A-League's Extra Dimension

On the same weekend English title favourites Chelsea fell to Birmingham City, top of the table Brisbane Roar got out of jail against bottom-placed North Queensland Fury closer to home.

If Jason Spagnuolo had scored from point blank range, Fury would have been 2-0 up away from home against a team touted as the best ever seen in the short history of the competition.

Instead, Roar fullback Ivan Franjic struck a late bullet into the corner and hearts of Fury fans.

It came three days after Brisbane fought out a draw against another team in the bottom half, Newcastle.

If you were expecting five goals between Central Coast and Gold Coast you probably had high expectations.

Yet the two clubs often blamed for playing low scoring and boring football put on a spectacle.

United has only recently begun playing football based on defence but two timely periods resulted in a goal fest between the two sides.

In the end, a late goal from Andrew Barisic proved to be the difference.

The early strike from Adam Kwasnik came after an uncharacteristic error from Glen Moss while the winner occurred after a mistake from Mariners captain Alex Wilkinson.

Everyone loves surprises and hopefully there is plenty more to come in the second half of the season.

Elsewhere in week 15, a fine performance from Alex Brosque set up a win for Sydney, Adelaide won in Melbourne and Newcastle recorded another victory in front of a fantastic home crowd.

Melbourne Heart 0

Adelaide United 2 (Robert Cornthwaite 5’, Marcos Flores 73’)

Crowd: 6538 @ AAMI Park   

Adelaide United may have played their finest game of season six in a 2-0 victory over Melbourne Heart,according to coach Rini Coolen anyway.

A header from defender Robert Cornthwaite and a Marcos Flores toe poke from the goal line ensured the Reds left Melbourne with three points.

Shot stopper Eugene Galekovic was again instrumental in the win as United kept the pressure on first-placed Brisbane Roar.

It means Heart has crashed to two consecutive home losses ahead of a trip to Wellington mid-week.

Melbourne Heart: 1. Clint BOLTON (gk), 2. Michael MARRONE, 5. Michael BEAUCHAMP (22. Nick KALMAR 77’), 6. Matt THOMPSON (c), 7. Rutger WORM, 9. Gerald SIBON, 10. Wayne SRHOJ, 15. John ALOISI (19. Eli BABALJ 67’), 16. Aziz BEHICH, 20. Josip SKOKO, 25. Adrian ZAHRA (11. Alex TERRA 60’)

Unused sub: 12. Peter ZOIS (gk)

Yellow card: Worm 36’

Red cards: None

Adelaide United: 1. Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 2. Robert CORNTHWAITE, 4. Iain FYFE, 6. CASSIO, 7. Lucas PANTELIS (c) (17. Iain RAMSAY 46’), 8. Adam HUGHES, 9. Sergio VAN DIJK, 10. Marcos FLORES (29. Bradley NORTON 90+1’), 13. Travis DODD (24. Cameron WATSON 72’), 18. Fabian BARBIERO, 26. Joseph KEENAN

Unused sub: 20. Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk)

Yellow card: van Dijk 87’

Red cards: None

Man of the Match – Adelaide United defender Robert Cornthwaite was the standout for me. He not only opened the scoring but was also core to the Reds defensive solidity.

Key moment – Early goals are always key moments in football matches and this particular occasion was vital to Adelaide’s game plan. Cornthwaite’s opener allowed the away team to focus their attack on the counter. Ratings by Matt Dorman

Newcastle Jets 1 (Marko Jesic 55’)

Wellington Phoenix 0
Crowd: 12,147 @ EnergyAustralia Stadium 

Little would keep fans from attending EnergyAustralia Stadium and they were rewarded as the Jets recorded an important 1-0 win over Wellington.

The progress off field for the Jets is having an effect and now things are changing for the better on the park.

A fantastic finish from striker Marko Jesic was the only goal of the game.

Wellington are struggling, particularly away from home when they have lost six of eight.

