CITY INSIDER: Doubleheader - Sunday 9 January 2022

CITY INSIDER

WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS & WELLINGTON PHOENIX SUNDAY 9 JANUARY AAMI PARK

MELBOURNE CITY v WESTERN SYDNEY - WELLINGTON

CITY INSIDER SUNDAY 9 JANUARY

CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE IT’S OUR FIRST DOUBLE HEADER OF THE SEASON AND BOTH EMMA AND SCOTT ARE EXCITED TO HAVE OUR LOYAL FANS HERE TOGETHER AS ONE CLUB FOR AN EXCITING SUNDAY OF FOOTBALL IN OUR CITY. We’re back at home tonight, and we can’t wait.

It’s been a long three weeks with COVID ripping its way through the squad and forcing us into isolation. You’ll be pleased to know that the lads are all doing well now and we’re all just glad to back to a bit of normality in training and playing.

It was a disappointing result midweek as we went down in the Cup, but we’ve now put that behind us and our focus is solely on a big three points on offer tonight.

It’s tough to build momentum with so many postponements, but we’re aiming for a strong performance tonight to help us kickstart a winning run.

Our last game at AAMI Park was a memorable one, and we absolutely loved your support and the atmosphere you created on that Christmas Derby night. We can’t wait to see you in the stands again tonight!

Scott Jamieson Melbourne City FC captain

It has undeniably been a challenging couple of weeks for us. Coming off the high of the derby win to having last weekend’s game postponed and dealing with the uncontrollable changes we have been experiencing has tested our resilience.

The positive news is we have a highly resilient group of girls who have done everything in their control to ensure we are ready to get back out on the pitch today.

We had been building on our momentum prior to the break. I was incredibly proud of the way we showed up and performed in our 5-1 win over Victory after are disappointing loss to them in our prior meeting.

The week has been spent regrouping and working hard at ensuring the challenges we have faced as a group don’t rattle our momentum and form.

We have a squad with incredible depth and every member of the team has been playing their part in contributing to the results so far. The combination of experience and youth in Hannah and Holly up front is proving to be powerful force.

There is a long way to go, and we know the hard work needs to continue to remain on track in achieving our team goal of holding up the trophy at the end of the season.

Thanks for all your support and we will see you at AAMI later today!

Emma Checker Melbourne City FC captain

Together We Move

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MELBOURNE CITY v WESTERN SYDNEY - WELLINGTON

CITY INSIDER SUNDAY 9 JANUARY

RAMPANT CITY LOOK TO HEAP PAIN ON NIX TODAY THE CITY GIRLS WILL BE LOOKING TO OVERCOME ANY MOMENTUM LOST DUE TO MATCH POSTPONEMENTS AND CONTINUE OUR STRONG EARLY-SEASON FORM IN THE LIBERTY A-LEAGUE AS WE PREPARE TO FACE WELLINGTON PHOENIX.

A-LEAGUE WOMEN PREVIEW

We couldn’t have been any higher on confidence following our 5-1 win in the Melbourne Derby on Boxing Day, with Hannah Wilkinson starring with five goals.

Holly McNamara was also exhilarating throughout the contest, teeing up her strike partner on three occasions and was unlucky not to net a goal herself.

The record-equalling four-goal Derby win was a deserved reward for the performances City had been putting in throughout the early stages of 2021/22, with Wilkinson similarly compensating for her missed

chances in Round 1 and 2 where she’d been impressive in all facets of her game but her finishing.

Whilst the City girls would have liked to carry that momentum straight into the next round’s fixture against Newcastle Jets, positive COVID cases within the team forced the game to be postponed, Sunday’s clash with Wellington serving as the team’s return to play following that Derby win.

In their first season in the A-League Women’s competition, an extremely young Phoenix side has struggled to acclimatise to the league, currently occupying

DANGER PLAYER

last place with just a single point and 14 goals conceded from its opening five games, most recently going down 5-0 to Sydney FC. The league leaders for shots (16.50) and shots on target (7.75) per 90 minutes will be coming up against the Phoenix’s leagueworst defence, so the City girls will be confident in their ability to secure another massive three points to continue our good start to the season.

SEASON STATS - WELLINGTON

AVA PRITCHARD It’s been a tough start to their inaugural season but no doubt there’s still a number of quality players in the Wellington line-up that City will need to keep quiet tonight if we’re to pick up the three points.

