It's been a frustrating, keyboard bashing, eye-ball tearing two years, but on Sunday night, John Aloisi made a massive repayment on the faith, patience and money that Sydney FC have invested in him. And how! Scoring the goals to put Sydney one game from a Premiership - he was brilliant.
We have waited and waited and waited for John to come good and with no little justification, ridden and jeered him for every scuffed shot, late arrival and missed barn door, but when it really, really mattered, Aloisi carried Sydney over the line. It's not only right to cheer him for that - it feels fantastic. It is fantastic. Football is about redemption. That we can all cheer wildly, happily and unashamedly for the big man, is a testament to the character of the team, the character of the fans and the character of one John Aloisi - the marquee player.
Character has been a buzzword for Lavicka this season and Sydney's inability to go on with the job had raised questions about the depth of that character. In a game against a worthy finalist, Sydney finally proved their character - responding to each Perth goal with a renewed commitment, increased effort and palpable desire. It was a game about redemption - making up for the games against Brisbane and Gold Coast where hard won destiny was lost. And in a season that has been defined by stinginess at both ends, it was a weird and exhilarating ride to get the points in the way we did.
Then, for 90 minutes, we rode every kick of the Wellington team as they clinically put the Gold Coast out of premiership contention. Those 3 hours on Sunday afternoon were something to savour. Nailbiting, edge of your seat, thrilling football of the highest order.
A week out and it feels like the finals are really here. I'd forgotten how exciting this time of year is, when the Sydney team is really in contention. This is what the A-League is meant to be about and it's brilliant. Two cities going to war at the pointy end of the season with everything on the line. Both teams are on 14 wins and Sydney need to get to 15 to take the title off Melbourne. It's the FFA's dream situation.
But for Sydney fans, it is so much more - a game like this is the reward for the hard, shitty and disillusioning times of the last 4 years; the Butcher, Culina and Kosmina years where every step forward was undone by 2 steps backwards. For the players who've lived through every minute of that - guys like Brosquey, Bimbi, McFlynn and Bolton - and for the fans who've witnessed it, cheering and tearing hair in equal measure, this game is about redemption. This is the one we want so badly.
And there'll be no belly-flopping Archie, no Muscat to kick ankles and complain to the ref that he hurt his foot in the process. Instead there are new villains - Muscat's mini-me, widdle woddy Vargas will be there doing his best to kick everything that moves and complain to the ref about everything he doesn't get to kick. And then there's Mrdja the bog-turd, signed through some sharp lawyering and then justified to the masses with the football equivalent of the Chewbacca defence. It's hard not to believe that it was the FFA's little way of evening things up for the finals.
But we wouldn't have it any other way. Because beating this Melbourne team to take the Premiership for the first time, will be sweet. And if we make a little patch of the Central Coast cranky in the process - well that too will be something to savour.
And quickly to our team - thank you boys. Win, lose or draw this has been a great regular season. You are, pound for pound, the best group to ever wear the sky-blue strip and the most winning Sydney team in our short history. Even more than that, you have been complete class and incredibly stylish on and off the pitch. And although it's gone largely unrecognised by Sydney's stingy media and its ADHD bloggers that bash the keyboard at every miss up front and in-off-the-arse goal at the back, you should know that we all know. Now, go and get your Premiership.
