2005–06 A-League

The 2005–06 A-League was the 29th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the inaugural season of the A-League. After over 12 months without a national professional club competition since the close of the 2003–04 National Soccer League season, the first match in the A-League was played on 26 August 2005. The competition was made up of a triple round robin league stage before a championship playoff featuring the top four teams.

A-League
Season2005–06
Dates26 August 2005 – 5 March 2006
ChampionsSydney FC (1st title)
PremiersAdelaide United (1st title)
Champions LeagueSydney FC
Adelaide United
Matches played84
Goals scored232 (2.76 per match)
Top goalscorerAlex Brosque
Bobby Despotovski
Archie Thompson
Stewart Petrie
(8 goals)
Best goalkeeperClint Bolton
Biggest home winMelbourne Victory 5–0 Sydney FC
(16 October 2005)
Biggest away winNewcastle Jets 0–5 Queensland Roar
(26 January 2006)
Highest attendance25,557
Lowest attendance1,922
Average attendance10,955

Of the eight participants, four came from the National Soccer League (1977–2004): Perth Glory (established 1995), New Zealand Knights (1999), Newcastle Jets (2000) and Adelaide United (2003). New Zealand Knights had previously entered the NSL as the Auckland Football Kingz, but were significantly restructured and have a vastly different playing roster. Queensland Roar previously competed in the NSL from 1977 to 1988 and had competed in the Queensland State League since then as Brisbane Lions.

Adelaide United were named Premiers after finishing the season seven points clear at the top of the league. The first A-League Grand Final took place on 5 March 2006, with Sydney FC becoming the league's inaugural Champions, defeating the Central Coast Mariners 1–0.

Clubs edit

TeamCityHome GroundCapacity
Adelaide UnitedAdelaideHindmarsh Stadium17,000
Central Coast MarinersGosfordBluetongue Stadium20,119
Melbourne VictoryMelbourneOlympic Park Stadium18,500
Newcastle JetsNewcastleEnergy Australia Stadium26,164
New Zealand KnightsAucklandNorth Harbour Stadium25,000
Perth GloryPerthnib Stadium20,500
Queensland RoarBrisbaneSuncorp Stadium52,500
Sydney FCSydneyAussie Stadium42,500

Foreign players edit

ClubVisa 1Visa 2Visa 3Visa 4Non-Visa foreigner(s)Former player(s)
Adelaide United Fernando Qu Shengqing
Central Coast Mariners André Gumprecht Wayne O'Sullivan Stewart Petrie John Hutchinson2
Ian Ferguson3
Melbourne Victory Richard Kitzbichler Geoffrey Claeys
New Zealand Knights Zhang Xiaobin Darren Bazeley Ben Collett Neil Emblen Li Yan3
Ronnie Bull3
Naoki Imaya3
Frank van Eijs3
Sean Devine1
Simon Yeo
Newcastle Jets Guy Bates Mateo Corbo Vaughan Coveny1
Perth Glory Steve McMahon Hiroyuki Ishida Danny Hay Henry Fa'arodo Stuart Young1
Milan Jovanić3
Queensland Roar Reinaldo Remo Buess Osvaldo Carro Seo Hyuk-su1
Sydney FC Terry McFlynn Dwight Yorke Alejandro Salazar Kazuyoshi Miura4

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 edit

ClubMarqueeCaptainVice-Captain
Adelaide United Qu Shengqing[1] Ross Aloisi[2]None
Central Coast MarinersNone Noel Spencer[3]None
Melbourne Victory Archie Thompson[4][5] Kevin Muscat[6]None
New Zealand KnightsNone Danny Hay[7]
Darren Bazeley[note 1][9]
None
Newcastle Jets Ned Zelic[10] Ned Zelic[11][12][13]None
Perth Glory Brian Deane[14][note 2] Jamie Harnwell[15]None
Queensland RoarNone Chad Gibson[16]None
Sydney FC Dwight Yorke[17] Mark Rudan[18]None

Preliminary Competitions edit

Two competitions were held prior to the start of the A-League season.

Oceania Club Championship Qualification edit

This three-round competition was held in May 2005 to determine Australia's qualifier for the 2005 season of the Oceania Club Championship. It consisted of all Australian A-League clubs (i.e. all clubs except for the New Zealand Knights) and granted Perth Glory – the reigning NSL champions – a bye into the semi-finals.

