2009–10 A-League

The 2009–10 A-League was the 33rd season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the fifth season of the A-League competition since its establishment in 2004. The season marked the addition of two new teams from Queensland. Gold Coast United FC and the North Queensland Fury FC made their A-League debuts at the start of the season.[1] Because of this, Queensland Roar were renamed to Brisbane Roar, as they were no longer the only A-League club from Queensland. With the inception of the two new clubs, many club transfers took place both within Australia and New Zealand, and around the world.

A-League
Season2009–10
Dates6 August 2009 – 20 March 2010
ChampionsSydney FC (2nd title)
PremiersSydney FC (1st title)
AFC Champions LeagueSydney FC, Melbourne Victory
Matches played135
Goals scored348 (2.58 per match)
Top goalscorerShane Smeltz
(19 goals)
Best goalkeeperEugene Galekovic
Biggest home winWellington Phoenix 6–0 Gold Coast United
(25 October 2009)
Biggest away winMelbourne Victory 0–4 Central Coast Mariners
(7 November 2009)
North Queensland Fury 1–5 Central Coast Mariners
(21 November 2009)
Highest scoringMelbourne Victory 6–2 Perth Glory
(16 January 2010)
(8 goals)
Highest attendance30,668
Lowest attendance2,616
Average attendance9,796 ( 2384)

The length of the regular season was longer than in previous years, with 27 rounds rather than 21, plus finals. The season began on 6 August, with Melbourne hosting the Central Coast at home.[2] As well as these major changes to the league, the Pre-Season Challenge Cup was no longer held as part of the 2009–10 season due to a busier regular season schedule,[3] and clubs attracting higher profile pre-season friendlies. The Premiership and Championship double was completed by Sydney FC with victory over Melbourne in the final match of the regular season and on penalties in the Championship Grand Final.

Clubs

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TeamCityHome GroundCapacity
Adelaide UnitedAdelaideHindmarsh Stadium17,000
Brisbane RoarBrisbaneSuncorp Stadium52,500
Central Coast MarinersGosfordBluetongue Stadium20,119
Gold Coast UnitedGold CoastSkilled Park27,400
Melbourne VictoryMelbourneEtihad Stadium56,347
Newcastle JetsNewcastleEnergy Australia Stadium26,164
North Queensland FuryTownsvilleDairy Farmers Stadium26,500
Perth GloryPerthME Bank Stadium20,500
Sydney FCSydneySydney Football Stadium45,500
Wellington PhoenixWellingtonWestpac Stadium36,000

Transfers

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Managerial changes

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TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyTableIncoming managerDate of appointmentTable
Sydney FC John KosminaSacked31 January 2009[4]5th (08–09) Vítězslav Lavička4 February 2009[5]Pre-season
Newcastle Jets Gary van EgmondResigned27 June 20098th (08–09) Branko Čulina30 June 2009[6]Pre-Season
Brisbane Roar Frank FarinaSacked14 October 2009[7]6th (09–10) Ange Postecoglou16 October 2009[8]Round 10

Foreign players

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ClubVisa 1Visa 2Visa 3Visa 4Visa 5Non-Visa foreigner(s)Former player(s)
Adelaide United Alemão Cássio Cristiano Lloyd Owusu Shin In-seob Marcos Flores3
Brisbane Roar Pieter Collen Henrique Reinaldo Steven Bryce Sergio van Dijk Bob Malcolm
Central Coast Mariners Nicky Travis Chris Doig Jonathan Brown Matt Crowell John Hutchinson2 Wolry Wolfe4
Michael McGlinchey
Gold Coast United Jefferson Robson Adama Traoré Bas van den Brink Charlie Miller Anderson3 Milson
Melbourne Victory Marvin Angulo Carlos Hernández Surat Sukha Glen Moss2
Grant Brebner1
Ney Fabiano
Sutee Suksomkit
Newcastle Jets Michael Bridges Marcello Fiorentini Song Jin-hyung Ali Abbas3
North Queensland Fury Robbie Fowler James Robinson Kojiro Kaimoto Jeremy Brockie Scott Wilson Terry Cooke3
Dyron Daal3
Jack Hingert2
Perth Glory Andy Todd Victor Sikora Branko Jelić Steven McGarry Amaral4
Eugène Dadi
Sydney FC Karol Kisel Byun Sung-hwan Stephan Keller Terry McFlynn1
Wellington Phoenix Paul Ifill Daniel Diego Walsh Jiang Chen Chris Greenacre Eugène Dadi4
Manny Muscat2

