Puddle Muddle Poser

Whereas over a month ago teams aiming for the bottom finals spots were dropping points, things are beginning to heat up amongst them.

Melbourne Victory, city rival Heart and Wellington Phoenix were three of the four impressive winners battling for finals.

The biggest losers were Newcastle Jets, who copped a 4-0 drubbing at Westpac Stadium with a host of experienced players out through injury and suspension.

Phoenix were in fine form at home, but boss Ricki Herbert will know they need to show more when they go on the road for the remainder of the season.

But after their unbeaten run at home came to an end, they looked beatable and he’ll want to recreate the fortress again.

The revelation of youngster Marco Rojas comes as a plus with the winger terrorizing the Jets down the right hand side.

Phoenix will need more of the same, particularly if Paul Ifill’s leg injury is serious and keeps him out for a lengthy period of time.

Melbourne Heart broke a seven-game winless run and again look a team capable of surprises.

But it hasn’t been there often enough for Heart and they’ve struggled up front, although if John Aloisi can find some form they may yet be a finals danger.

The return of the likes of Josip Skoko, Wayne Srhoj and Kristian Sarkies will stabilize a midfield that has looked short of ideas going forward in the previous two months.

The biggest finals dark horse may yet be their cross town rival Victory, although injuries and international call ups could slow them down.

They scored a solid 2-0 win over Perth Glory on Saturday night without playing at their attacking best.

Injuries to scorer Archie Thompson (hamstring), Matthew Kemp (groin or adductor) and Carlos Hernandez (ankle) soured the three points.

Hernandez is expected to be fit for the clash with Newcastle after Christmas, but the other two could miss longer periods.

Thompson and Kemp have arguably been the two to revive Victory after their sluggish start to season six.

Before going off, Thompson looked at his flamboyant best, running past players, scoring and creating chances.

He’ll be the biggest loss and given he is just returning from a knee injury, it could be a month out with a soft tissue problem.

After not wanting the two spots, four teams can take them up and are fighting. Who takes up spots five and six?

Meanwhile the FFA will scrutinising their calendar to find a free date when they can shoehorn in the Mariners/Gold Coast rematch after a deluge rained on Clive Palmer's free ticket tribute to Frank Lowy.

Adelaide United 1 (Sergio van Dijk 45+1’)

Melbourne Heart 2 (Simon Colosimo 89’, John Aloisi 90+2’)

Crowd: 10,011 @ Hindmarsh Stadium  

Melbourne Heart stole their first victory in eight outings with a late show 2-1 win over Adelaide United.

Heart scored two goals in the last five minutes to become the first team to beat United at home this season.

Adelaide had the lead at the break, thanks to a perfectly placed header by Dutch striker Sergio van Dijk in first half stoppage time.

But the Reds sat back under pressure before Heart captain Simon Colosimo pounced on a Josip Skoko corner to equalize in the last minute of regulation time.

The three points were pinched when striker John Aloisi struck with the outside of his boot in stoppage time.

It was the first time Adelaide have dropped points to Heart after winning the first two encounters and it leaves Brisbane well clear at the top of the table.

Making matters worse for the home side, defender Daniel Mullen has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.

Breaking their winless run, Heart need to build to break back into the top six and maintain a spot.

Adelaide United: 1. Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 4. Iain FYFE, 5. Daniel MULLEN (26. Joseph KEENAN 32’), 6. CASSIO, 7. Lucas PANTELIS (14. Cameron WATSON 58’), 8. Adam HUGHES, 9. Sergio VAN DIJK, 10. Marcos FLORES, 12. Paul REID, 13. Travis DODD (c) (17. Iain RAMSAY 82’), 18. Fabian BARBIERO

Unused sub: 20. Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk)

Yellow cards: Galekovic (89’), Keenan (90+1’)

Red cards: None

Melbourne Heart: 1. Clint BOLTON (gk), 2. Michael MARRONE, 4. Simon COLOSIMO (c), 6. Matt THOMPSON, 7. Rutger WORM, 8. Kristian SARKIES (20. Josip SKOKO 64’), 10. Wayne SRHOJ, 15. John ALOISI, 16. Aziz BEHICH, 22. Nick KALMAR (5. Michael BEAUCHAMP 76’), 25. Adrian ZAHRA (17. Jason HOFFMAN 57’)