Round 1
(7 May)
Semi-finals
(11 May)
Finals
(15 May)
      
Perth Glory1
Sydney FC2
Sydney FC3
Queensland Roar0
Sydney FC1
Central Coast Mariners0
Central Coast Mariners (p) 0 (4)
Newcastle Jets0 (2)
Central Coast Mariners4
Adelaide United0
Adelaide United (p)0 (4)
Melbourne Victory0 (1)

Sydney FC qualified for and subsequently won the 2005 Oceania Club Championship entitling it to a place in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship to be played in Tokyo.

Pre-Season Challenge Cup edit

The inaugural pre-season cup was held in July and August in the lead up to the start of the A-League season. The competition featured a group stage and a knockout stage. Commentators did not give much weight to the competition as a guide for performance during the season proper, as injuries or club strategic policy ruled that many teams did not use their best players and often used experimental tactics.

Group stage edit

Group A
PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Melbourne Victory312021+152005–06 Pre-Season Cup Semi-finals
2Perth Glory31114404
3Adelaide United30303303
4Newcastle Jets302134−12
Source: [citation needed]

Group B
PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Sydney FC321051+472005–06 Pre-Season Cup Semi-finals
2Central Coast Mariners320143+16
3Queensland Roar311163+34
4New Zealand Knights300319−80
Source: [citation needed]

Finals edit

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
12 August
 
 
Melbourne Victory1
 
21 August
 
Central Coast Mariners3
 
Central Coast Mariners1
 
14 August
 
Perth Glory0
 
Sydney FC0
 
 
Perth Glory1
 

The Central Coast Mariners were the inaugural Pre-season Challenge Cup winners.

Regular season edit

The A-League season commenced on 26 August 2005 with two Friday night fixtures. Games each round were held throughout the weekend, though certain rounds also featured Thursday night games. As there was no concurrent cup competition, midweek fixtures were uncommon unless they were held on Australian public holidays. A three-week break was also scheduled in December to coincide with the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup in Tokyo.

League table edit

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Adelaide United2113443325+843Qualification for 2007 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series
2Sydney FC (C)2110653528+736
3Central Coast Mariners218853528+732Qualification for Finals series
4Newcastle Jets219482729−231
5Perth Glory218583429+529
6Queensland Roar217772722+528
7Melbourne Victory217592624+226
8New Zealand Knights[a]2113171547−326
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. ^ New Zealand Knights cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.

Results edit

Round 1 edit

26 August 2005 Perth Glory 0–1 Central Coast Mariners Members Equity Stadium, Perth
20:00 UTC+8Report
Summary
Spencer 66'Attendance: 11,113
Referee: Ben Williams

Round 2 edit

Round 3 edit

Round 4 edit

Round 5 edit

25 September 2005 Melbourne Victory 1–0 Newcastle Jets Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+10Thompson 68'Report
Summary
Attendance: 13,831
Referee: Craig Zetter

Round 6 edit

Round 7 edit

8 October 2005 Newcastle Jets 1–5 Perth Glory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
19:30 UTC+10Parisi 72'Report
Summary
Mori 33', 62'
Harnwell 46'
Despotovski 52'
Sekulovski 80'
Attendance: 5,868
Referee: James Lewis

Round 8 edit

Round 9 edit

Round 10 edit

Round 11 edit

6 November 2005 Adelaide United 2–4 Perth Glory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+10:30Veart 13' (pen.)
Rees 53'
Report
Summary
Mori 9', 34', 45+1'
Despotovski 39' (pen.)
Attendance: 10,868
Referee: Ben Williams

Round 12 edit

11 November 2005 Perth Glory 3–0 New Zealand Knights Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:00 UTC+8Ward 69'
Sekulovski 25'
Despotovski 12'
Attendance: 9,667
Referee: Craig Zetter
13 November 2005 Sydney FC 1–0 Queensland Roar Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11Zdrillic 54'Attendance: 13,030
Referee: Ben Williams

Round 13 edit

19 November 2005 Sydney FC 0–0 Perth Glory Aussie Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+11Attendance: 16,242
Referee: Matthew Breeze
20 November 2005 Adelaide United 1–0 New Zealand Knights Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+10.30Qu 38'Attendance: 9,676
Referee: Angelo Nardi

Round 14 edit

27 November 2005 Adelaide United 3–2 Sydney FC Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+10.30Rech 4', 84'
Veart 14'
Miura 33', 76'Attendance: 14,068
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 15 edit

