Five things we learned from A-League Round 24

Pitch problems, early showers and one city’s distraction headlined an eventful round of A-League action.

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Son of a pitch!

Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat has a way with words, but after what transpired Saturday at the Sydney Cricket Ground, it’s fair to say he hit the nail on the head.

“In the middle it was ridiculously hard, and unsafe as far as I’m concerned,” Muscat said of the pitch.

“For players to go out onto that – whatever it’s called – is a disgrace.

“It’s part of the reason everyone else treats us with contempt; all the other codes treat us with contempt because we accept it ourselves.”

Muscat’s comments came after an untouched Terry Antonis collapsed on the edge of a re-laid square during his side’s 2-1 defeat to Sydney FC.

In the end, the state of the pitch surpassed the result itself, becoming less about Sydney’s last-gasp tilt at the Premiers’ Plate and more about the call for an investigation.

It’s taken two A-League matches at the SCG to prove a point fans have made for years, and now, in the aftermath of an almighty train wreck, they may get their wish.

The Sky Blues’ colossal clash against leaders Perth Glory on April 18 could now find itself inside Kogarah’s Jubilee Stadium, should the SCG Trust fail to fix their failure.

It’s a shame it had to happen this way, but perhaps it’s the only way to remove cricket grounds from the game for good.

Divided attention

Melbourne City had just one win in eight games heading into Friday night’s clash against Brisbane Roar, but you wouldn’t have known based on their performance.

“The aim was to come out here and put on a show for the fans and get the three points, and that’s what we’ve done,” City forward Shayon Harrison said.

But while City’s 4-1 win, boasting world-class goals from both Ritchie de Laet and Riley McGree, was nothing short of a show, nobody bothered watching it.

 

Barely 5,000 people made up the AAMI Park attendance; with many on social media labelling the figure generous given the abundance of green seats.

It’s not a good look for the City Football Group-owned club, especially when a significant section of Melbourne’s football fandom found their eyes firmly fixed on South Melbourne’s 1-0 NPL Victoria win over Melbourne Knights instead.

As Warren Joyce’s men proved, it’s easy to remedy a bad performance, but bringing the fans back; that’s another question altogether.

A question they may never find the answer to.

Thanks for playing

Newcastle: a city long synonymous with success for the Western Sydney Wanderers – that was, until Saturday night. 

Angus Thurgate’s maiden A-League goal saw the Wanderers’ top six ambitions reach a definitive end at McDonald Jones Stadium, thus concluding their seismic season under Markus Babbel.

The 3-2 defeat was a glimpse of what’s been the outspoken German’s style this season; at times poor, at others, pomp – but for never long enough.

Saturday’s contest was a must-win for the Wanderers, as it was for the Jets, who have now propelled themselves back within reach of sixth place with three games remaining.

 

Despite Western Sydney’s early elimination, Babbel looks set to oversee their return to Parramatta next season, a reality almost certain to infuriate Josep Gombau.

The smiley Spaniard was sacked last season after a trying Wanderers outfit in transition fell just two points shy of sixth place.

And with Gombau’s side boasting more points than the maximum Babbel could muster this time out, such inconsistent expectations leaves next season anyone’s guess. 

Nevertheless, the Wanderers now follow Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners for an early shower, with plenty of room left for one more.

Atalanta United?

A quick-fire brace from Josip Ilicic inside the opening five minutes spurred Atalanta to a 4-1 Serie A win over Bologna last Friday, and on Sunday night, it was Adelaide United who followed suit.

United, playing against a red-hot Wellington Phoenix outfit, came bursting out of the blocks with goals from Michael Marrone and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos inside the opening 17 minutes.

Mark Rudan’s men were the competition’s form team heading into the contest but were made to rue a horror-30 minute period at Coopers Stadium, with only United’s poor finishing preventing an even greater deficit.

Much like Atalanta’s top four tilt, United moved level on points with the Phoenix as a result of their 3-1 win and will look to cement their top four status with a win over Melbourne City next weekend.

The price of three points

Perth Glory moved one step closer to a maiden A-League trophy on Sunday, but it may have come at a cost.

Star attacker Chris Ikonomidis looks set for a spell on the sidelines after a dislocated shoulder cut his night short in Gosford.

The 23-year-old injured himself after falling awkwardly in the act of shooting and required treatment before the Glory officially removed him from the match.

Such an injury could see the Socceroo miss a significant slice of his side’s remaining two months of the season, a possibility Perth fans will pray doesn’t come to fruition.

Despite Ikonomidis’ absence, the Glory encountered little resistance from the last-placed Mariners, with Joel Chianese, Dino Djulbic and Neil Kilkenny all finding the back of the net instead.

Tony Popovic’s men now need just one more win to all but secure the Premiers’ Plate, and while Ikonomidis played an important part in their pursuit, they may be forced to look elsewhere in their chase for the Championship.