Round 6 saw Gold Coast United extend its lead at the top of Hyundai A-League table to three points, while North Queensland recorded its first-ever win, 1-0 over Sydney.
Results – Round 6
ADELAIDE UNITED 1 beat Central Coast Mariners 0
Newcastle Jets 1 defeated by BRISBANE ROAR 3
Sydney FC defeated by NORTH QUEENSLAND FURY 1
Melbourne Victory 1 drew Wellington Phoenix 1
Perth Glory 2 drew Gold Coast United 2
Game Wraps
Round 6 saw Gold Coast United extend its lead at the top of Hyundai A-League table to three points, while North Queensland recorded its first-ever win, 1-0 over Sydney.
The Fury’s first win of its inaugural campaign came thanks to a sensational 30-yard goal from in-form striker Robbie Fowler on 54 minutes. John Aloisi missed a penalty in the first half, as Sydney crashed to back-to-back losses.
Gold Coast increased its margin on top of the table, but only after coming from two goals down against Perth Glory at ME Bank Stadium.
The Glory had opened up their lead by half-time on the back of goals from Branko Jelic and Victor Sikora but United stormed back into the contest when defender Bas van den Brink pulled one back in the 52nd minute. Shane Smeltz then bobbed up for his ninth goal of the campaign, converting Steve Pantelidis’ cross in the final minute of regular time.
Brisbane bounced back to form with a 3-0 win against the Jets in Newcastle. Brazilian winger Henrique opened the scoring in the 24th minute and he was closely followed by compatriot Reinaldo, who doubled the advantage two minutes later.
The Jets enjoyed some good spells during the second half, but a late strike by Scotsman Charlie Miller delivered the points for the Roar.
Adelaide needed just one goal, a first-half free kick from Cassio, to get the points 1-0 over Central Coast Mariners in the round opener at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night.
On Sunday afternoon at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne looked destined for their first home win of the season, when Carlos Hernandez opened the scoring in just the fourth minute but Wellington rallied strongly and Tim Brown secured an equaliser after 30 minutes. The Phoenix probably had the best of the chances for the remainder of the game but were unable to put them away and had to settle for a share of the points.
Just four points now separate third-placed Brisbane (nine points) from bottom-placed North Queensland (five points) while Sydney is on 10 points, and Gold Coast 13.
Weekend Goals Tally: 11
Attendances (total / average): 60039/12008
Goal of the Week – Robbie Fowler
With his third goal is as many weeks, Fowler stated his case for goal of the year with a magnificent solo effort on 54 minutes in the match against Sydney FC. A long kick from keeper Paul Henderson was flicked on by Daniel McBreen and Fowler hit it first time from around 30 yards. Clint Bolton had no hope of stopping the shot.
Player of the Week – Henrique
‘Biliquinha’, the slippery fish, had a breakout game against the Jets, setting up one goal and scoring another to prove how dangerous a player he can be. While the Brazilian’s pace and quick feet make him hard for any defence to stop, on Saturday night, he showed his intelligence on the ball. Brisbane Roar fans have been waiting for their season to ignite. Henrique’s performance against the Jets may be the spark.
One to Watch – Reinaldo –
The big Brazilian striker is back with a bang. After missing much of last season with a groin injury he made his first start since October last year and set-up the first goal, before finishing for the second. He managed 71 minutes with Frank Farina getting some reward for the persistence he has shown with the 25-year-old. He could be getting back to his best.
Leading Goalscorers after Round 6
9 – Shane Smeltz
4 – Robbie Fowler
3 – John Aloisi, Carlos Hernandez, Branko Jelic, Archie Thompson, Sergio Van Dijk
2 -Chris Greenacre, Henrique, Jason Hoffman, Lucas Pantelis, Paul Ifill, Victor Sikora
1 – Danny Allsopp, Mark Bridge, Jason Culina, Dyron Daal, Kofi Danning, Travis Dodd, Brendan Gan, Rostyn Griffiths, Michael Mcglinchey, Milson, Jason Naidovski, Nigel Boogaard, Jin-Hyung Song, Tahj Minniecon, Daniel Mcbreen, Leo Bertos, Danny Tiatto, Steven Fitzsimmons, Ben Sigmund, Wayne Srhoj, Adriano Pellegrino, Matt Simon, Lloyd Owusu, Sean Rooney, Craig Moore, Labinot Haliti, Iain Fyfe, Alex Wilkinson, Matt Simon, Mile Sterjovski, Steve Corica, Mitch Nichols, Cassio, Reinaldo, Charlie Miller, Tim Brown, Bas Van Den Brink
