Western Sydney, 7:30pm Wednesday 28th August 2019 (Away) FFA Cup

A lot has already been said by many on the loss of home advantage in this round of the FFA Cup, including myself. The double standards of the FFA meant that this game was now to be played on a grass pitch out in Campbelltown. The SUS had shirts printed with “Maffia” in Godfather font and the letters FFA highlighted in red. Very apt given we now had an away game for a home match. What can be said about the opposition? They were formed in 2012 and were coached for many years by Croatia alumni Tony Popovic. The club became champions of Asia in 2014, the winning goal scored by Tomi Juric, another Croatian Australian and to date are the only Australian club to win the competition. In their short history they have lost 3 grand finals and have had a poor last few years. They are currently coached by former German international Markus Babbel and beat Perth in the last round.

FFA Maffia

I was fortunate enough to get to King Tom in time for a beer before the coaches left for Campbelltown, and met a few of the supporters who had come interstate for the game. The guys were busy printing shirts and loading up the merchandise for the game. The new caps are great, by the way! By the time the buses were due to leave there was a real buzz around King Tom. I had mixed feelings about the game. Once it was confirmed that it wouldn’t be played at King Tom it lost relevance for me. But I got caught up in the passion of the SUS and was well up for it by the time I got on the coach. We got stuck in a bit of traffic on the way to the stadium and by the time we got off, there were long queues to get in. Three sides of the ground had been closed off. I was hoping that the supporters’ groups behind each goal would rack up a bit of atmosphere but they were placed in opposite ends of the Eastern grandstand. This was the only stand that was open on the night. The guys were doing a roaring trade in merch on tables set up by the turnstiles. The crowd was given as 5,061. Not a bad turnout, but I still think at King Tom we would have easily got 10,000. My main worry was the amount of games that we have been playing. This was our 5th game in just 17 days, and 2 of those went to extra time. Add to the fact that Glen Trifiro had surgery the other day and we have the grand final against APIA on Saturday, it was inevitable that some players would have to be rested. In the event, a whole lot were rested as a youthful, unfamiliar Croatia took to the field.

Printing merch ready for the game

As the teams walked out a three piece banner was hauled up in the SUS: “Not a phase, not a trend, Sydney United till the end”. The old “You can stick your f**king A League up your arse” song also had a rendition, as the flags started to wave. With only the one stand open, it was a bit of a strange atmosphere. There was plenty of security around us, even a few police turned up. I couldn’t see any police down the other side with the RBB. Strange considering they seem to be such a problem in the A League? Maybe we are just singled out? The game started and it was clear from the start that it was going to be a tough night. A fully professional team who had much time to prepare, no fixture back up like us and a Croatia team unfamiliar with each other failed to gel in the first 25 minutes. By that point Western Sydney were already 2-0 up, and it was no surprise. They looked fitter and sharper on the ball for the first half an hour as Croatia struggled to get a foothold in the game. The third goal on 37 minutes all but killed the game as a contest. As always, the SUS kept up the singing throughout and as the half-time whistle sounded it was 0-3. At least they had VB at the bar and there was no queue. Small wins.

Croatia came out raring to go in the second half and within 5 minutes had pulled a goal back thanks to an Antlemi penalty. I could not see what it was given for, but nobody cared as the goal was celebrated. At 1-3 there was a small chance and when just a few minutes later the Western Sydney goalkeeper spilled a shot that fell straight to Perkatis in the six yard box, it looked to be 2-3. Somehow he managed to hit it straight at the legs of the keeper who saved it. It was a turning point in the game. Within minutes of that, Matthew Bilic tried to cut out a cross but only succeeded in lashing the ball into his own net for 1-4. Around five minutes later a melee erupted in the Western Sydney area which resulted in a red card for Perkatis. I did not see what happened, it looked a load of nothing, but we were now down to 10 men with 30 minutes still to play. It was telling and the fitness levels began to show as Western Sydney scored 3 goals in 10 minutes. To be fair, one of them was a scorcher but it was still hard to take. The last 10 minutes or so were played out and the players thanked the supporters. I think the 1-7 score line was a bit harsh but I can’t fault the players. There have been too many games in too short a space of time. I couldn’t help but think what it would have been like had we got them at King Tom, with a full, fresh team out. Either way it’s over, the big one is on Saturday against APIA in the grand final. Can’t wait, let’s get everybody down there and make it a home game for the lads. Sydney Croatia Ole Ole Ole….