The four thousand hardy souls who ventured to the SFS on a wet and windy Wednesday night witnessed the possible birth of a new footballing star.
Terry Antonis only played for half an hour but he controlled the midfield with enthusiasm and daring. He ran at players with the ball at his feet, turned during his first touch despite the bucketing rain, took the initiative with a long range shot and most importantly - passed decisively, elegantly and forwards despite playing in the middle of a veritable monsoon.
Antonis played in Mark Bridge for Bridge's own drought-breaking goal and linked well with fellow super-sub Dimitri Petratos. If those two continue to improve Sydney have a pair of real prospects in their ranks.
Stuart Musialik must be wondering where he fits into Sydney's future as his contract winds down. Terry McFlynn is a defensive midfielder at heart and his status as skipper ensures his selection. Hiro Moriyasu is a box to box defensive type and was recently re-signed. Rhyan Grant has played junior international football and clearly has Lavicka's favour. Brendan Gan slotted in nicely on the right side of the diamond, though still fails to inspire complete confidence.
With Petratos growing into a deep-lying playmaker role and Musialik's selection anything but the sure thing it was last season, we may see Disco Stu head for safer pastures at the end of the season. It would be sad to see him go - at his best he offers far more than McFlynn, who maintains his spot thanks to Sydney's overall lack of aggression.
The match itself was a corker - and thanks to our Harbour City's allergic reaction to rain, I missed the first 35 minutes due to traffic jams. It boasted 26 shots - three of which hit the post - and four goals of high drama, if not high quality.
Bridge looked to be level as Antonis released him for his well-taken goal but Seb Ryall's handball for Sydney's third strike was as blatant as they come. Dylan Macallister's late goal was anything but a consolation as Wellington looked the marginally better side and finished far stronger than Sydney.
The Sky Blues reverted to some familiar bad habits after taking the lead. When opposing fullbacks push forward for a constructed overlap, Bridge in particular will often track back to within metres of a challenge but then not follow his man despite Sydney's left back committing to the opposing winger.
Sydney have been caught out by simple overlaps down the line time and time again this season and Wellington only failed to earn a point due to poor delivery. Kiwi crosses often found a sole Sydney defender with Phoenix strikers lurking to either side. When Sydney did have numbers back their marking was woefully poor and players failed to track fullbacks or close down Phoenix players as they pinged in crosses from deep.
If Sydney fail to cover these areas against the Mariners then expect an aerial bombardment aimed at their physically dynamic strikers. Of course, if Sydney are drawn too wide then Graham Arnold will direct his number 10 to drift into space.
The strikers must take responsibility for closing this increasingly obvious gap in Sydney's defensive set up. Bridge and Brosque need to track back and actually follow their man, not just get six feet behind the ball and wait for the opposition to lose it.
Sydney can take a lot from this match. The celebration with The Cove has returned with some welcome swagger on the ball. Scott Jamieson battled well before succumbing to illness and fatigue. Gan played well, Ryall was everywhere, Brosque and Bridge scored well-taken goals and Bridge in particular put in another impressive overall contribution. Hopefully some of Antonis's enthusiasm will encourage Bridge to pass first-time against the Mariners.
On the downside the delivery from Shannon Cole and Jamieson from wide areas was as rare as it was appalling, Hiro was largely anonymous, Ivan Necevski's distribution failed to improve and only Antonis had the wherewithal to test Mark Paston from distance in atrocious conditions (and did so weakly). But Sydney's inconsistency remains the biggest concern. Sydney take an even contest and find five minutes of beautiful passing football, but remain unable to wrest back the initiative when their opponent has the upper hand.
Sydney are playing below the Mariner's level, will be exhausted after a tough match in heavy rain and can only hope that the Mariner's are still in shock after the Roar savaged them 5-1. It is far more likely that Central Coast will be desperate to beat their rivals in front of their fans and salvage some pride. A point may be a good result.
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