Five things we learned from A-League Round 20

A-League lies, missed opportunities and a coach-club cleft capped off another interesting weekend of domestic football.

(Left to right) Mike Mulvey, Jamie Maclaren and Mark Rudan Source: Getty Images

The ugly truth

“Is the season lost yet?” 

Central Coast Mariners coach Mike Mulvey could not help but laugh at the question on Friday night and while he took it upon himself to rephrase it, the damage was already done. 

In a league in which 10 teams contest 27 rounds for six finals spots, never should a question reach the coach of a team with just one win, and yet, it did. 

Only the 2005-06 New Zealand Knights have secured fewer points (six) than the Mariners through 20 games (seven), yet Mulvey still had to front the almost-patronising question. 

Much like the term “desperation derby” has been used to fool fans into thinking the bottom three still have a chance of finals football, there’s no hiding the league’s stale stature south of seventh.

With nothing to play for, Friday’s 5-3 defeat to Brisbane Roar did little for either side and despite Mulvey’s calls to “never give up”, his season was lost a long time ago. 

Only 4,173 fans witnessed the coastal club’s calamity in Gosford and that figure will likely fall as the last seven weeks of the regular season roll on. 

It’s understandable why A-League affiliates would want to manufacture a sense of meaning for teams outside the top six, but as long as the current format, salary cap and lack of relegation remain, nothing will change.

Ye of little faith

Mark Rudan cut a frustrated figure in the wake of Wellington Phoenix’s 1-0 defeat to Sydney FC on Saturday. 

The Phoenix were forced to move their home match to Campbelltown Sports Stadium, as a result of a local festival, and the Sky Blues duly took advantage, boasting the majority of the measly 5,115 in attendance. 

But while the Nix were unable to answer Adam Le Fondre’s penalty midway through the second half, Rudan revealed his side were at more disadvantages than one. 

“I made it quite clear to the football club how I felt about playing in Sydney, which should have been a home game for us,” Rudan said. 

“We had almost 23,000 at Eden Park last week. We could’ve played there again today.

“But I don’t think they (the club) had the confidence or trust in my players and my coaching staff to have played (well) and found an alternative in New Zealand.”

Rudan’s apparent disdain for the club comes with Saturday’s attendance almost 3,500 below their average at Westpac Stadium. 

And with the 43-year-old singling out Phoenix officials’ lack of faith, fans will hope it doesn’t hasten his rumoured exit towards Western United.

Diamond in the rough

A one-man advantage and 75-minute lead was not enough for Melbourne City on Saturday night as they surrendered all three points in a 1-1 draw with cross-town rivals Victory. 

The match fizzled out into a rather tame affair at Marvel Stadium, with City unable to capitalise on their numerical and offensive advantage. 

Warren Joyce’s men are now winless in their past five matches as a result, having scored just 24 goals in 20 games this season - two more than last-placed Central Coast Mariners. 

But for all their inefficiencies, Jamie Maclaren continues to prove the prized acquisition they’d hoped he would be. 

The Socceroos striker found the back of the net yet again on the weekend, becoming the first City player since Marianna Tabain to fire in their first three games for the club. 

Maclaren’s productivity has been a beacon of hope for an under-fire Joyce but, despite dominating in front of 32,431 fans, it still wasn’t enough, with Victory needing just one chance to level proceedings and preserve their point.

Chapter closed

Western Sydney Wanderers fans found fortune in more ways than one on Sunday night. 

If Tarek Elrich’s 95th-minute equaliser didn’t put a smile on the collective face of the 7,181 in attendance, the end to an unhappy stay at Spotless Stadium certainly did. 

The Wanderers extended their unbeaten run to three matches as a result of the 1-1 draw and denied Perth Glory’s Tony Popovic the perfect homecoming. 

The Red and Black Bloc’s silent protest would have brought back memories for the 45-year-old, who spent near-five-and-a-half years with the club before departing for Turkey in 2017. 

And while his departure certainly left the club in discomfort, next season’s long-awaited return to Parramatta will certainly ease their persistent pain. 

With three home games remaining in the regular season, an unhappy stay at Spotless Stadium will now precede a similar spell at ANZ Stadium, where the Wanderers have won just four of their past 19 fixtures. 

Melbourne City will kick-start the countdown on March 30, but for now, a trip north to fellow battlers Brisbane Roar will have to do.

Missed opportunity

Newcastle Jets had the perfect opportunity to pile serious pressure on the top six on Sunday, but they never got off the ground. 

Wellington’s failure to defeat Sydney FC on Saturday left Ernie Merrick’s men able to close the gap to just three points with a win over Adelaide United, but it was the visitors who came closest to scoring through Craig Goodwin just before half-time.

A frantic February filled with AFC Champions League action saw the Jets fail to fire as a result, the 0-0 draw leaving the home side five points behind the sixth-placed Nix instead. 

For the Reds however, their portfolio of paltry imports at the number nine position gained a fresh face in Jordy Thomassen. 

Playing alongside George Blackwood, the former failed to find space or link up with his teammates, often isolated, as possession remained locked in midfield. 

As a result, Marco Kurz will hope for an improved performance from his De Graafschap loanee in the coming weeks, or else have him taste the same fate Dzengis Cavusevic endured last season.