Unused sub: 12. Peter ZOIS (gk)

Yellow cards: Thompson (27’), Hoffman (65’)

Red cards: None

Wellington Phoenix 4 (Tim Brown 18’, Marco Rojas 31’, Chris Greenacre 42’, Dylan Macallister 89’)

Newcastle Jets 0
Crowd: 6053 @ Westpac Stadium

Wellington ended Newcastle’s seven-match unbeaten run with a 4-0 romp at Westpac Stadium.

There were worries early for Phoenix when star striker Paul Ifill was forced off with a leg injury, but they responded in perfect fashion with three goals before half time.

Midfielder Tim Brown found himself unmarked to nod past Matthew Nash before the impressive Marco Rojas swept home from inside the area to make it two.

Ifill’s replacement, Chris Greenacre, made it three when his shot was adjudged to have crossed the line by the assistant referee minutes before the interval.

The Jets improved in the second half but were again made to pay in the 89^th minute when Dylan Macallister found himself free to tuck home into an empty net.

The worry for Phoenix hasn’t been at home and Ricki Herbert’s men still need to prove themselves on the road.

It may prove to be a minor hiccup on Newcastle’s run but they quickly need to bounce back and regain a host of experienced players out through injury and suspension.

Wellington Phoenix: 19. Danny VUKOVIC (gk), 2. Manny MUSCAT, 6. Tim BROWN (c), 7. Leo BERTOS (11. DANIEL 67’), 8. Paul IFILL (9. Chris GREENACRE 12’), 13. Troy HEARFIELD, 15. Jade NORTH, 17. Vince LIA, 18. Ben SIGMUND, 21. Marco ROJAS (12. James MUSA 81’), 23. Dylan MACALLISTER

Unused sub: 20. Reece CROWTHER (gk)

Yellow cards: None

Red cards: None

Newcastle Jets: 40. Matthew NASH (gk), 2. Taylor REGAN, 3. Adam D’APUZZO, 4. Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY (c), 11. Tarek ELRICH, 17. Marcello FIORENTINI, 18. Marko JESIC, 19. Ali ABBAS, 24. Francis JEFFERS (13. Sasho PETROVSKI 71’), 27. Tomislav MISURA (22. Kaz PATAFTA 46’), 31. Jacob PEPPER (14. Labinot HALITI 46’)

Unused sub: 1. Ben KENNEDY (gk)

Yellow card: Misura (20’)

Red cards: None

Melbourne Victory 2 (Archie Thompson 45+4’, Rodrigo Vargas 64’)

Perth Glory 0
Crowd: 12,164 @ AAMI Park

Melbourne Victory extended their unbeaten run to five with a solid 2-0 win over Perth Glory, but it came at a price with three important players injured.

Trio Archie Thompson (hamstring), Carlos Hernandez (ankle) and Matthew Kemp (groin/adductor) were all forced off.

While Hernandez is expected to be fit for the clash with Newcastle on December 27, the other two face stints on the sideline.

Thompson and Kemp are returning from serious knee injuries and both look likely to miss games early in 2011.

Perth performed admirably in the first half but couldn’t capitalize before Thompson broke the deadlock in first half stoppage time.

He played a wall pass with Robbie Kruse with the league’s top scorer feeding Thompson with a delightful back heel to hammer past Tando Velaphi in goal.

Victory doubled their lead from a corner in the 64^th minute with substitute Rodrigo Vargas heading home after Todd Howarth momentarily left too much space at the near post.

The way Victory respond to losing two players that have been key in their recent run of form will show if they can be serious contenders, particularly if Kruse is also forced away to play in the Asian Cup.

