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Opinion
The most ironic thing about Sydney FC’s latest derby defeat was that it came after the Sky Blues were bossed from start to finish by a midfielder who could have been a legend of the club.
I’m not talking about Milos Ninkovic. The Wanderers playmaker was jeered relentlessly by the Sydney FC supporters, labelled a traitor on The Cove’s pre-match tifo and looked bewildered when he was booed off the pitch by the same fans who once adored him.
I’m talking, of course, about Calem Nieuwenhof.
The 21-year-old was immense against the club he grew up supporting, winning almost every challenge, amply screening the back four and constantly driving the Wanderers forward.
And Nieuwenhof’s impressive form in red and black – he only joined on a two-year-scholarship deal – should sharpen the scrutiny on Sydney FC’s squad management.
New signing Jack Rodwell – poached from Western Sydney – is yet to see a minute of action and the Sky Blues looked like they could have used the Englishman after they were largely second best in their 1-0 derby defeat.
Ironically, had Robert Mak played a simple ball to the overlapping Rhyan Grant in the 70th minute of a gritty but not overly glamorous derby, this might be a different discussion.
The Slovakian ran himself into the ground but when his shot was blocked by Tomislav Mrcela, the Wanderers broke quickly and saw Ninkovic – who else? – cleverly skip a Luke Brattan challenge before setting up Kusini Yengi to blast home the winner.
And didn’t the Red and Black Bloc go wild? The Wanderers fans turned up in impressive numbers on the night and their dual with The Cove was as entertaining as anything on the pitch.
(Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
I was at the game and there’s no doubt it produced one of the loudest atmospheres we’ve experienced in the A-League in years.
There were a few teething problems – not least the length of time it took Allianz Stadium staff to allow members of the Red and Black Bloc to enter – but on the whole there’s no reason to think the bulk of the 34,232 fans in attendance won’t be back.
It was the second night in a row in which a big crowd helped create a fervent atmosphere, after 13,504 fans at the revamped Coopers Stadium saw Adelaide United thump Melbourne Victory 3-0 on Friday night.
The Reds were too good for the strangely off-colour visitors, with Hiroshi Ibusuki’s superb header starting the rout before Qatar-bound Craig Goodwin finished Victory off.
Goodwin only re-joined the Reds on a permanent basis back in July, but the veteran winger has quietly turned into one of the A-League’s most effective players on the back of a couple of loan spells in his hometown.
Is there a role for him to play in Qatar? He started the playoff against the United Arab Emirates and his set pieces could prove useful to a Socceroos side not exactly bursting with creativity.
Craig Goodwin of Adelaide United. (Photo by James Elsby/Getty Images)
Goodwin will face stiff competition from Garang Kuol for a super-sub role, after the 18-year-old came off the bench to score twice for the Central Coast Mariners in that crazy 3-2 defeat to Macarthur on Sunday.
Little wonder the Mariners often feel like the world is against them after they conspired to lose in frankly ridiculous circumstances in Gosford.
Brian Kaltak’s dismissal on the half-hour mark mirrored a couple of other send-offs this season, but the Mariners looked like they might secure a point after Kuol converted a penalty and then smashed home an improbable equaliser with 12 minutes to go.
That was after Jason Cummings had fired an unerring left-foot finish into the bottom corner, only for referee Daniel Elder to adjudge that he had already blown for a penalty.
Macarthur’s stand-in goalkeeper Nicholas Suman saved Cummings’ subsequent spot-kick, and while Kuol looked to have rescued a point, it was left to Bulls substitute Jed Drew to stroke home the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
It was, quite simply, a breathless round of action.
And it was a reminder that the A-League Men has so much going for it when we create the right conditions to enjoy the football.