Stunning Victory for 10-man Melbourne

Updated November 24, 2012 23:25:46

Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou has said the signs were promising for his new side after the Victory scored a 2-0 win over Western Sydney despite playing with 10 men for most of the game.

The win on Saturday night takes Melbourne to joint third on the A-League ladder after losing three of their first four matches.

Postecoglou - who took Brisbane Roar to back-to-back titles before leaving to go to Melbourne for this season - told Grandstand he was enjoying the challenges of working with a new club.

"That's why I came here, to try and take the club back to the levels (where) it wants to be and should be," he said.

"We've still got a long way to go but the signs are promising."

At Parramatta Stadium the Victory played with 10 men for 74 minutes after defender Sam Gallagher was marched for a foul on Western Sydney's Dino Kresinger.

Gallagher stumbled while chasing Kresinger who was through on goal, and then grabbed Kresinger's arm as the last man in defence.

The home side could not make the man advantage count, however, and Melbourne took the lead just before half-time when a cross from the right led to a shot by Guilherme Finkler that was turned into the net by Wanderers defender Michael Beauchamp.

Western Sydney chased the game in the second half, but could not find a way through.

The Victory made certain of the points in the 60th minute when Marco Rojas found Archie Thompson near the far post for a cool right-foot finish.

Postecoglou said he was proud of his team's "massive collective effort".

"We showed character, not just in our working hard defensively which we did, but still being positive when we got the ball," he said.

For Western Sydney, coach Tony Popovic said it was frustrating to be on the wrong end of a 10-man victory after the Wanderers pulled off a similar effort to beat Perth Glory last week.

"The frustrating thing is that we started the game so well," he told Grandstand.

"The goal before half-time gave them (Melbourne) a real sense of belief in being able to hold on to the lead.

"I think psychologically we found things difficult in the second half, having the extra man, and trying to force things too often."

Melbourne Victory 2 (Beauchamp O.G. 44', Thompson 60')

Western Sydney Wanderers 0

Tags: soccer, sport, a-league, parramatta-2150, nsw, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted November 24, 2012 22:13:03

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Melbourne Heart set to lose seven players

Updated April 06, 2012 09:32:43

Melbourne Heart will have a vastly different lineup next year after the A-League club confirmed they would farewell seven players at the end of the season.

The Heart, whose season ended last weekend after they were thumped 3-0 by Perth, will say goodbye to Alex Terra, Rutger Worm, Maycon, Kristian Sarkies as well as Kamal Ibrahim, Kliment Taseski and Nikola Roganovic.

"All seven individuals have each left an imprint on the club in their own unique way, making contributions which extend simply beyond the field," the Heart said in a statement.

Brazilian forward Terra and Dutchman Worm both joined in 2010, ahead of the club's inaugural season in the competition with Terra scoring seven goals for the club.

They leave an enormous hole to fill next season, though the club's football operations manager John Didulica admitted circumstances stopped some players, such as Sarkies, from reaching their best.

"Sadly for Kristian he came to us with a broken leg which meant other players were able to move ahead of him and limit his match time," Didulica said.

"An excellent character to have around the club and we hope he can continue his career elsewhere in the A-League."

AAP

Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted April 06, 2012 09:32:43

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John van 't Schip to leave Melbourne Heart

Updated February 02, 2012 08:28:27

Melbourne Heart coach John van 't Schip believes that his resignation can only help his club's push for an A-League finals berth.

The former Dutch international told his fifth-placed team on Wednesday of his decision to return home to Europe at the end of the season for personal and professional reasons.

Heart assistant Ante Milicic is the favourite to take over the post while youth team coach, former Socceroo John Aloisi will also be considered.

The Heart will face cross-town rivals Melbourne Victory on Saturday night, a crucial game to both teams' finals prospects, but van 't Schip didn't believe his news would be a distraction.

With eight rounds remaining his side have only won one match since their last local derby just before Christmas after missing the finals in his debut year.

"Maybe I should have made my announcement earlier because if you look back at the last period, I don't think it's going to make any difference," the 48-year-old said.

