The 2010/11 A-League season kicked off on Thursday with new club Melbourne Heart hosting the Central Coast Mariners.
Unfortunately for the Heart, they were beaten 1-0 by the travelling Mariners who were well-served by skipper Alex Wilkinson who headed home in the 16th minute for just his second goal in 112 A-League appearances.
On Friday night, Newcastle Jets held Adelaide United to a scoreless draw at Hindmarsh Stadium and in stark contrast to that clash, North Queensland Fury scored an injury-time equaliser to grab a point from the Perth Glory. The Fury twice came from behind in the scintillating 3-3 draw in which the Glory enjoyed a record A-League crowd at their home ground.
Saturday night saw an epic battle between arch rivals Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory in the Grand Final rematch. The Sky Blues looked to be in control when captain Terry McFlynn netted early in the second half to make it 2-0 but not to be outdone, the Victory scored three goals in seven minutes before an late equaliser from Sydney's Shannon Cole denied them a famous victory.
And the round finished up on Sunday with a scoreless draw between Queensland derby rivals Gold Coast United and Brisbane Roar whilst the Wellington Phoenix had the bye.
Melbourne Heart: 0 Central Coast Mariners:1 (Alex WILKINSON 16') Date: Thursday, 5 August, 2010 Venue:AAMI Park, Melbourne Referee: Chris Beath Crowd: 11,050 Yellow Cards:MH - Dean HEFFERNAN 72', Brendan HAMMILL 83', Aziz BEHICH 87' CCM - Pedj BOJIC 1', John HUTCHINSON 36', Matt SIMON 73'
Adelaide United: 0 Newcastle Jets: 0 Date: Friday, 6 August, 2010 Venue: Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide Referee: Gerard Parsons Crowd: 8,479 Yellow Cards:AU - Mathew LECKIE 43', Paul REID 44' NJ - Kasey WEHRMAN 75'
Perth Glory: 3 (Jacob BURNS 5', Scott NEVILLE 73', Mile STERJOVSKI 79') North Queensland Fury: 3 (Chris PAYNE 35', David WILLIAMS 64', Chris GROSSMAN 90'+1) Date: Friday, 6 August, 2010 Venue: nib Stadium, Perth Referee: Kevin Docherty Crowd: 16,019 Yellow cards:PG - Jacob BURNS 25', Mile STERJOVSKI 29', Naum SEKULOVSKI 65' NQF - Eric AKOTO 24', Simon STOREY 33', Mark HUGHES 45'+2
Sydney FC: 3 (Alex BROSQUE 36', Terry MCFLYNN 53', Shannon COLE 84') Melbourne Victory: 3 (Leigh BROXHAM 66', Mate DUGANDZIC 68', Billy CELESKI 73') Date: Saturday, 7 August, 2010 Venue:Sydney Football Stadium, SydneyReferee: Matthew Breeze Crowd: 12,106 Yellow Cards:SYD - Nicky CARLE 35' MV - Rodrigo VARGAS 58', Billy CELESKI 86'
Gold Coast United: 0 Brisbane Roar: 0 Date: Sunday, 8 August, 2010 Venue: Skilled Park, Robina Referee: Peter Green Crowd: 6,394 Yellow cards:GCU - Adama TRAORE 22', Steve PANTELIDIS 27', Bas van den BRINK 41', Kristian REES 90 BR - Matt SMITH 82'