The following do not fill a Visa position:
1Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Australian Residency (and New Zealand Residency, in the case of Wellington Phoenix);
2Australian residents (and New Zealand residents, in the case of Wellington Phoenix) who have chosen to represent another national team;
3Injury Replacement Players, or National Team Replacement Players;
4Guest Players (eligible to play a maximum of ten games)

Salary cap exemptions and captains

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ClubMarqueeJunior MarqueeCaptainVice-Captain
Adelaide UnitedNoneNone Travis Dodd[9] Lucas Pantelis[9]
Brisbane RoarNone Michael Zullo[10] Matt McKay[11]None
Central Coast MarinersNoneNone Alex Wilkinson[12] John Hutchinson[13]
Gold Coast United Jason Culina[14] Tahj Minniecon[15] Jason Culina[16][17] Michael Thwaite[16][17]
Melbourne Victory Archie Thompson[18][19]None Kevin Muscat[20] Rodrigo Vargas[21]
Newcastle Jets Fabio Vignaroli[22] Adam D'Apuzzo[23] Matt Thompson[24]None
North Queensland Fury Robbie Fowler[25]None Robbie Fowler[26]None
Perth Glory Mile Sterjovski[27]None Jacob Burns[28]None
Sydney FC John Aloisi[29] Mark Bridge[23] Steve Corica[30]None
Wellington PhoenixNoneNone Andrew Durante[31] Tim Brown[31]

Regular season

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League table

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PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Sydney FC (C)2715393523+1248Qualification for 2011 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series
2Melbourne Victory2714584732+1547
3Gold Coast United2713593935+444Qualification for Finals series
4Wellington Phoenix27101073729+840
5Perth Glory27116104034+639
6Newcastle Jets27104133345−1234
7North Queensland Fury2788112946−1732
8Central Coast Mariners2779113229+330
9Brisbane Roar2786133242−1030
10Adelaide United2778122433−929
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions

Home and away season

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The 2009–10 A-League season was played over 27 rounds, followed by a finals series.[2]

Round 1

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6 August 2009 Melbourne Victory 0–2 Central Coast Mariners Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
19:30 UTC+10Report
Summary
Simon 10'
McGlinchey 16'
Attendance: 18,885
Referee: Matthew Breeze
7 August 2009 Adelaide United 1–0 Perth Glory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
20:00 UTC+9:30T. Dodd 30' (pen.)Report
Summary
Attendance: 13,847
Referee: Craig Zetter

Round 2

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Round 3

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23 August 2009 Perth Glory 2–0 Newcastle Jets ME Bank Stadium, Perth
15:00 UTC+8Shroj 24'
Pellegrino 73'
Report
Summary
Attendance: 9,398
Referee: Craig Zetter

Round 4

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Round 5

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Round 6

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Round 7

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Round 8

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Round 9

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Round 10

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Round 11

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Round 12

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Round 13

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31 October 2009 Gold Coast United 0–2 North Queensland Fury Skilled Park, Gold Coast
20:00 UTC+10Report
Summary
Fowler 64', 76' (pen.)Attendance: 2,616
Referee: Craig Zetter

Round 14

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6 November 2009 Adelaide United 0–2 Brisbane Roar Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+10:30Report
Summary
van Dijk 35' (pen.), 51'Attendance: 11,209
Referee: Craig Zetter
8 November 2009 Wellington Phoenix 1–1 Perth Glory Westpac Stadium, Wellington
17:00 UTC+13Ifill 82'Report
Summary
Shroj 68'Attendance: 6,930
Referee: Matthew Gillett

Round 15

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Round 16

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29 November 2009 Brisbane Roar 4–1 Wellington Phoenix Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
18:00 UTC+10Reinaldo 17', 56'
van Dijk 79'
D. Dodd 90+1'
Report
Summary
Greenacre 27'Attendance: 6,307
Referee: Alan Milliner

Round 17

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Round 18

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Round 19

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16 December 2009 Brisbane Roar 2–0 North Queensland Fury Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:30 UTC+10van Dijk 20', 42'Report
Summary
Attendance: 11,530
Referee: Matthew Gillett

Round 20

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Round 21

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26 December 2009 Gold Coast United 5–1 Brisbane Roar Skilled Park, Gold Coast
17:00 UTC+10Rees 45+1', 53'
Smeltz 50' (pen.), 61', 77'
Report
Summary
McKay 7'Attendance: 10,024
Referee: Strebre Delovski

Round 22

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Round 23

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Round 24

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Round 25

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Round 26

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7 February 2010 Sydney FC 3–2 Perth Glory Parramatta Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11Corica 24' (pen.)
Aloisi 48', 87'
Report
Summary
Shroj 45+2'
McBreen 79'
Attendance: 8,359
Referee: Chris Beath

Round 27

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Finals series

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18 February 2010 Major Semi-Final Leg 1 Melbourne Victory 2–1 Sydney FC Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11Report
Summary
Aloisi 42'Attendance: 18,453
Referee: Peter Green
7 March 2010 Major Semi-Final Leg 2 Sydney FC 2–2 (a.e.t.) Melbourne Victory Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11Kisel 36' (pen.)
Bridge 54'
Report
Summary
Kruse 15'
A. Thompson 113'
Attendance: 23,818
Referee: Strebre Delovski

Melbourne Victory won 4–3 on aggregate.