Melbourne Victory: 1. Michael PETKOVIC (gk), 2. Kevin MUSCAT (c), 5. Surat SUKHA, 7. Matthew KEMP (12. Rodrigo VARGAS 34’), 8. Grant BREBNER, 10. Archie THOMPSON (9. RICARDINHO 46’), 11. Marvin ANGULO, 13. Diogo FERREIRA, 16. Carlos HERNANDEZ (15. Tom PONDELJAK 88’), 21. Robbie KRUSE, 23. Adrian LEIJER

Unused sub: 20. Sebastian MATTEI (gk)

Yellow card: Brebner (6’)

Red cards: None

Perth Glory: 1. Tando VELAPHI (gk), 2. Josh MITCHELL, 3. Jamie COYNE, 5. Jamie HARNWELL, 7. Jacob BURNS (c) (15. Howard FONDYKE 82’), 9. Robbie FOWLER, 12. Scott NEVILLE, 14. Steven MCGARRY, 16. Adriano PELLGRINO, 22. Anthony SKORICH (21. Mile STERJOVSKI 66’), 24. Joshua RISDON (17. Todd HOWARTH 49’)

Unused sub: 25. Ryan PEARSON (gk)

Yellow card: Burns (76’)

Red cards: None

North Queensland Fury 0

Brisbane Roar 2 (Kosta Barbarouses 7’76’)

Crowd: 4412 @ Dairy Farmers Stadium

Brisbane Roar extended their unbeaten run to 17 with a 2-0 victory over local rivals North Queensland Fury.

Roar were business-like as their juggernaut rolled on thanks to a brace from Kosta Barbarouses.

The 20-year-old scored goals number eight and nine of the season to overtake Jean Carlos Solorzano as Roar’s top marksman.

He opened the scoring early on after a Thomas Broich pass, rounding Justin Pasfield and slotting into an empty net.

Although Fury showed glimpses and created a couple of chances they were unable to break through and were duly punished a quarter of an hour before the end.

Barbarouses was slid in behind once again, this time squeezing his shot through the legs of Pasfield and into the far corner.

Roar now have a 10-point buffer at the top of the league ladder while Fury were unable to develop on their victory over Sydney FC mid week.

North Queensland Fury: 1. Justin PASFIELD (gk), 3. Brad MCDONALD, 5. Mark HUGHES, 6. Ufuk TALAY (c), 7. Gareth EDDS, 11. David WILLIAMS, 12. Panagiotis NIKAS (9. Eugene SSEPPUYA 70’), 14. Chris GROSSMAN (15. Chris PAYNE 46’), 16. Simon STOREY, 21. Jason SPAGNUOLO (18. Brett STUDMAN 58’), 24. Ramazan TAVSANCIOGLU

Unused sub: 28. Sebastian USAI (gk)

Yellow card: McDonald (43’)

Red cards: None

Brisbane Roar: 1. Michael THEOKLITOS (gk), 2. Matthew SMITH, 3. Luke DEVERE, 5. Ivan FRANJIC, 6. Erik PAARTALU, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 9. Jean Carlos SOLORZANO, 15. Matt MCKAY (c), 17. Mitch NICHOLS (8. Massimo MURDOCCA 64’), 22. Thomas BROICH (14. Rocky VISCONTE 79’), 23. Milan SUSAK (4. Shane STEFANUTTO 64’)

Unused sub: 20. Andrew REDMAYNE (gk)

Yellow cards: None

Red cards: None

Gold Coast United P

Central Coast Mariners P

(0-0 after 20 minutes)

Crowd: 10,146 @ Skilled Park

Gold Coast’s home clash against Central Coast was abandoned after 20 minutes due to unplayable pitch conditions.

Skilled Park was pummeled by rain before and during the game, forcing referee Chris Beath to call an abrupt end to proceedings.

Passes were beginning to stop in puddles in front of a decent sized home crowd with tickets given away for the encounter.

The game wasn’t without its chances with Mariners striker Adam Kwasnik striking a penalty wide of goals during the opening 20 minutes.

United striker Joel Porter also had a one on one after finally digging the ball up out of his feet but his shot lost all momentum when headed for Mathew Ryan’s goal, allowing the young keeper to save comfortably.

Gold Coast’s people showed they do have an interest in the A-League with the brave people who made the trip creating an atmosphere rarely seen at the venue.

The game will be replayed in full at a later date.