But the problem now extends deeper with Phoenix losing four of their last five outings, including consecutive defeats at home.

As for the Jets, with a couple of games in hand, the top six may be on the lips of the 12,147 fans who turned up on Saturday night.

Newcastle Jets: 1. Ben KENNEDY (gk), 2. Taylor REGAN, 3. Adam D’APUZZO, 4. Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY (c) (12. Jobe WHEELHOUSE 71’), 6. Ben KANTAROVSKI, 7. Kasey WEHRMAN, 11. Tarek ELRICH, 17. Marcello FIORENTINI, 18. Marko JESIC, 19. Ali ABBAS, 24. Francis JEFFERS (15. Sean ROONEY 75’ (13. Sasho PETROVSKI 81’))

Unused sub: 40. Matthew NASH (gk)

Yellow card: Abbas 29’

Red cards: None

Wellington Phoenix: 1. Mark PASTON (gk), 2. Manny MUSCAT, 4. Nick WARD, 7. Leo BERTOS (11. DANIEL 71’), 8. Paul IFILL, 9. Chris GREENACRE (14. Mirjan PAVLOVIC 63’), 13. Troy HEARFIELD, 17. Vince LIA, 18. Ben SIGMUND, 22. Andrew DURANTE (c), 26. Simon ELLIOTT

Unused subs: 19. Danny VUKOVIC (gk), 23. Dylan MACALLISTER

Yellow cards: None

Red cards: None

Man of the Match – Newcastle Jets’ new import Francis Jeffers stole the show. He’s been a fantastic acquisition for the club and gives the team, especially the young attackers, the confidence and service they need to put the ball in the back of the neck.

Key Moment – The Jets’ finishing, especially that of Marko Jesic, left much to be desired. They created enough chances to win the game by a few and, as a result, it was a nervous wait until the final whistle. Ratings by Arabella Vaughan

Brisbane Roar 1 (Ivan Franjic 85’)

North Queensland Fury 1 (Gareth Edds 9’)
Crowd: 10,126 @ Suncorp Stadium

Brisbane used a get out of jail card to snatch a late 1-1 draw with North Queensland Fury.

Fury were on the board thanks to Gareth Edds and squandered a chance to cause the biggest upset of the season because of a stunning equaliser from Ivan Franjic.

Roar have drawn two games most would have expected them to win against bottom half sides Jets and Fury.

With a little bit of luck or a half decent finish from Jason Spagnuolo, Franz Straka’s men could have left Suncorp Stadium with the three points. 

Brisbane Roar: 1. Michael THEOKLITOS (gk), 2. Matthew SMITH (23. Milan SUSAK 43’), 3. Luke DEVERE, 5. Ivan FRANJIC, 6. Erik PAARTALU, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 8. Massimo MURDOCCA (9. Jean Carlos SOLORZANO 46’), 11. REINALDO, 12. Matt MUNDY (17. Mitch NICHOLS 65’), 15. Matt MCKAY (c), 22. Thomas BROICH

Unused sub: 20. Andrew REDMAYNE (gk)

Yellow cards: Solorzano 59’, Barbarouses 64’

Red cards: None

North Queensland Fury: 1. Justin PASFIELD (gk), 3. Brad MCDONALD, 5. Mark HUGHES, 6. Ufuk TALAY (c) (13. Andre KILIAN 79’), 7. Gareth EDDS, 11. David WILLIAMS, 12. Panagiotis NIKAS, 16. Simon STOREY, 17. Osama MALIK, 19. Isaka CERNAK (2. Jack HINGERT 75’), 21. Jason SPAGNUOLO (15. Chris PAYNE 65’)

Unused sub: 28. Sebastian USAI (gk)

Yellow cards: Storey 49’, Talay 51’, Kilian 89’

Red cards: None

Man of the match – A performance effective to that of a cultured right-winger from Brisbane Roar’s Ivan Franjic was sealed with a classy goal. The right back was full of energy, purpose and determination to give his side an outlet, while his only defensive blip was a questionable effort for Fury’s opener.

