Sydney FC Captain Alex Wilkinson has apologised to the club’s fans and admitted they “deserve better” following Saturday’s Sydney Derby loss to Western Sydney Wanderers.
The Sky Blues fell to a 4-0 defeat against the Wanderers at Allianz Stadium, their heaviest defeat in Derby history and as a result, sit precariously inside the top six heading into the international break.
Wilkinson described the defeat as “devastating” and pledged that Sydney FC’s players will do everything in their power to end the season on a high note.
“We know how disappointed our members will be feeling right now, it’s never a great feeling to lose or to lose a Derby, but to do it in that manner is devastating,” he said.
“They deserve better, much, much better.
“As players we know we’ve let them down and offer no excuses, we just need to give everything in the next few weeks to put it right.
“There are five crucial games coming up and we need to perform to ensure we make the Finals Series.
“We have the players in this squad who are good enough to do that, and once we are there then we’ll have as good a chance as anyone of winning another title.
“However, we need our members and fans to stick with us to achieve that and as a playing group we’ll give it our all.”
Wilkinson pinpointed the next home game against Western United on April 1 as being a key juncture in their season, with the reigning champions sitting only two points behind the sixth-placed Sky Blues on the table.
“This is a massive game for our season. A win puts us five points ahead of them with four games to play,” he said.
“We’ve also got four of our remaining five games against teams below us who are fighting to get into the top six.
“We need to treat each one like a Finals game in its own right and if we can do that it will stand us in good stead when we get there.
“I’d like nothing better than to reward our Members with this title after how well they’ve stuck by us over the past year.”
Sydney FC CEO Adam Santo also took to Twitter on Monday morning, describing the result as “hugely disappointing” and called for the fans to stick with the team as they push for a finals berth.
“Hugely disappointing result on Saturday night and nowhere near good enough for our club,” Santo said.
“Make no mistake I am fully aware of the anger and frustration from our members at the loss. Everyone at the club feels the same way. We have five crucial matches remaining before finals and we still have a chance and are determined to win the Championship.
“We hope all our loyal members will stick with our boys when we need you most and get behind them. Everyone is going to be working harder than ever to respond in the right way and finish the season strong.
“Also to our awesome members from The Cove who once again brought fantastic noise and a sensational pre-match tifo display. If ever we needed motivation to end this season on a high, it is to reward every single one of you for the time and effort you put into our club.
“You along with all of our members absolutely deserve it.”