"I think it bring more energy to the team; they know that something's going to change.

"If it will have influence I think it will be positive."

Melbourne chairman Peter Sidwell said the club had tried to extend the contract of the foundation coach, who had instilled an ethos underlined by playing attractive, attacking football.

Van 't Schip was capped 41 times as a player for the Netherlands before stepping into management, becoming an assistant coach at Ajax and the Dutch national team.

"John's decision is his own, we clearly were anxious as a club for him to continue... but for both personal and professional reasons he's decided to return to Europe," Sidwell said.

"To say we're grateful is a massive understatement."

"When you set up a team from nothing and are given very little to do so, it's a fantastic achievement that John has been able to put this club in this condition at this time."

Van 't Schip said he was proud of the development of young players at the Heart, with six in the Olyroos, and had enjoyed the experience of setting up a club from scratch.

But he was ready to get back into the fast lane of European football.

"Working in Europe is a lot faster in every issue, the life, the games ... the level I was playing and coaching," he said.

"(Here) they let you work, they let you do the things that you believe in and from the outside there's a lot less complications.

"That's one of the things for me that was very nice to experience."

While van 't Schip may be leaving Melbourne, he won't cut ties entirely with his 21-year-old son Davey staying on to continue his exercise science degree.

Van 't Schip is likely to be courted by top flight Dutch clubs.

AAP

Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, melbourne-3000, australia

First posted February 01, 2012 15:22:59

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Harry Kewell arrives in Melbourne

Harry Kewell is greeted by fans as he arrives at Melbourne Airport September 12, 2011. Kewell will be settling in Melbourne to play for Melbourne Victory in the A-League.

Tags: a-league, melbourne-airport-3045

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Socceroos set for Melbourne friendly

Published:Monday, June 6, 2011 7:22 AESTExpires:Sunday, September 4, 2011 7:22 AEST

The Australian football team is preparing to take on Serbia at Docklands Stadium.

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Tags: socceroos, australia, melbourne-3000

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Socceroos head to Melbourne on a high

Posted June 6, 2011 07:22:00

The Socceroos will head into Tuesday's clash with Serbia full of confidence after a makeshift side proved too strong for New Zealand in a 3-0 win at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

Australia coach Holger Osieck was encouraged about the future after a host of fringe players stepped in for absent stars Lucas Neill, Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell and Mark Schwarzer with a solid performance.

Returning striker Josh Kennedy scored a double while young gun James Troisi marked a rare start with his first international goal in front of his hometown crowd.

The likes of Michael Zullo, Jon McKain, Matthew Spiranovic, Rhys Williams and Alex Brosque also impressed, with Osieck declaring they had proved their worth as squad players for the coming World Cup qualifying campaign.

They will hold a training session in Melbourne on Monday evening to prepare for the rematch with their 2010 World Cup group opponents.

Osieck is expected to field a strong side against the Serbians, with captain Lucas Neill set to play a part after missing the All Whites clash with a groin injury.

Regulars Mile Jedinak, Sasa Ognenovski and Matt McKay are also poised to start after being rested or given bit parts against New Zealand.

Osieck also gave big names Brett Emerton, Luke Wilkshire and Brett Holman only half games on Sunday in a bid to balance the weight of expectation on the side and the short turnaround between games.

"It was my challenge to find out how much I could load the individual players," Osieck said.

"Having the obligation here to perform in front of the home crowd in Adelaide, people came with great expectations, and I had to field a strong team.

"On the other hand, I had to balance out how far can I load them in the one game considering the fact the next one is in 48 hours and I think so far we are in a position that in another two days that the players that will start will be ready."

Emerton stood in as captain for Neill against the Kiwis and said he was honoured to have led the Socceroos for only the second time as well as praising the efforts of the side's young players.

"I think they did exactly the job that was asked of them," Emerton said.

"They weren't overawed by the occasion and some of the boys showed a bit of flair ... It was good to watch."

- AAP

Tags: sport, football, socceroos, australia, sa, adelaide-5000, new-zealand

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