Key Moment – It’s fairly obvious that Jason Spagnuolo’s glaring miss was the key moment in this match. A fairly simple tap-in should have sealed the points for North Queensland. MD

Sydney FC 2 (Shannon Cole 75’, Alex Brosque 81’)

Perth Glory 0

Crowd: 6654 @ Parramatta Stadium

Sydney FC kept their hopes of a top six spot alive with a late show 2-0 defeat of Perth Glory.

Goals in the last quarter of an hour, something Perth has consistently had troubles with this season, from Shannon Cole and Alex Brosque were enough to keep the Sky Blues within touching distance of the top six.

If the last five games are anything to go by, Sydney are among the top four form teams in the league.

Brosque proved to be the difference, feeding a fine run from Cole for the opener before finishing off the second.

As for Glory, last week’s win against Victory clearly did nothing to help the team’s form on the road.

It may have gone wrong in the opening minute when striker Michael Baird was denied by a fantastic goal line clearance from Terry McFlynn.

Sydney FC: 20. Ivan NECEVSKI (gk), 3. Stephan KELLER (2. Sebastian RYALL 34'), 5. Hayden FOXE, 6. Hirofumi MORIYASU, 8. Stuart MUSIALIK, 12. Shannon COLE, 14. Alex BROSQUE, 15. Terry MCFLYNN (c), 19. Mark BRIDGE (16. Terry ANTONIS 84'), 22. Sung-Hwan BYUN, 23. Rhyan GRANT (24. Dimitri PETRATOS 57').
Unused sub: 1. Liam REDDY (gk).
Yellow cards: Moriyasu 30', Foxe 73', McFlynn 78'
Red cards: None

Perth Glory: 1. Tando VELAPHI (gk), 2. Josh MITCHELL, 3. Jamie COYNE, 7. Jacob BURNS (C), 9. Robbie FOWLER, 10. Michael BAIRD (21. Mile STERJOVSKI 64'), 14. Steven McGARRY, 16.Adriano PELLEGRINO, 17. Todd HOWARTH (13. Tommy AMPHLETT 84'), 18. Brent GRIFFITHS, 19. Naum SEKULOVSKI
Unused subs: 20. Aleks VRTESKI (gk), 24. Joshua RISDON
Yellow card: Burns 70’
Red card: Griffiths 90’

Man of the match – Sydney FC’s Alex Brosque came up with the touches of class required to break open up a tight match. A fitting way to celebrate his milestone appearance.

Weakest player – Terry McFlynn’s goal-line clearance saved his side’s blushes early on. An early goal for Perth would have propelled them towards victory just as it did last week. MD 

Central Coast Mariners 2 (Matt Simon 42’, Adam Kwasnik 71’)

Gold Coast United 3 (Dino Djulbic 45+1’, Steve Pantelidis 69’, Andrew Barisic 73’)

Crowd: 9732 @ Bluetongue Stadium

Gold Coast affirmed their title credentials with an entertaining 3-2 victory over Central Coast Mariners.

The game took a twist in a four-minute period where United would prove to find the winner. In quick exchange, Matt Simon and Dino Djulbic scored for either team before the interval.

But from the 69^th minute there was even more entertainment. Steve Pantelidis put United ahead before in-form Mariners striker Adam Kwasnik responded instantly.

United’s Andrew Barisic proved to be the hero with his goal two minutes later.

It extends Gold Coast’s unbeaten run to 11 while inflicting the first loss for Central Coast at home this season.

