Relief happened at 4-0, a realisation a quarter of an hour into the contest that we cannot lose it from here. Or can we? No, we can’t, just relax and enjoy the show. After the season we’ve had? Nah, it’s all good from here. For a fan who has gone through months of suffering, the good news was almost too much to bear.

And the hits just kept on coming. We attacked in waves, Socceroos Culina and Emerton leading the charge, Del Piero mesmerising and Joel Griffiths dominant up front.

All season long I have missed Bruno Cazarine. The big Brazilian may not have been able to run out of sight on a dark night, but he offered the target man presence we have lacked in his absence. And goals galore.

We have now replaced Bruno, and then some. Joel Griffiths is a rare commodity in the Australian game, bringing an ability to hold up play, win aerial battles and finish with head and foot, and offering genuine pace. He is the complete package and how he has only managed a paltry three Socceroo caps is beyond me.

He didn’t overwork himself off the ball, and paced himself well. He is clearly not match fit just yet, and the sight of Del Piero doing some of Griffiths’ running for him was comical to say the least. But it was that kind of night. And with the match and another week’s training under his belt, the former Squadron pin up boy should be nearing his best come Saturday night at AAMI Stadium.

Plenty of plaudits have gone the way of the Italian master for his performance, and with good reason. Allowed space after Sydney opened up holes in the Phoenix midfield big enough to drive a truck through, he had Durante and Sigmund trapped like deer in headlights and his goals were sublime. Weeks of frustration, boiling over last weekend, gave way to the most spectacular of football releases, and Del Piero celebrated more like a fan than a decorated football legend who has won just about all there is to win in the game. And no one celebrated with him more than Ali Abbas, last week’s emotion-charged spat replaced by elation and relief.

The other debutant, former Jet pantomime villain Tiago Calvano, didn’t disappoint and could not have had a better introduction to the defensive line. Yes, Phoenix were woeful but did create chances and he snuffed out danger with ease. With Tiago and Joel Griffiths on the team sheet, the team also finally has a bit of height about it.  

I must say a word about Vedran Janjetovic. I would hate to put the mockers on the young keeper, but he really looks the goods. His timing in the air is excellent and he has what looks like the softest pair of hands when catching the ball. There is a feeling of certainty when he comes off his line, and the defence looks more assured for it. Finally, a keeper to replace Clint Bolton? As I said weeks earlier, I’ll reserve judgement until the end of the season, but the signs are promising.

The rest of the Sky Blue side were excellent too – Ryall solid and dependable as always, Grant contributing at both ends of the park, Fabio and Abbas combining well on the left, and Terry McFlynn in fine form at the back of midfield. McLenahan slotted in for Tiago in the second half with ease, and it was nice to see Yau and Powell, the final two substitutes, join forces on the edge of the Wellington box for Sydney’s seventh, Powell's through ball to Yau an absolute peach.

The crowd, shorn of perhaps three or four thousand by the weather, was treated to a spectacle that will forever be etched in its memory. And singing “There’s a Sky Blue Sydney” brought back memories of Gosford when we lost 7-2 and things were looking glum but we never gave up on the boys. Those Sydney fans who were on the Central Coast that awful night day appreciated Phoenix’s destruction that much more.

And what of the sad and sorry Wellington Phoenix? It appears their problems are largely between the ears. Decent performers don’t become atrocious overnight, and surely off-field dramas are affecting their play. I don’t buy the “get rid of Ricki Herbert” argument, although by the time this blog is up he may well have been shown the door or fallen on his sword. The sight of football-ignorant rugger-bugger owner Gareth Morgan turning up at training and instructing the team to play Dutch football is unedifying, and does much to undermine Herbert’s authority and players’ morale. I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy – let coaches coach and owners supply the funds and woo the sponsors. When this demarcation goes out of kilter, so does player performance.

Did I feel sorry for the visitors? Not bloody likely. You take the good with the bad, and after the season we’ve had, this was our turn to shine. I did expect the Phoenix to come out and kick our technically gifted players in the second half, so all credit to the team in yellow and black for not resorting to thuggery. And Tyler Boyd is a most impressive 18 year old winger, surely much more is to come from him.

Are we about to make another late run to the finals? With the ladder as tight as I’ve seen it, the possibility is very much on the cards. Sitting in seventh spot, another good fortnight for the Sky Blues should see us climb not only into the Top 6, but begin to threaten Victory and West Sydney for a spot in the top 4.The performance by the Sky Blues at Allianz was first class and if we keep on putting it together week in, week out, anything is possible.

The thought of the Big Blue derby on Australia Day filled me with dread a few weeks ago, but much has changed. For once this season, perhaps the focus is on our opponents – can they cope with Del Piero’s trickery and Culina’s movement and distribution in the middle of the park? Will their young backline struggle against the strong, fast and skilful Joel Griffiths? And is the Melbourne attack, their blushes saved by a Scott Jamieson own goal in Perth, likely to find its groove against Sydney FC, a side that now fights for every ball and punishes cheap turnovers?

Conversely, the locals will not give Sydney anywhere near the time on the ball that Wellington did and will press high for ninety minutes – it is the trademark of Ange Postecoglou-coached teams . The Sky Blues will need to move the ball quickly, but if they do, they will open up Melbourne’s soft underbelly in behind the midfield.

Like the Sky Blues, Melbourne Victory is a side in transition, and anything can happen on the night. Ten points separate us, but there is rarely much between the teams. And the away fans will be quick to remind Kevin Muscat of the role he played in our Grand Final victory at Etihad three years ago.

A bit like Liverpool and Manchester United, ours are the “big two” of the league, games are tight irrespective of the teams’ position on the table and there is no love lost.

Celebration time for now, and roll on the big one on Saturday night.