13 March 2010 Preliminary Final Sydney FC 4–2 Wellington Phoenix Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
20:30 UTC+11Payne 21', 31'
Brosque 63'
Bridge 71'
Report
Summary
Durante 27'
Dadi 81'
Attendance: 13,196
Referee: Peter Green

Season statistics

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Top scorers

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RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Shane SmeltzGold Coast United19
2 Sergio van DijkBrisbane Roar13
3 Carlos HernándezMelbourne Victory12
Paul IfillWellington Phoenix
5 Archie ThompsonMelbourne Victory10
6 John AloisiSydney FC9
Robbie FowlerNorth Queensland Fury
8 Daniel McBreenPerth Glory8
9 Tim BrownWellington Phoenix7
Steve CoricaSydney FC
Matt ThompsonNewcastle Jets

Attendance

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These are the attendance records of each of the teams at the end of the home and away season. The table does not include finals series attendances.

TeamHostedAverageHighLowTotal
Melbourne Victory1420,75030,66815,168290,503
Sydney FC1412,98725,4078,359181,816
Adelaide United1410,76515,0388,244150,705
Perth Glory139,20512,8227,217119,670
Wellington Phoenix138,96519,2584,115116,549
Brisbane Roar148,65019,9025,801121,099
Central Coast Mariners137,43011,1375,19396,588
North Queensland Fury136,7238,8974,15687,396
Newcastle Jets136,3589,8924,32982,656
Gold Coast United145,39210,0242,61675,493
{{{T11}}}00000
{{{T12}}}00000
League total1359,79630,6682,6161,322,475

Top 10 Attendances

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AttendanceRoundDateHomeScoreAwayVenueWeekdayTime of Day
44,560Grand Final20 March 2010Melbourne Victory1–1Sydney FCEtihad StadiumSaturdayEvening
32,792Finals
Wk 2
7 March 2010Wellington Phoenix3–1Newcastle JetsWestpac StadiumSundayAfternoon
30,668109 October 2009Melbourne Victory0–3Sydney FCEtihad StadiumFridayNight
27,3442019 December 2009Melbourne Victory0–0Sydney FCEtihad StadiumSaturdayEvening
25,4072714 February 2010Sydney FC2–0Melbourne VictorySydney Football StadiumSundayEvening
24,278Finals
Wk 1
21 February 2010Wellington Phoenix1–1Perth GloryWestpac StadiumSundayEvening
23,818Final
Wk 2
7 March 2010Sydney FC2–2Melbourne VictorySydney Football StadiumSundayEvening
22,726265 February 2010Melbourne Victory2–0North Queensland FuryEtihad StadiumFridayNight
21,1821224 October 2009Melbourne Victory3–1Adelaide UnitedEtihad StadiumSaturdayEvening
20,5371628 November 2009Melbourne Victory4–0Gold Coast UnitedEtihad StadiumSaturdayEvening

Discipline

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The Fair Play Award will go to the team with the lowest points on the fair play ladder at the conclusion of the home and away season. It was awarded to Premiers Sydney FC who scraped in by 4 points from rivals Melbourne Victory.

1 point Yellow Card
2 points Second Caution Red Card
3 points Direct Red Card
Team Points
Sydney FC380141
Melbourne Victory401145
North Queensland Fury412045
Adelaide United431148
Central Coast Mariners422046
Newcastle Jets431045
Perth Glory501052
Gold Coast United481256
Wellington Phoenix540157
Brisbane Roar542161
Melbourne Heart0000
Sydney Rovers0000
Totals453117

* The Newcastle Jets' Tarek Elrich received a direct red card in their round 7 fixture against Sydney FC. However, this was successfully appealed by the club and expunged from Elrich and the team's records.[36]
* Adelaide United's Iain Fyfe received a direct red card in their round 19 fixture against Perth Glory. However, this was overruled by the match review panel and expunged from Fyfe and the team's records.[37]

