only been a slight push.

Tanner came on for the Ukelele, and immediately Sydney went on the offensive. The attacking intent was suddenly apparent, Abby Lemon’s through ball on the inside of the defender absolutely fantastic until the assistant referee raised the flag to the bemused Tanner. The Panamanian flyer brought a verve to the home team and it almost paid dividends wit time running out, as she danced outside her defender and smashed a shot off the underside of the bar. Did it cross the line? No way. But the three players at the far post couldn’t force te ball in either and the chance went begging.

There was still time for Adelaide to snatch a win, Pearson was caught trying a stupid turn as the last defender, and a free header in the area from yet another corner up at the far end beat Hinz but Kirsty Fenton was on the line to hack the ball clear. Again, from our vantage point it was hard to know what really happened, but it must have been close.

The final whistle was a relief. Sydney FC have scored five goals in nine games, and the lack of cutting edge and confidence was on show. The players took an age to come across, and were treated to The Highest Highs by the Cove, showing that the support will be there through thick and thin. And thin it certainly is at the moment. The players enjoyed their post-match love-in with the fans as always, the scoreline immaterial if signatures and selfies are in free supply, but this was another non-performance from Sydney FC in a flurry of poor games in the A-League this season.

The Cove filtered out into the night, and the journey home was very quick, the lack of crowd making the exit from Leichhardt very swift indeed.

The early-season promise was obviously a false dawn, we all knew that. Sydney FC have been found out again this season, no confidence in the team, no real attacking ideas and all that good vibe created by the Matildas in 2023 is waning quickly. The glimmer of hope that hot shot Halmarick can get on the scoresheet to open the floodgates, as well as the positive football from the defence, keeps us coming back for more.

So, that’s it, not coming any more? I don’t think so. That’s classic click bait. Glad you read this far. See you on Tuesday when out-of-form Newcastle Jets come to town looking to extend Sydney’s scoreless run even further into the new year – surely that’s worth heading to Leichhardt Oval?