Gold Coast United: 1. Glen MOSS (gk), 3. Michael THWAITE, 5. ROBSON, 6. Dino DJULBIC, 10. Jason CULINA, 11. Bruce DJITE, 13. Bas VAN DEN BRINK, 14. Joel PORTER, 16. Kristian REES, 22. Adama TRAORE, 24. John CURTIS

Unused subs: 20. Scott HIGGINS (gk), 2. Steve PANTELIDIS, 7. Zenon CARAVELLA, 27. Chris HAROLD

Yellow card: Traore (14’)

Red cards: None

Central Coast Mariners: 20. Mathew RYAN (gk), 3. Joshua ROSE, 4. Pedj BOJIC, 6. Patrick ZWAANSWIJK, 8. Rostyn GRIFFITHS, 11. Oliver BOZANIC, 14. Michael MCGLINCHEY, 18. Alex WILKINSON (c), 19. Matt SIMON, 22. Mustafa SIMON, 23. Adam KWASNIK

Unused subs: 30. Paul HENDERSON (gk), 2. Daniel MCBREEN, 10. Patricio PEREZ, 17. Chris DOIG

Yellow cards: None

Red cards: None

Weekend Break: Sydney FC

Mid-week: Perth Glory v Adelaide United @ nib Stadium, Central Coast Mariners v North Queensland Fury @ Bluetongue Stadium

Hyundai A-League 2010/11 League Table

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

10 – Robbie KRUSE

9 – Kosta BARBAROUSES, Sergio VAN DIJK

8 – Jean Carlos SOLORZANO

7 – Robbie FOWLER, Paul IFILL, Adam KWASNIK

6 – Alex BROSQUE, Tim BROWN, Bruno CAZARINE, Matt SIMON

5 – Jason CULINA, Marcos FLORES, Chris GREENACRE, REINALDO, Gerald SIBON, David WILLIAMS

4 – John ALOISI, Iain FYFE, Marko JESIC, Mathew LECKIE, Mitch NICHOLS

3 – Leo BERTOS, Thomas BROICH, Shannon COLE, Bruce DJITE, Carlos HERNANDEZ, Mark HUGHES, Nick KALMAR, Daniel MCBREEN, Chris PAYNE, Sasho PETROVSKI, Iain RAMSAY, Mile STERJOVSKI, Ufuk TALAY, Archie THOMPSON, Bas VAN DEN BRINK, Rodrigo VARGAS, Patrick ZWAANSWIJK

2 – Eli BABALJ, James BROWN, Dyron DAAL, Dino DJULBIC, Travis DODD, Mate DUGANDZIC, Ivan FRANJIC, Rostyn GRIFFITHS, Chris GROSSMAN, Branko JELIC, Dylan MACALLISTER, Matt MCKAY, Kevin MUSCAT, Scott NEVILLE, Patricio PEREZ, Joel PORTER, Joshua ROSE, Ben SIGMUND, Shane SMELTZ, Matthew SMITH, Alex TERRA, Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY

1 – Ali ABBAS, Michael BAIRD, Andrew BARISIC, Grant BREBNER, Mark BRIDGE, Michael BRIDGES, Jeremy BROCKIE, Leigh BROXHAM, Billy CELESKI, Isaka CERNAK, Simon COLOSIMO, Robert CORNTHWAITE, John CURTIS, Luke DEVERE, Gareth EDDS, Brendan GAN, Rhyan GRANT, Labinot HALITI, Jamie HARNWELL, Scott JAMIESON, Francis JEFFERS, Ben KANTAROVSKI, Stephan KELLER, Matthew LEWIS, Terry MCFLYNN, Josh MITCHELL, Daniel MULLEN, Massimo MURDOCCA, Erik PAARTALU, Steve PANTELIDIS, Adriano PELLEGRINO, Tom PONDELJAK, Paul REID, RICARDINHO, Marco ROJAS, Sean ROONEY, Eugene SSEPPUYA, Simon STOREY, Matt THOMPSON, Adama TRAORE, Rocky VISCONTE, Nick WARD, Alex WILKINSON, Rutger WORM, Adrian ZAHRA