Central Coast Mariners: 20. Mathew RYAN (gk), 2. Daniel MCBREEN (7. John HUTCHINSON 68’), 3. Joshua ROSE, 6. Patrick ZWANNSWIJK, 8. Rostyn GRIFFITHS, 11. Oliver BOZANIC (12. Matthew LEWIS 68’), 14. Michael MCGLINCHEY, 17. Chris DOIG, 18. Alex WILKINSON (c), 19. Matt SIMON, 22. Mustafa AMINI (23. Adam KWASNIK 55’).
Unused sub: 30. Paul HENDERSON (gk)
Yellow card: Lewis 81’
Red cards: None

Gold Coast United: 1. Glen MOSS (gk), 2. Steve PANTELIDIS, 6. Dino DJULBIC, 7. Zenon CARAVELLA, 8. ANDERSON, 10. Jason CULINA (c) (24. John CURTIS 90+2’), 13. Bas VAN DEN BRINK, 15. Tahj MINNIECON (5. ROBSON 65’), 16. Kristian REES, 22. Adama TRAORE 23. Steven FITZSIMMONS (19. Andrew BARISIC 71’)
Unused sub: 20. Scott HIGGINS (gk)
Yellow cards: Djulbic 65’, Pantelidis 90+3’

Red cards: None

Man of the Match – Gold Coast United’s Dino Djulbić had a great game; he was immense in the air and he contributed a goal to Gold Coast’s win.

Weakest Player – It’s difficult to go past Alex Wilkinson’s, well… epic defensive fail in the 74th minute. You could just see the confidence sucked out of CCM and they were never going to get back in the game from there. AV 

Weekend Break: Melbourne Victory

Mid-week: Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Heart @ Westpac Stadium, Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners @ EnergyAustralia Stadium, Brisbane Roar v Perth Glory @ Suncorp Stadium

Hyundai A-League 2010/11 League Table

Hyundai A-League 2010/11 - Leading Goal-Scorers

6 - Kosta BARBAROUSES, Bruno CAZARINE, Sergio VAN DIJK

5 – Alex BROSQUE, Robbie KRUSE, Robbie FOWLER

4 - Marcos FLORES, Iain FYFE, Chris GREENACRE, Paul IFILL, Mathew LECKIE, REINALDO, Gerald SIBON, Matt SIMON, David WILLIAMS

3 - John ALOISI, Leo BERTOS, Thomas BROICH, Tim BROWN, Shannon COLE, Jason CULINA, Bruce DJITE, Marko JESIC, Nick KALMAR, Adam KWASNIK, Mitch NICHOLS, Chris PAYNE, Iain RAMSAY, Mile STERJOVSKI

2 - Eli BABALJ, Dyron DAAL, Dino DJULBIC, Mate DUGANDZIC, Ivan FRANJIC, Rostyn GRIFFITHS, Chris GROSSMAN, Carlos HERNANDEZ, Mark HUGHES, Branko JELIC, Daniel MCBREEN, Kevin MUSCAT, Scott NEVILLE, Patricio PEREZ, Joel PORTER, Joshua ROSE, Shane SMELTZ, Jean Carlos SOLORANZO, Alex TERRA, Patrick ZWAANSWIJK

1 - Michael BAIRD, Andrew BARISIC, Grant BREBNER, Michael BRIDGES, Jeremy BROCKIE, James BROWN, Leigh BROXHAM, Billy CELESKI, Isaka CERNAK, Robert CORNTHWAITE, John CURTIS, Luke DEVERE, Travis DODD, Gareth EDDS, Rhyan GRANT, Labinot HALITI, Jamie HARNWELL, Scott JAMIESON, Stephan KELLER, Matthew LEWIS, Terry MCFLYNN, Matt MCKAY, Daniel MULLEN, Massimo MURDOCCA, Erik PAARTALU, Steve PANTELIDIS, Tom PONDELJAK, RICARDINHO, Sean ROONEY, Ben SIGMUND, Matt SMITH, Eugene SSEPPUYA, Simon STOREY, Ufuk TALAY, Matt THOMPSON, Nikolai TOPOR STANLEY, Adama TRAORE, Rodrigo VARGAS, Rocky VISCONTE, Nick WARD, Alex WILKINSON, Rutger WORM, Adrian ZAHRA