See also

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Team season articles

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References

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  1. ^ "Gold Coast And Townsville Set For A-League". FourFourTwo. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Hyundai A-League 2009/10 Season Draw" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2009. (2.33 MB) Football Federation Australia, 20 April 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  3. ^ Hassett, Sebastian (20 April 2009). "Clubs ditch Pre-Season Cup". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
  4. ^ Coach John Kosmina dumped by A-League club Sydney FC
  5. ^ Czech mate: Sydney FC confirm Lavicka appointment
  6. ^ "Branko Named as New Jets Boss - Australia News - Australian FourFourTwo - the Ultimate Football Website". Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  7. ^ Brisbane Sack Farina
  8. ^ "Ange Is The Man For Roar". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  9. ^ a b Brettig, Daniel (30 July 2008). "Cool Dodd new Adelaide United skipper". The Advertiser.
  10. ^ "Introducing... Michael Zullo". The Equaliser. 12 April 2010. recently being named as the club's junior marquee player
  11. ^ "No Reds Wooden Spoon Just Yet". FTBL. 6 February 2010. second-half send-off of captain Matt McKay...
  12. ^ "Captain Wilkinson promoted to Centurion". Central Coast Mariners. Football Federation Australia. 8 February 2011. Wilkinson took the captain-s armband from an injured Noel Spencer late in the second season of the Hyundai A-League
  13. ^ Pike, Chris (1 February 2010). "Hutchinson puts hand up as Mariners sink". The Sydney Morning Herald. Vice-captain John Hutchinson has accepted blame...
  14. ^ Hassett, Sebastian (9 January 2009). "Gold Coast lure Culina for $3.6m". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  15. ^ "Gold Coast signs two more". A-League. Football Federation Australia. 6 January 2009. Minniecon has also been confirmed as the club's under-23 marquee signing
  16. ^ a b "Jason Culina Looks Ahead To Gold Coast United's Fulham Friendly". Goal. 30 June 2009. club's skipper, Jason Culina, and vice-captain, Michael Thwaite...
  17. ^ a b Favager, Neil; Gallagher, Jamie (16 March 2010). "United leaders secure gongs". Tweed Daily News.
  18. ^ Lynch, Michael (30 April 2016). "Archie Thompson should play on after leaving Melbourne Victory". The Sydney Morning Herald. As Victory's inauguaral marquee signing...
  19. ^ "Archie Thompson, Adrian Leijer sign new deals with Melbourne Victory". The Guardian. 2 May 2014. Victory's first ever signing, and scorer, will join up with new marquee Besart Berisha next season, after agreeing a new deal with the club that takes him inside the salary cap
  20. ^ "Kevin Muscat appointed as new Melbourne Victory coach". The Guardian. 31 October 2013. Phoenix's Ernie Merrick was the Victory's inaugural coach and Muscat the club's inaugural captain
  21. ^ "Vargas Ruled Out of Final Rematch". FTBL. 22 October 2009. vice-captain Rody Vargas ruled out...
  22. ^ Gardiner, James (5 August 2009). "V for Vignaroli - Jets splash the cash to get their man". The Newcastle Herald.
  23. ^ a b Ritson, Jon (8 August 2008). "Slow Start For Marquee Scheme". FTBL. Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Newcastle Jets, confirmed they had signed junior marquees for the new season – Mark Bridge (Sydney), Nick Ward (Victory) and Adam D'Apuzzo (Jets).
  24. ^ Gardiner, James (18 November 2009). "Matt Thompson to leave Jets". The Newcastle Herald. Thompson, who is the Jets most-capped player with 106 A-League games, was elevated to captain at the start of the Asian Champions League.
  25. ^ Hannah, Matthew (4 February 2009). "Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler fancies Fury as he heads off to Queensland". The Daily Telegraph.
  26. ^ "Robbie Fowler named captain of North Queensland Fury". The Guardian. 7 August 2009.
  27. ^ "Three Year Deal For Sterj". FTBL. 12 June 2009.
  28. ^ Chadwick, Justin (29 July 2009). "Jacob Burns to captain Perth Glory". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014.
  29. ^ "Sydney FC put players on notice". Fox Sports. 3 March 2008. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Aloisi, 32, signed a lucrative two-year deal as the marquee player...
  30. ^ "Sydney FC captain Steve Corica to retire at end of the season". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. 10 February 2010.
  31. ^ a b "Durante named Wellington Phoenix skipper". Ninemsn. 17 July 2008. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012.
  32. ^ Match rescheduled due to World Cup qualifying fixture for New Zealand
  33. ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
  34. ^ Originally to be played on 30 January but rescheduled due to heavy rain.
  35. ^ Originally to be played on 6 February but rescheduled due to drenched pitch caused by heavy rain.
  36. ^ "Elrich red overturned". Football Federation Australia. 21 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  37. ^ "Outcome of independent Match Review Panel – Round 19". Football Federation Australia. 20 January 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2010.