The Derby - 3rd Edition

A 0-0 draw at a packed Telstra Dome was probably once again the expected result with Sydney having never won south of the border and Melbourne wanting to give their massive crowds something to cheer about. I don’t think that there was any doubt that Butcher sent his team in to play for the draw.

It could have backfired so easily though with Thompson having a few clear cut chances that any real Socceroo would have buried! (Like the little subtle dig at my southern rivals there ;) ). In the end the result was beneficial for both teams.

The only blight on the evening is the ‘alleged’ trouble in the crowd between a minority of Melbourne fans and The Cove. We know there is this ‘hate’ between the two teams and sets of fans but open your eyes and think what is best for the league and the image. The rivalry is a good thing, the idiocy of these ‘hardcores’ is just giving our games rivals more bait to take!

I loved hearing that last nights crowd at the Telstra Dome was the biggest at that ground since an AFL match back in 2004! That truly is an amazing acheivment in AFL mad Victoria. I’m going to be lazy and quote an article off the A-League website that certainly puts Friday nights match into the history books.

The attendance shattered the previous record for a domestic football match in Australia set at 43,292 at the NSL final in Perth in 2000. Rudan said the popularity of the Hyundai A-League is fitting reward for those fans who have waited a long time for Australian domestic football to capture the nation.

"Just before we walked out in the tunnel (referee) Mark Shield turned around and said, 'Mate, can you believe this?' From Sydney United to 50-55,000," he said. "Every time we had a goal kick I had to look around and just take it all in, it was something special tonight."

DANE