Week 19 of the 2010/11 A-League season saw a few teams get back to form following poor runs.
Friday night saw Melbourne Heart snap a seven-match winless run when they scored twice in four minutes to deny Adelaide United an eighth-straight win at Hindmarsh Stadium. Sergio van Dijk put the Reds ahead in stoppage time of the first half with his ninth of the season before experienced Heart players Simon Colosimo and John Aloisi netted in the 88th and 92nd minutes respectively to give the new A-League club a stirring win.
In other matches of Week 19, Wellington Phoenix demolished a decimated Newcastle Jets outfit 4-0 at Westpac Stadium on Saturday evening. The Jets had not lost in seven matches but were without plenty of first team players through either injury or suspension and could not handle the attacking threat of the New Zealanders.
Phoenix youngster Marco Rojas netted his first top flight goal in a stellar performance whilst Chris Greenacre did a brilliant job in replacing Paul Ifill when the Barbadian striker was stretchered off in just the 12th minute.
In the second Saturday match, Melbourne Victory recorded a solid 2-0 win at home over Perth Glory but it came at a cost with the injuries to three key players. Both Matthew Kemp and Archie Thompson had only recently returned from lengthy absences due to knee injuries and again were cut down - Kemp with a groin and Thompson with a hamstring - which may seem them out for a number of weeks whilst star midfielder Carlos Hernandez rolled an ankle late in the piece and will be assessed.
It was the first time the Victory have recorded back-to-back wins this season, consigning the Glory to outright bottom place on the league table.
In the third of Saturday's triple header, league leaders Brisbane Roar made it 17 matches unbeaten and extended their lead at the top of the table to 10 points when they got past North Queensland Fury 2-0 in Townsville thanks to a Kosta Barbarouses double. The Kiwi now has nine goals for the season.
And finally, Gold Coast United's big day on Sunday was called off after just 20 minutes of action against the Central Coast Mariners because the Skilled Park pitch became heavily water-logged.
Gold Coast owner Clive Palmer had thrown the gates open to the public with free tickets but the inclement weather marred the event which has been rescheduled.
Adelaide United: 1 (Sergio VAN DIJK 45+1') Melbourne Heart:2 (Simon COLOSIMO 88', John ALOISI 90+2') Friday, 17 December 2010 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide Referee: Ryan Shepheard Crowd: 10,011 Yellow cards:AU - Eugene GALEKOVIC 89', Joe KEENAN 90+1' MH - Matt THOMPSON 28', Jason HOFFMAN 65'
Wellington Phoenix:4 (Tim BROWN 18', Marco ROJAS 31', Chris GREENACRE 41', Dylan MACALLISTER 88') Newcastle Jets: 0 Saturday, 18 December 2010 Westpac Stadium, Wellington Referee: Jarred Gillett Crowd: 6,053 Yellow cards:WP - nil NJ - Tomislav MISURA 20'
Melbourne Victory:2 (Archie THOMPSON 45'+3, Rodrigo VARGAS 63') Perth Glory: 0 Saturday, 18 December 2010 AAMI Park, Melbourne Referee: Matthew Breeze Crowd: 12,164 Yellow cards:MV - Grant BREBNER 6' PG - Jacob BURNS 75'
North Queensland Fury: 0 Brisbane Roar:2 (Kosta BARBAROUSES 6'/75') Saturday, 18 December 2010 Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Referee: Peter Green Crowd: 4,412 Yellow cards:NQF - Brad McDONALD 42' BR - nil
Gold Coast United vs. Central Coast Marinerspostponed Sunday, 19 December 2010 Skilled Park, Robina Referee: Chris Beath Crowd: 10,146 Match Abandoned/Postponed due to Severe Weather Conditions. Postponed Match to be re-scheduled - date as yet undetermined.