1 December 2005 Queensland Roar 1–1 New Zealand Knights Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10Brownlie 28'Yeo 44'Attendance: 8,607
Referee: James Lewis
3 December 2005 Sydney FC 2–1 Melbourne Victory Aussie Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+11Carney 81'
Corica 24'
Allsopp 88'Attendance: 17,272
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 16 edit

Round 17 edit

6 January 2006 Sydney FC 0–0 Newcastle Jets Aussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+11Attendance: 15,211
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 18 edit

Round 19 edit

21 January 2006 Queensland Roar 2–1 Sydney FC Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10Brosque 60', 70'Petrovski 85'Attendance: 13,302
Referee: Simon Przydacz

Round 20 edit

29 January 2006 Perth Glory 1–2 Sydney FC Members Equity Stadium, Perth
16:00 UTC+8Despotovski 53'Zadkovich 23'
Rudan 14'
Attendance: 12,796
Referee: Craig Zetter

Round 21 edit

3 February 2006 Sydney FC 2–1 Adelaide United Aussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+11Ceccoli 71'
Yorke 48' (pen.)
Qu 90'Attendance: 25,557
Referee: Mark Shield
4 February 2006 Melbourne Victory 2–1 New Zealand Knights Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
18:00 UTC+11Muscat 21' (pen.)
Byrnes 2'
Brockie 90'Attendance: 10,078
Referee: Angelo Nardi

Finals series edit

After the home and away season, the finals series began, with the top four teams. The finals series used a modified Page playoff system, with the difference that each first-round game would be played over two legs. The winner of the finals series, Sydney FC was crowned as the A-League champion. Adelaide United, as the holder of the top position on the league ladder, were named the 2005–06 premiers.

Standard cup rules – such as the away goals rule (two-leg ties only), extra time and penalty shootouts were used to decide drawn games.

10 February 2006 Minor semi-final leg 1 Newcastle Jets 0–1 Central Coast Mariners EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+11Osman 76'Attendance: 10,236
Referee: Ben Williams
12 February 2006 Major semi-final leg 1 Adelaide United 2–2 Sydney FC Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
17:00 UTC+10.30Rech 34'
Dodd 31'
Petrovski 39'
Corica 9'
Attendance: 15,104
Referee: Matthew Breeze
17 February 2006 Minor semi-final leg 2 Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Newcastle Jets Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+11Heffernan 79'Thompson 28'Attendance: 17,429
Referee: Simon Przydacz
19 February 2006 Major semi-final leg 2 Sydney FC 2–1 Adelaide United Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11Rudan 76'
Petrovski 29'
Qu 60'Attendance: 30,377
Referee: Mark Shield
5 March 2006 Grand final Sydney FC 1–0 Central Coast Mariners Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11Corica 62'Attendance: 41,689
Referee: Mark Shield

Statistics edit

Attendance edit

TeamHostedAverageHighLowTotal
Sydney FC1116,66925,5579,132183,355
Queensland Roar1114,78523,1428,607162,636
Melbourne Victory1014,15818,02610,078141,578
Adelaide United1010,94714,0687,013109,473
Perth Glory119,73413,1575,033107,075
Newcastle Jets118,91213,0005,86898,027
Central Coast Mariners107,89917,4295,19478,989
New Zealand Knights103,9099,9001,92239,086
{{{T9}}}00000
{{{T10}}}00000
{{{T11}}}00000
{{{T12}}}00000
League total8410,95525,5571,922920,219

Highest attendance edit

Leading goalscorers edit

TotalPlayerTeamGoals per Round
 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 101112131415161718192021
8 Alex BrosqueBrisbane Roar121211
Bobby DespotovskiPerth Glory1211111
Archie ThompsonMelbourne Victory1112111
Stewart PetrieCentral Coast Mariners112211
7 Carl VeartAdelaide United1111111
Dean HeffernanCentral Coast Mariners1111111
Dwight YorkeSydney FC1111111
Ante MilicicNewcastle Jets11131
Sasho PetrovskiSydney FC11131
Damian MoriPerth Glory2311

Disciplinary records edit

PlayerTeamYellow2YCRed
Terry McFlynnSydney FC700
Matt McKayQueensland Roar311
Kevin MuscatMelbourne Victory410
Ross AloisiAdelaide United600
Remo BuessQueensland Roar600