One of these is young striker Ava Pritchard.

She’s started every game for the Phoenix so far this season and also etched her names in the history books as their first ever goalscorer in the competition.

The pacy striker has also made three key passes so far this season and will be sure to keep the likes of Emma Checker and Winonah Heatley busy this evening.

10

0

LEAGUE POSITION

GAMES WON

1

14

GOALS SCORED

GOALS CONCEDED

ALW LADDER

LAST RESULT

FIRST MEETING

WELLINGTON

0

MELBOURNE CITY

SYDNEY FC

5

WELLINGTON

Liberty A-League - Round 4 Thursday 30 December, 2021 Wollongong Showgrounds

VIDEO HIGLIGHTS

Liberty A-League 2020/21 - Round 6 Sunday 9 January, 2022 AAMI Park

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MELBOURNE CITY v WESTERN SYDNEY - WELLINGTON

CITY INSIDER SUNDAY 9 JANUARY

CITY LOOK TO ATONE FOR THE CUP AFTER BOWING OUT OF THE FFA CUP MIDWEEK, OUR CITY BOYS WILL BE OUT FOR REDEMPTION AS WE HOST WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS TONIGHT. We struggled to create shooting opportunities against Wellington Phoenix in our midweek FFA Cup Quarter-Final and not even 120 minutes was enough to see either side net a decisive goal.

With some of the affected players only able to re-join the group for training just days prior to the game, many were consigned to the bench due to a lack of fitness or omitted from the squad entirely.

Fielding a depleted starting XI, Patrick Kisnorbo’s side struggled to create shooting opportunities against the Phoenix and not even 120 minutes was enough

to see either side net a decisive goal.

It came down to a penalty shootout, where 19-year-old Alex Paulsen was the hero for Wellington, saving three of City’s seven penalties before Nicholas Pennington stuck his winner in the top left to see his side through to the Semi-Finals.

The City boys would have been disappointed with the result and will now set their sights squarely on returning to their best form against Western Sydney Wanderers later tonight.

The Wanderers have struggled early in 2021/22, winning just one

match from their first five and currently occupying ninth place.

Severely impacted by match postponements over the New Year period, Western Sydney haven’t played a game since their 2-0 loss to Central Coast on the 18th of December.

In a huge boost for us, Jamie Maclaren is available for selection again after serving his one-game suspension following his late sending-off in the Christmas Derby.

A-LEAGUE MEN PREVIEW

DANGER PLAYER

SEASON STATS - WESTERN SYDNEY

TOMER HEMED One of the players City’s defence will have to keep a close eye on tonight is Wanderers striker Tomer Hemed.

The Wanderers shape up as a bit of an unknown quality, last playing a competitive match on December 18. They went down 2-0 to the Mariners on that night but Hemed had scored in both of Western Sydney’s previous two fixtures.

Hemed’s now in his first season at the Wanderers, after making the move across the ditch from Wellington last season. He netted 11 goals in 21 last season and no doubt will be keeping City busy tonight.

