A Mile Sterjovski rocket has ensured Sydney FC endured their fifth consecutive winless week in the A-League, with the Central Coast Mariners downing the Sky Blues 1-0 at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
Sterjovski’s 58th minute strike was enough to ensure the three points, lifting the defending champions to third on the ladder while Sydney sit in seventh.
Both teams came out on the attack firing a handful of strikes in the opening stages.
Nicky Carle, back from suspension, got things started when he went for goal in the first minute but shot wide.
The Mariners returned fire moments later with Storm Roux threatening before a Daniel McBreen strike was saved off the line by Sydney’s Corey Gameiro, who chested it to safety.
Several golden chances were to follow for the Mariners with Josh Rose, Matt Simon and Nick Fitzgerald finding themselves one-on-one with Sydney keeper Vedran Janjetovic.
Rose made a bustling run down the left and drew a great save form the gloveman.
Simon could also have put the visitors ahead but headed wide before Fitzgerald caught Janjetovic off his line, but the keeper needn’t have scrambled back with the shot going wide.
Ranko Despotovic had the 16,006-strong crowd on their feet when he looked to have broken the deadlock in the 30th minute but was ruled offside.
Alessandro Del Piero, Gameiro, Pedj Bojic all got in on the action with shots of their own but Ali Abbas had Sydney’s best chance of the half forcing a save from Liam Reddy just before the break.
Gameiro could have put Sydney in front early in the second stanza.
But it was the visitors who opened the account in the 58th minute with Sterjovski’s long-range missile, copping a deflection off Sydney’s Matthew Jurman on the way and finding the back of the net.
McBreen and substitute Bernie Ibini kept Janjetovic on his toes while Sydney coach Frank Farina brought on returning striker Joel Chianese and handed new recruit Milos Dimitrijevic his debut in an effort to add fire power up font.
But in the end Sterjovski’s strike was enough to ensure the result.
Titus
Guest
I know that the saying, "keep calm and pass it to Del Piero" is meant to be a joke, but anyone who could tell their players that is already above Farina in the coaching department.
Titus
Guest
Youth have gone 11 points clear as well.
JonJax
Guest
On a brighter note the SFC ladies are making some statement in the W-league. Caitlin Ford is a superb footballer!
realfootball
Guest
An excellent post, Towser.
Mato-Bateman
Guest
That basically sums it up.
Catnap
Guest
I know a top player who was under farina at the roar when he was younger and he told me that farina never used to even talk to the younger players used to send his minions to speak what does that say??
Mato-Bateman
Guest
Mark Rudan was spot on last night. He said the Sydney youth team are 10 points ahead of everyone in the youth comp and he has seen them train and has been impressed, why not give some of them a chance? I completely disagreed with the Milos signing simply because I would rather see youth be given a go. Why sign a guy who hasn't played since April last year? When you got some decent youth team players raring to get a chance. The cracks have been there for way too long, time to fix it starting with the coach.
Towser
Guest
Your comments on the ailments of SFC realfootball ,are mainly directed at one man & maybe that one man's body is finally telling him the truth. However give me any one of his past SFC sublime dribbles,through balls.free kicks or goals to the chuck without a head clueless runarounds who often masquerade as footballers in the A-League. Fact is that Sydney FC themselves are clueless as a team,simply because they dont have a clue what sort of football their meant to represent as a team. Blame management for that not Del Piero, for settling on mediocre short term coaches totally lacking vision, of which Frankie is one and on that point i thoroughly agree. If from early on they had had a long term proven succesful coach,who like other clubs had set in place a plan as JonJax suggests above,players & indeed future coaches would have been recruited according to that "plan". That would also mean "marquees" & maybe that "plan" would have had no place for a Del Piero type marquee, despite his bums on seats magnetism. What really irks me about this club above all others, is that judging from the average crowd this season so far(around 20,000) their potential is still on tap,st waiting to flow season to season when the club gets it right long term. The fish rots from the befuddled head at Sydney FC & has done since day one. Took a while at the Roar until Ange took the reins to see what sort of football is expected from the fans,but I now know what I want to see on the park from the team I support,regardless of coach. Their may be glitches every now & then,but overall Mike Mulvey has carried on where Ange left off & in some respects has improved on Ange. I doubt whether SFC fans can say the same under Farina,because Frankie was not chosen to fit in with Sydney FC's plan simply because they've never had one.
realfootball
Guest
The fact that Farina hasn't been resigned tells me he won't be. If SFC management have any sense at all they will now sign a marquee coach, not another ageing marquee. I'll call a spade a spade as far as ADP is concerned: in my view he has been a boon in the stands, but one of Farina's biggest problems on the park. All he is capable of is the odd nice touch, the odd goal. Minute by minute he is an absolute liability on every level: slow on and off the ball, non existent work rate, zero defensive capabilities. SFS virtually play with 10 men when he is on the park. He should have retired after his time with Juve was up. His body simply isn't up to it.
JonJax
Guest
"Frankie -he’s hung in there despite flying in the face of often relentless criticism"- obstinacy has always been a Farina trait- I recall during his playing days it being made very clear to him that he was surplus to requirements at Bari- but he was happy to just hang around drawing wages even though it was made clear to him that he wouldn't be considered part of the on field roster. The thing that disappoints with SFC is there is no sign of any plan or discernible patterns of play- AU have one, MV have one, BR have one, even the neophyte Wanderers have one, but with SFC it just seem to be old, slow and gormless. Which begs the question what did Farina do during the off season?
Matt F
Roar Guru
The one thing I will say in defense of Farina is that there wasn't a lot of salary cap space available for this season so he hasn't really been able to build his own squad. With a number of players coming off contract at the end of this season, and marquee spots being available as well, you could argue that next season is when Farina really should be judged. Having said that, I don't exactly hold out much hope that a squad overhaul will work with Farina still at the helm.
Matthew Skellett
Guest
I kind of have a grudging respect for Frankie -he's hung in there despite flying in the face of often relentless criticism -I think he gave Emmo a ultimatum about 'retiring' from the game gracefully rather than getting pushed to make way for better , younger players -so for THE COVE there still is a way to go for the Smurfs to start winning again so hang in there Frankie -i'm sure someone still loves you :-)
Passionate_Aussie
Roar Rookie
I hope Heart inflict more misery on the Bling that don't shine.
Stevo
Guest
I'm not unhappy with BlingFC's SELF INFLICTED predicament. Happy to welcome them to AAMI in a fortnight against HeartFC. All of a sudden summer is feeling a lot better since the scourge of JA has been removed :) (no doubt SBS and fellow travellers are mourning his passing).
Passionate_Aussie
Roar Rookie
The only positive of having ADP come to the A-League was getting to see a legend in action and with it came the crowds. This seasons attendances have been great but Sydney FC signing ADP will have been for nothing if they themselves don't actually benefit financially from it. Long term maybe with increase of fans but when they continue to play this brand of football, and have done so for a very very long time, who would want to sign up next season? Loyal fans, yes. But I wouldn't be surprised if their attendances return to what they were when ADP wasn't here, which is a real shame. May sound harsh but I like to refer to Sydney as the team who always has the most bling, but with it, the gold and silver still never shines.
vince r
Guest
as a neutral i thought this game was one of the worst ive seen since aleague started, the womens doubles tennis was more interesting