A League Round 5 Review

By: Kieran | September 8th, 2009

Well, unfortunately I didn’t get to write the round 5 preview because I was at the CCM vs Glory game. But here is a full review of all the action from round 5:

Melbourne Victory 1 drew with Newcastle Jets 1

A late equaliser from Jet’s sub Labinot Haliti kept Melbourne from joining the top 6, and made the Thursday night game the first of three draws in round 5. Victory took the lead in the first half through a Archie Thompson cross, but a Tarek Elrich cross found the head of Labinot Haliti in the 86th minute. The result leaves Melbourne with only 5 points from 5 games, equal on points with Wellington and Adelaide, something the reigning champions will not be pleased about. Jet’s coach Branko Culina however was pleased to get something out of the game, after a short turnaround from last weeks win over Gold Coast, “…in spite of playing some painful football, it was good to get something.”

Wellington Phoenix 1 drew with Adelaide United 1

The second game of the weekend ended with a controversial winner…only to be ruled offside, giving round 5 it’s second draw. Wellington striker Paul Ifill found the back of the net, but it was ruled that fellow forward Chris Greenacre was offside, even though he did not appear to go for the ball. Wellington had earlier taken the lead in the first half, through Ifill, only to let Adelaide straight back in with Iain Fyfe finished off a corner. The point was probably a fair result for both sides, and leaves them equal on points down the bottom of the ladder. And, the result stretched Wellington’s unbeaten home run to eight A League matches (thanks 442!).

Central Coast Mariners 2 defeated Perth Glory 1

A horrific error from Perth keeper Tando Velaphi gave Central Coast an undeserved 3 points from their trip to Canberra. In front of a disappointing crowd of only 5,000, neither side really had the advantage, and the game should have ended a draw. However a poor decision from Velaphi saw the ball bounce over him and into the back of the net. A full report can be found on Perth Glory Offside.

Gold Coast United 2 defeated Sydney 1

It was the battle of Bling FC vs New Bling FC, and it didn’t disappoint. Shane Smeltz netted twice, taking his tally this year to an amazing 8, and even a second half cameo from Kofi Danning wasn’t enough to spark Sydney to victory. While Gold Coast were missing Socceroos Jason Culina, the brilliance of Shane Smeltz meant they still had enough to get past Sydney. A late effort from Steve Corica in the 75th gave Sydney a sniff of hope, but despite a few chances, Gold Coast held on for the 3 points. The win sends Gold Coast to the top of the table, leading Sydney by 2 points, and while the Jets may have shown they’re not invincible, they are looking pretty damm good.

North Queensland Fury 1 drew with Brisbane Roar 1

A late Mitch Nichols deflection saved the Roar from blushes after a 10 man Fury maintained a 1 nil lead for the majority of the match, since a nice goal from Robbie Fowler in the 7th minute. A full match report can be found on the Roar Offside

Well, no games in Canberra this week, so expect a preview of round 6 soon.