Western Sydney head coach Alen Stajcic admits he still hasn’t signed a new contract with the Isuzu UTE A-League club as the Wanderers’ season came to an abrupt end on Saturday night at the hands of Melbourne Victory.
Looking to win their first Finals Series match since 2016, the Wanderers fell behind in just the seventh minute thanks to Kasey Bos’ early strike.
Wanderers forward Zac Sapsford fired the home side level in the 23rd minute at CommBank Stadium but Victory regained control of the contest through Zinedine Machach on the stroke of half-time and never looked back.
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“It was that little bit of quality when we needed it,” said Stajcic in his post-match press conference when asked what went wrong for his side on Saturday night.
“The game was a 50/50, game, you’re playing against good opposition and I said that during the week.
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“You’re playing against (Nishan) Velupillay and (Daniel) Arzani and Machach who are three of the best attackers in the league, and they scored two here, just like they scored two here a couple of months ago or a month ago.
“They’re a top team, they’re a good team and they’re a good attacking team and we let them get the lead, and then obviously allowed them to sit back a little bit and absorb pressure.
“But you know, those moments of quality, when we had them, we didn’t take our chances. I feel like if we equalised, we would have won the game, but it wasn’t to be. We weren’t good enough tonight.”
Despite ultimately finishing fourth on the ladder the Wanderers were in with a shot of snatching second place on the final weekend of the Isuzu UTE A-League regular season.
However, falling at the first stage of the Finals Series ultimately marks a disappointing end to what had otherwise been a promising first season under Stajcic.
Recruited from Perth Glory at the end of the 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League season, Stajcic signed a one-year deal to take over from former Wanderers coach Marko Rudan and while there have been reports of a new deal on the table for the 51-year-old Western Sydney local, that contract as yet remains unsigned.
“I haven’t, no,” said Stajcic when asked in his post-match press conference if he’d put pen-to-paper on his reported new deal yet.
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“There’s obviously a lot to look forward to and a lot to be proud of. You know, first of all, I’m proud of my staff. I think I’ve got the best staff in the league, and probably that I’ve ever had.
“So an amazing football staff, an amazing bunch of football players, you know, from one through to 25 – everyone’s working hard for a spot, that’s unique in the football landscape.
“They have such a good, cohesive football playing group, and united and aligned. (I) couldn’t be any prouder of the way they’ve carried themselves, whether they’re playing, starting on the bench, coming off the bench, or not even in the squad.
“It’s just a brilliant group of human beings. And you know, for that, it’s probably the saddest part that we can’t go and share a real victory together.
We had a lot of accomplishments: the amount of goals we scored, the winning streak, bringing the crowds back in, the engagement with the members again, and all massive foundations, the culture we’ve created around the club. They’re all massive accomplishments
He continued: “But, you know, the achievement is winning things and that’s the one we’ve got to keep striving for and ensuring that this is a good platform for the future, and we keep building on that platform.
“Hopefully we can produce a little bit better when we need it next year.”
