Western Sydney’s dream debut A-League season continued as they climbed to second spot with a 2-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday night at Campbelltown Stadium.
Youssouf Hersi and Mark Bridge scored in either half as the Wanderers registered their fifth-straight win, the best streak of any team this season.
The win in front of 10,589 fans lifted the newcomers two points above Melbourne Victory, with the sides to meet at AAMI Park next Saturday.
The Wanderers trail leaders Central Coast by four points.
A change away from their regular home base at Parramatta did little to halt Western Sydney’s momentum, though they were made to work hard by the Jets.
The visitors had the best early chance when they hit the post in the 18th minute.
Sam Gallaway set up the opportunity with a brilliant piece of skill out wide and Emile Heskey looked certain to score only for Nikolai Topor-Stanley to deflect his close-range shot on to the crossbar.
Hersi also squandered an excellent chance in the 25 minute, shooting straight at Mark Birighitti after breaking on goal.
The Wanderers mounted pressure in attack but couldn’t finish a brilliant team move when Bridge was denied by Birighitti’s outstretched foot in the 38th minute.
But Western Sydney were finally rewarded for their dominance just before halftime however when Hersi made the breakthrough.
The Jets failed to clear a Shinji Ono free-kick and Hersi’s shot rebounded off Birighitti and dropped just inside the goal.
The visitors muscled their way into the game in the second half, but there were few genuine chances for either side until the late stages.
Tony Popovic withdrew Hersi and Ono but Bridge provided the spark to put the home side up 2-0 in the 83rd minute.
The striker collected the ball from Jerome Polenz and showed great strength to hold off the challenge of Josh Mitchell and finish brilliantly from a tight angle.
Jets captain Ruben Zadkovich ensured some nervous moments when he scored from outside the box in stoppage time.
There was a heated exchange as Heskey and Ryan Griffiths fought with Ante Covic to get a quick restart but the Jets ran out of time.
striker
Guest
Tom i think this is a disgrace even though i am WSW supporter i reckon if CCM host the final then it should be at Gosford, what happens if CCM play Melbourne Victory and this is supposed to be played at Alliance stadium with 15-20k at most at the stadium would look horrible for a final.
Tom Jones
Guest
that's possible. if CCM finish first then they lose the right to host at their home ground. the fact that it holds 21,000?? is the reason why its moved for FFA purposes. but that would play into WSW hands. which is a shame.
Tom Jones
Guest
can you remind us about why there will be 3000 empty seats at AAMI this weekend? 10% of the stadium? but its a sell out, and could have sold another 10000. those 3000 season members will have other commitments, that's right.
Whites
Guest
Has there been any discussion about a very possible CCM vs WSW Grand Final? One would assume that as in the past it would be played in Sydney.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Really looking forward to seeing WSW in the flesh for the 1st time this season. For me, CCM & WSW are the standout teams in the A-League. I'm satisfied with MVFC's form, but, based on what I've seen, we're the 3rd best team in the league. Early reports say the match is nearly sold out. Note to those, who love to scrutinise MVFC attendances: this does NOT mean all the seats will be filled on Saturday night. It means there are approx 7k seats available for sale to the public, and demand for these 7k seats has almost exhausted supply. We get Milligan back for this match, but a lot will depend on whether Archie is fit to play. Also, there seems to be some confusion amongst fans about whether Flores has reached his 5YC = 1 match ban, or if he's still on 4YCs
Jason Cave
Guest
I wonder did the FFA ever saw this coming, when they announced the arrival of the Western Sydney Wanderers several months ago? They could give Clive Palmer a thank-you note.
pete4
Guest
Popovic is having an unbelievable debut season as a coach. Next weekend's match v MV looks epic already