Biggest victories edit

ScoreDateRound
Melbourne Victory5–0Sydney FC16 Oct 20058
Queensland Roar5–0Newcastle Jets26 Jan 200620
Perth Glory5–1Newcastle Jets8 Oct 20057
Sydney FC5–1Central Coast Mariners5 Nov 200511
Newcastle Jets4–0New Zealand Knights18 Sep 20054
Central Coast Mariners4–0Perth Glory8 Oct 20058

Highest aggregate scores edit

ScoreDateRound
Perth Glory5–1Newcastle Jets8 Oct 20057
Sydney FC5–1Central Coast Mariners5 Nov 200511
Newcastle Jets4–2Adelaide United14 Oct 20058
Newcastle Jets4–2New Zealand Knights4 Nov 200511
Perth Glory4–2Adelaide United6 Nov 200511
Adelaide United4–2Queensland Roar1 Jan 200616

Other honours edit

Awards edit

AwardRecipient
Johnny Warren Medal (Player's Player of the Year)Bobby Despotovski (Perth Glory)
Golden Boot Award (Top Goalscorer)Alex Brosque (Brisbane Roar)
Bobby Despotovski (Perth Glory)
Archie Thompson (Melbourne Victory)
Stewart Petrie (Central Coast Mariners)
Rising Star Award (U-20 Player of the Year)Nick Ward (Perth Glory)
Coach of the YearLawrie McKinna (Central Coast Mariners)
Referee of the YearMark Shield
Joe Marston Medal (Best player in grand final)Dwight Yorke (Sydney FC)

AFC Champions League edit

Although Australia became a member of the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, Australian teams were not invited to participate in the 2006 AFC Champions League competition.

The AFC later determined that qualification for the 2007 AFC Champions League would be based on the 2005–06 A-League competition, despite that ACL matches will commence after the completion of the A-League 2006–07 season. Adelaide as Premiers and Sydney as Champions were the representatives.

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Bazeley replaced Hay as captain mid-season, after they released Hay on 23 December 2005.[8]
  2. ^ Deane's contract was mutually terminated part-way through his marquee deal and he left mid-season.[14]

References edit

  1. ^ "Eastern promise arrives right on Qu". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 July 2005. The 30-year-old Chinese international, who has the potential to be one of the stars of the new A-League as Adelaide United's marquee signing...
  2. ^ "Dodd Gets The Nod As Skipper". FTBL. 31 July 2008. Ross Aloisi taking over as the club's first Hyundai A-League captain and then Valkanis acquiring the role prior to the 2007/08 season.
  3. ^ "Mariners announce soccer captain". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 April 2005.
  4. ^ Lynch, Michael (30 April 2016). "Archie Thompson should play on after leaving Melbourne Victory". The Sydney Morning Herald. As Victory's inauguaral marquee signing...
  5. ^ "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
  6. ^ "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
  7. ^ "Player Profile - Danny Hay". New Zealand Football Foundation. Retrieved 9 January 2020. He started the 2006–2007 season as inaugural captain for the Auckland-based New Zealand Knights
  8. ^ "Knights cut skipper Hay". The World Game. SBS. 23 December 2005.
  9. ^ "Hyundai A-League set for big start". Football Federation Australia. 26 August 2006. Welcome news however is the availability of captain and key defender Darren Bazeley
  10. ^ "Ned Zelic signs with Newcastle Jets". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 April 2005.
  11. ^ "Jets look to shut down Mariners". ABC News. 10 February 2006. Jets captain Ned Zelic says...
  12. ^ Roach, Stewart (7 June 2006). "Easy come, easy go: Okon signs for Jets as captain Zelic quits". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  13. ^ Young, Richie (17 August 2007). "'Our Form Will Return' - North". FTBL. The Taree-born Socceroo says replacing former Jets captains Ned Zelic and Paul Okon came out of the blue at training.
  14. ^ a b Davidson, John (17 August 2017). "Deane: I had to wash my own kit at Glory". FTBL. Deane was Perth's marquee signing for the first season of the new competition in 2005.[...] Deane's spell at the Glory was short-lived, with the centre forward departing mid-season
  15. ^ "Harnwell named Glory captain". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 May 2005.
  16. ^ "Roar name inaugural captain". ABC News. 3 May 2005. A-League club Queensland Roar have named Chad Gibson as their inaugural captain...
  17. ^ "Yorke goes Down Under". The Guardian. 30 June 2005. The former Manchester United, Aston Villa, Blackburn and Birmingham striker is Sydney's marquee player
  18. ^ "Long time coming for Rudan". The World Game. SBS. 2 March 2006.

External links edit