There were some spectacular goals scored in Round Seven of the 2013/14 Hyundai A-League which sees an attacking lineup named in this week’s Team of the Week.
There were some spectacular goals scored in Round Seven of the 2013/14 Hyundai A-League which sees an attacking lineup named in this week’s Team of the Week.
Player of the Round: Adam Taggart
There-s little doubt Adam Taggart is the form player of the competition, which sees him named as player of the round for a second consecutive week. The Jets frontman backed up his brace against Brisbane with a hat-trick in yesterday-s win against the Heart and has now scored six goals in his last three matches. Newcastle couldn-t buy a goal at the start of the season but the striker has fired the Jets into third on the ladder. Taggart-s form will have no doubt caught the eye of Ange Postecoglou as the modest 20-year-old seeks to add to his four Socceroo caps.
Goalkeeper: Nathan Coe
The Victory custodian was in supreme form in round seven and amazingly was the only ‘keeper to maintain a clean sheet despite his side playing the entire second half with 10 men. Victory-s defence was exposed by the sending off of centre back Adrian Leijer but Coe was up to the task. The 29-year-old made several saves, including a second half penalty which proved to be the turning point of the match as Victory ran out comfortable winners against the Reds.
Defenders:
Scott Jamieson: The Glory defender had been in sublime form at the back this season that had coach Alistair Edwards calling for him to be included in the Socceroos squad. Unfortunately for Jamieson his season appears over after he ruptured his achilles tendon in the second half of Perth-s last-minute loss to the Mariners. Jamieson laid on a beautiful through ball to create the opening goal of the match for his side but they were unable to hold on without him on the pitch.
Sebastian Ryall: The Sydney FC centre back has taken his game to another level in recent weeks and has been a large part of the Sky Blues recent resurgence. While his fellow defenders have seen red in recent weeks Ryall has been a constant in a defensive line that has only leaked three goals in their last three games. Add to this the fact that Ryall laid on the winner in injury time and he is a definite starter in our team of the week.
Louis Fenton: The young Kiwi international had to put his World Cup disappointment behind him when the Phoenix travelled to Sydney in Round 7. The industrious defender played the final half hour in the loss to Mexico but helped the All Whites grab two late goals. Fenton was again on his game against the Sky Blues and has been one of the Nix most consistent performers this season. The 20-year-old was a constant threat down the right flank as the Phoenix suffered a heart-breaking last minute defeat.
Midfielders:
Ivan Franjic: The Roar midfielder has been in amazing form this season, which culminated in his call up to the recent Socceroos squad. Franjic was one of our best performers in the win against Costa Rica and backed up his performance in the win over the Wanderers. He struck a superlative goal from outside the box to double Roar-s advantage in front of their home fans and helped Brisbane to their first win over Western Sydney.
Mitch Nichols: Nichols has been given the most starts in our Team of the Week this season, and given his performance against Adelaide it-s easy to see why. Nichols got through a mountain of work in midfield after Victory were reduced to 10-men just before half time. He capped his performance with his first goal for the Navy Blue, able to apply a composed finish in the dying stages of their win, which sent the fans at Etihad Stadium into raptures.
Mark Milligan: The Victory captain has struck up a great understanding with central partner Nichols, which helped Victory get back on the winners list and sees him also included in the Team of the Week. Milligan is another player who backed up his performance in the international break with some great work against Adelaide, his defensive prowess being called upon to shut-down numerous Reds attacking raids, especially in the second half.
Michael McGlinchey: The Mariners midfielder was another player who was playing his second game of the week after he turned out for the All Whites. McGlinchey showed no signs of fatigue in helping Central Coast to a memorable win over Perth. The 26-year-old scored one of the goals of the round when he fired in an equaliser from the edge of the box, which sees him make his first appearance in the Team of the Week.
Strikers:
Besart Berisha: The enigmatic Roar striker made his return from injury in the win against the Wanderers and it did not take long for the Albanian to remind Hyundai A-League fans of his prowess in front of goal. Berisha made a determined run through a Wanderers defence which had been the best in the league to open the scoring. He was great value for the hour he was on the pitch and his replacement Kwame Yeboah struck a wonder goal of his own.
Richard Garcia: With the Sky Blues entering the transfer market recently to sign a new striker in Ranko Despotovic, Garcia no doubt had a point to prove in the win over Wellington. The former Hull City striker showed why he should still be the man to lead the line for the Sky Blues with a scorching goal to open the scoring. Garcia showed neat footwork and a shimmy on the edge of the box to lose his man, before unleashing a shot from the top shelf that thundered into the side netting and sees him as part of a lethal front three in this week-s Team of the Week.
