3 minute read
A look at the eighth week of the A-League, with Central Coast winning again to stay top of the table.
THEY SAID IT: "We need to build on this, we know it's not going to happen overnight but I can assure you that everyone in this football club is working hard to make this club successful" - Macarthur FC coach Ante Milicic wants a first home A-League win against Adelaide to just be the start for his club.
MAN OF THE WEEK: Matt Derbyshire. The English striker scored a long-range stunner to seal Macarthur's 2-0 win over Brisbane on Tuesday and then notched a hat-trick in the Bulls' 4-0 thumping of Adelaide on Friday.
BEAT THAT: Costa Rican international Marcos Urena's wonderful through-ball for Matt Simon's opener in Central Coast's 2-0 win over Wellington was pure class. The victory in Wollongong means the perennial strugglers have now won six from eight to sit proudly atop the competition ladder.
STAT ATTACK: The four goals conceded by Adelaide against Macarthur means the Reds have now leaked 12 goals in four away matches this season. Adelaide coach Carl Veart admitting his team's defending wasn't good enough against the Bulls.
TALKING POINT: Victoria's snap five-day COVID lockdown has again forced fixture disruption with both of Saturday's games postponed. Next week's games involving Sydney FC's at Melbourne City and Wellington's trip to face Melbourne Victory have also been pushed back week by the restrictions.
UNDER PRESSURE: Wellington were already up against it after being forced to relocate to Wollongong for an unspecified period of time due to international border closures but one win and four defeats from their first six matches suggests a long season awaits for Ufuk Talay's men.
UP NEXT: With the Melbourne City v Sydney and Victory v Phoenix matches both rescheduled the next will be Adelaide hosting table-topping Central Coast on Friday. A Saturday triple-header features Western United welcoming Macarthur, City travelling to Perth and the Roar taking on Sydney FC. Next weekend's action wraps up on Sunday with Victory hosting the Jets and Wellington playing Western Sydney.
