Finally. The game may not have been one for the purist, and the highlights reel will be pitifully short, but for a Sydney side seeking redemption, it was a much needed win.

A no-frills, marquee-free Sky Blue entourage travelled across the ditch with a determination to impress Frank Farina and get their season back on track. The on-field signs have been positive the last fortnight but all that would have counted for nought had we failed to collect all three points against an opponent well below its best.

With Del Piero resting an injured hamstring, Emerton captaining Australia C in Hong Kong and Antonis wasted on the Socceroo bench Sydney were full of endeavour and spirit against an outfit that has given us so many headaches over the past two seasons. Yes, the passing was crisp but it was the graft that really impressed. Finally some fire in the belly - pressing, chasing and tracking back as if inspired. Did it really need all the dramas for the psyche to change? Players are a strange breed indeed…

The week had been a tough one for the boys, used to less than 90 minutes a day on the training paddock and clocking off after team lunch. Which is just plain not good enough – no side achieves a winning season with that kind of input. Hold Crook, Corica, Kalac or Cole responsible if inclined to apportion blame but that kind of under-training is unacceptable irrespective of who is in charge, and an affront to the fans. So instead it was double sessions at high intensity, the bruises and scars the boys sported underneath their shinpads not of the opposition’s making.

The Sky Blues came out breathing fire and played as if their very lives depended on it. It was one of those games where it seemed as if we had more players than they did. In a fluid 4-5-1 Abbas was everywhere, Powell made the most of a rare start with a performance of supreme commitment and hard work, Grant reminded us why he is more a midfielder than a rightback and the back four hung tough throughout the contest. But it was Jason Culina who really caught the eye, the midfield general rolling back the years with a superb display and backing himself for a lovely cross on the stroke of halftime. An hour is all his body could muster but that was long enough to help put Wellington to the sword.

It was nice to see two good mates get on the scoresheet together. One of our best performers so far this season, Seb Ryall lost his marker and rose to bury his header in the 45th minute while Rhyan Grant got on the end of a delightful through ball by Terry McFlynn to bend the finish into the net with aplomb. Perhaps this is Grant’s opportunity for more game time in midfield, such was the quality of his play.

The long flight and arduous double sessions took their toll in the last ten minutes as Phoenix did all they could to scramble their way back into the game, Kris Griffiths-Jones getting his decisions right with the McFlynn handball and the penalty call against Adam Griffiths. He did add an extra minute-and-a-half to the contest with the boys out on their feet and a man down, but it mattered little as the Sky Blues toughed it out until the final whistle.

The always dangerous Jeremy Brockie aside, there were few positives for Phoenix, outfought as they were by a more determined Sydney FC who were first to the ball in most contests. It could be said that we “out-Wellington’ed” Wellington Phoenix, such was the intensity in Sydney’s play.

A serious issue arises next week – what to do with our star player? If we are to become a side that presses high up the park and chases and harries the opposition, how does Farina reconcile that with the ambling though so very gifted and imperious Del Piero?

With the captain out against the Wanderers on Saturday night, will it be Reid or Antonis slotting in front of the back four? Does Grant keep his spot in the first 11 at the expense of Emerton? Who wins out for the starting berth up front – Powell, Chianese or Mallia? And who else loses his spot to accommodate Del Piero? If he is fit of course, which is no certainty at this stage.

As always, the A-League table is incredibly tight. Sydney are still last on the table but the gap has closed and victory against a side that somehow finds itself in fourth spot despite scoring just six goals all season will propel us into the Top 6.

Life is about cause and effect, and on a windy Sunday afternoon the Sky Blue players reinforced a valuable lesson – hard work brings rewards. It is also about what happens next and another tough week’s training out at Macquarie should ensure the boys are primed for Sydney Derby Mark 2. This much we know for certain: there is a newly found resolve amongst the players. And Farina can build on that.