9

1

LEAGUE POSITION

GAMES WON

4

6

GOALS SCORED

GOALS CONCEDED

ALM LADDER

LAST RESULT

LAST TIME WE MET

CENTRAL COAST

2

MELBOURNE CITY

4

WESTERN SYDNEY

0

WESTERN SYDNEY

1

Isuzu UTE A-League - Round 7 Saturday 18 December, 2021 Central Coast Stadium

VIDEO HIGLIGHTS

Isuzu UTE A-League 2020/21 - Round 14 Friday 26 March, 2021 AAMI Park

VIDEO HIGLIGHTS

MATCH SQUADS

HEAD COACH: PATRICK KISNORBO

A-LEAGUE MEN

1. TOM GLOVER

2. SCOTT GALLOWAY

3. SCOTT JAMIESON

4. NUNO REIS

5. ROSTYN GRIFFITHS

7. MATT LECKIE

8. AIDEN O’NEILL

9. JAMIE MACLAREN

10. FLORIN BERENGUER

13. NATHANIEL ATKINSON

15. ANDREW NABBOUT

16. TARAS GOMULKA

17. STEFAN COLACOVSKI

18. CONNOR METCALFE

20.MANUEL PUCCIARELLI

22. CURTIS GOOD

23. MARCO TILIO

33. MATT SUTTON

34. JORDAN HALL

36. KERRIN STOKES

37. MAX CAPUTO

38. JORDAN BOS

42. AHMED TALEB

35. RAPHAEL BORGES RODRIGUES

39. ANTHONY LESIOTIS

1 20

DANIEL MARGUSH TOMAS MEJIAS

2 3 4 6 13 19 22 25 33 39

ZIGGY GORDON ADAMA TRAORE DANIEL GEORGIEVSKI RHYS WILLIAMS TATE RUSSELL DANIEL WILMERING JOHN KOUTROUMBIS PHILLIP CANCAR MARK NATTA THOMAS AQUILINA

5 8 11 14 17 23 29

JACK RODWELL STEVEN UGARKOVIC KEIJIRO OGAWA JAMES TROISI KEANU BACCUS DIMITRI PETRATOS TERRY ANTONIS

7 9 10 18 32

RAMY NAJJARINE BERNIE IBINI TOMER HEMED JORDI SWIBEL JARROD CARLUCCIO

HEAD COACH: CARL ROBINSON

WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS

MELBOURNE CITY v WESTERN SYDNEY - WELLINGTON

CITY INSIDER SUNDAY 9 JANUARY

MANAGING THROUGH A COVID OUTBREAK IT’S BEEN A ROLLERCOASTER FORTNIGHT NOT ONLY IN THE A-LEAGUE BUT IN THE WORLD WITH THE EXPLOSIONS OF COVID-19 CASES IN AUSTRALIA AND HEAD COACH PATRICK KISNORBO REFLECTS ON THE IMPACT IT HAD ON HIS SIDE. On the 18th of December 2021, Melbourne City played out a 2-2 draw with crosstown rivals Melbourne Victory in the Christmas Derby. Four days later, the Club announced the postponement of its FFA Cup Quarter-Final against Wellington Phoenix in light of six players in its senior Men’s team testing positive for COVID-19.

Over the next nine days, a further four Izuzu UTE A-League fixtures would be postponed as all but five of City’s senior squad would test positive.

The emergence of the Omicron variant swiftly turned Australia’s premier football competitions, on their head, leaving football departments across the country scrambling to prevent outbreaks and manage player fitness as they adjusted to continuously changing schedules.

“It’s been crazy since everything’s just started,” Patrick Kisnorbo summarised in a midweek press conference, “This time two weeks ago we were preparing for the game and then all of a sudden everyone got hit with cases.”

Of all the teams in the Izuzu UTE A-League, Melbourne City was amongst the hardest hit by the virus’ outbreak.

“We’ve had a large number of cases with our players, especially after the Victory game it spread a bit here,” Kisnorbo explained, “We’ve only had maybe five that haven’t had COVID. The rest have had COVID, so it’s been

a difficult time for us.”

Managing these positive cases has been a challenge in itself for Kisnorbo, with the football department largely unable to determine the fitness of a player until they’ve got a full training session to provide selffeedback on.

“The players have been hungry to get back training,” he began, “Being at home for 7-10 days without moving, I’m sure it’s a difficult time.”

“Because it’s so unknown we’ll judge off the reaction of our medical staff and the player after training and see how they feel.”

Asked if managing a team through a COVID outbreak was the biggest challenge he’d faced as a coach, Kisnorbo joked: “My first year in coaching I had injuries and red cards, now we have a virus.”

“I know it’s the current world at the moment but it’s difficult as well with us in the A-League, because our squads, unlike Europe its 40 or 50, we only have a squad of 23, so it’s very difficult in this current climate.”

The heavily rotated line-up that Kisnorbo named to face Wellington in City’s QuarterFinal (eventually played on Wednesday, January 5) was proof of the difficulty faced, with many starting XI regulars either consigned to the bench or omitted from the squad entirely as they hadn’t fully recovered from the virus.

As noted by Kisnorbo prior to the day of the game, the

preparation for many had been insufficient ahead of such a high-stakes clash: “We have boys returning, but how they feel is – I don’t know.”

“Some of the boys have only been training two days.”

