Sometimes a publisher wants a few more pages punched out before sending off the manuscript to the printing press. The current fairytale story wasn’t allowed to end on Round (chapter) 26. Another chapter had to be written first. And so now we have to wait another few days and travel to Newcastle to play for the Premiership. Destiny is in the Wanderers’ hands (or more accurately their feet). Will the occasion suffocate them or will they rise up the challenge? Only time will tell but they surely will look back at the third instalment of the Derby d’Sydney and take some positives out of it.

As was much reported, Western Sydney went into this match on a record breaking 10 game winning streak but were without a number of key players for various reasons. Van Hersi was out with suspension after picking up a silly yellow card in Melbourne for complaining to the referee. Both Jerome Polenz and Aaron Mooy were out with injuries picked up in the same match after Heart realising that they can’t make the finals thought it would be an idea to change sports and hack at their opponents. Captain Michael Beauchamp was a late withdrawal as he pulled up tight in the final training session. That’s four key starting XI players out before a ball was kicked. Shinji Ono was returning from injury and nobody knew the state he was really in after he signed up for another season at Wanderland.

The withdrawals meant La Rocca had to slot into defence and Shannon Cole got a rare start at Right Back. This brought in Jason Trifiro into the midfield to accompany Ono and Poljak. Strangely, Dino got a start ahead of Haliti who scored a brace the week prior. The young lightning bolt Appiah-Kubi had a chance to impress as he replaced Hersi on the right wing.

It’s hard to pinpoint which withdrawal had the most effect but personally I would say Beauchamp was the biggest loss. Why? Because the centre back partnership between Topor-Stanley and himself has been rock hard all season. It also meant we lost La Rocca in the midfield which he has almost completely taken ownership of from Mooy in recent weeks.

Despite all that, the Wanderers did not seem lost or incoherent at all. Trifiro slotted in well in the midfield, Bridge as always worked his butt off and Cole had a blinder all game.

The contest was still even though. Chances were had by both teams. Topor-Stanley, usually as dependable and solid as a brick wall decided, on a very rare instance, to play the ball along the ground across the face of goals instead of hoofing it aimlessly up the park. It was a blind pass, and one that Del Piero saw coming before Topor-Stanley even decided he was going to do it. Del Piero latched onto it and slotted it home - as one would expect. Other than Chianese’s chance late in the second half, it really was the only clear cut chance that Sydney FC had all game.

But the personnel problems got worse. At half time Adam d’Apuzzo had to be substituted due to injury and Tarek Elrich made a rare appearance at right back, shifting Cole to the left - where he shone even more. Sydney FC’s Antonis felt the need to ankle tap Shinji Ono which in turn caused the Japanese superstar to pull his groin and was shortly substituted off. The extent of the injury is still to be determined.

The sending off of Emerton shouldn’t even be argued. Going in studs first, shin high, means you go off. He was already on a yellow so if you want to be lenient, it was a second yellow at best. Either way, he was going to walk.

When a free kick was awarded outside the box, Shannon Cole must have been rubbing his hands with glee. Both Mooy and Ono were off the pitch and he finally had a chance to put his name in lights with a free kick that made him famous a few years ago for the team he was now facing up against. And he delivered. Wanderers were well deserved back in the contest.

La Rocca will be extremely disappointed for allowing himself to retaliate to Antonis manhandling  him in the dying minutes of the game. La Rocca had already won the foul but threw out his elbows behind him. As soon as he made contact, the regret set it. It is a costly sending off with La Rocca now set to miss four games because of it. Antonis probably should have received a yellow for the initial challenge because it wasn’t dissimilar to Emerton’s first caution. But I guess having blood on your face makes people forget things. You’ll have to forgive me for not being Antonis’s biggest fan right now due to the fact that he had, in some way or another, a part in two players now being out next week.

After it’s all said and done, a draw was perhaps a fair result. The winning streak ends, but the longest ever unbeaten streak begins...

The draw hinders Sydney FC more than it hinders Western Sydney. We are still top of the table and 3 points ahead of Central Coast. Sydney FC now have to win in Brisbane, and their away form leaves a lot to be desired, as well as their ability to keep 11 men on the pitch when playing away.

Western Sydney will be disappointed that they didn’t have a chance to lift the Plate at home and the feeling after the game was an odd one. Many felt deflated as if it was our biggest loss of the season. Even the players looked really down. But getting points in a derby with half the squad missing or substituted out midway through the game due to injury is not all doom and gloom.

Wanderers only have to avoid defeat in Newcastle and the Premiers Plate will be ours. We are firmly in the driver’s seat, as thousands of fans will be this Good Friday as they travel up in droves with the hope of witnessing history. I bought my ticket six months ago with the intention that this would be merely a standard NSW away game. Who would have thought back in September that so much will be riding on this game.