City may have bowed out of the Cup after the contest went the full 120 minutes without a goal, eventually settled by a penalty shootout that Wellington were victorious in, but Kisnorbo will likely feel a little more prepared for City’s upcoming league game against Western Sydney Wanderers.

With an additional four days for players to make a full return to match fitness, the City Head Coach should have a deeper squad to select a starting lineup from and will hope to reignite some momentum for his side with an important three points.

MELBOURNE CITY v WESTERN SYDNEY - WELLINGTON

CITY INSIDER SUNDAY 9 JANUARY

WILKINSON LOOKS TO RE-WRITE HISTORY AFTER A BLISTERING START TO LIFE IN CITY BLUE, KIWI STRIKER HANNAH WILKINSON HAS CAUGHT THE EYE OF MANY IN THE A-LEAGUE WOMEN’S COMPETITION AS SHE LOOKS TO MAKE HER OWN HISTORY IN THE COMPETITION. Hannah Wilkinson’s fivegoal haul in the Boxing Day Melbourne Derby will rightly go down as one of the best individual performances in not just Melbourne City history, but Australian national Women’s league history.

For City’s Kiwi striker to have netted five times from open play against the reigning Champions and previously undefeated Melbourne Victory is nothing short of incredible.

Records were shattered that evening, both at a club and league level.

Even more excitingly, however, Wilkinson’s seven goals from her first four games in 2021/22 sets her up to continue rewriting the history books over the remainder of the campaign.

Here, we’ll recap some of the records she’s already broken and then outline the goalscoring records that now lie on the horizon.

Of Wilkinson’s statistical achievements from her Melbourne Derby performance, her equalling of the most goals scored in a single A-League Women’s game was undoubtedly the most publicised. The Kiwi obviously smashed the previous Melbourne City record set by Jasmine Spencer in 2018/19, as the American nabbed a hattrick against Sydney FC that season. More notably, Wilkinson matched Kate Gill’s five-goal haul against Perth Glory from 2014.

The other statistic you may have heard come out of Wilkinson’s Boxing Day bonanza was that

she’d netted the fastest hattrick from kick-off in A-League Women’s history. Netting three times in 26 minutes smashed Arin Gilliland’s 40-minute haul for Newcastle in December 2017 and was good enough to see Wilkinson into equal-10th for the fastest hattrick overall – though Sam Kerr’s seven-minute record for Perth in December 2017 will take some serious beating.

A lesser-known record broken on the night was that of the most consecutive of a team’s goals scored by the same player. By netting City’s latter two goals in our 3-1 win against Adelaide and all five of our Melbourne Derby goals, Wilkinson had scored City’s last seven, beating the previous record of six, set by both Kate Gill and Sam Kerr.

Seven goals in four games sets Wilkinson up to claim a host of other goalscoring records, so we can quickly outline those in reference to the number of goals needed over the remainder of the season to achieve those feats: Three more goals… in her next six games would ensure that Wilkinson becomes the fastest player in A-League Women’s history to reach 10, with Michelle Heyman currently holding the record at 11 games. However, three goals would also be the maximum (two if she plays <14 games) needed to see Wilkinson finish the season with the best goals-to-games ratio in Melbourne City history, beating Larissa Crummer’s figure of 0.61 (14 goals in 23 appearances).

Between four and six more goals… and the achievements

start piling up. Currently equalsixth in City’s all-time goalscoring ranks, four more goals would see Wilkinson pass Kim Little (9), Kyah Simon (10) and Marianna Tabain (10) to move outright third. If Wilkinson were to only play 14 games this season, four would also be enough to secure her the best minutes-to-goals ratio in A-League Women’s history. If she played the maximum of 16, requiring a Grand Final run from City, she would need six to best Sam Kerr’s record of a goal every 121 minutes (per Aleaguestats. com). Five goals would see her past Larissa Crummer’s clubrecord single-season tally of 11 from 2015/16.

And, a mere 11 goals later…

Wilkinson would claim the record for the most goals in a single season in Australian national Women’s league history (currently Sam Kerr’s, with 17 goals in 2018/19) and become Melbourne City’s alltime leading goalscorer, passing Jess Fishlock’s 17-goal tally over three seasons.

MELBOURNE CITY v WESTERN SYDNEY - WELLINGTON

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CITY INSIDER SUNDAY 9 JANUARY

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