The Western Sydney Wanderers have confirmed their return to the A-League Men’s Finals after a solid 1-0 win over Newcastle.
A Zac Sapsford goal after the break was enough to secure the vital points for the Red and Black, who are back in the top six after narrowly missing out last season.
It was the reward they deserve for a brilliant second half of the season, which has seen them go undefeated in the last 11 games.
The Wanderers came into the match knowing a draw would be enough to secure finals football, but they knew a win would be hugely important in their dreams to finish in either the top two or the top four.
Alen Stajcic wanted to keep the squad on their toes and introduced Aydan Hammond to the starting lineup in place of Sapsford, whilst Josh Brillante was back in the team after injury.
The side responded well, going close to scoring after less than a minute through Brandon Borrello, whilst Nicolas Milanovic attempted a bicycle kick moments later that was wide of the mark.
The winger has been in superb form and is at the top of the scoring charts, and he was involved in much of the Wanderers’ best play in this match.
He had a good effort well saved by Ryan Scott after latching onto an inch perfect Borrello through ball, and headed just wide from the resulting corner after a strong delivery from Gabriel Cleur.
Hammond then sent a shot over the bar after using good footwork to get away from defenders, before Milanovic had a pair of good attempts that were saved and then narrowly missed.
The Wanderers were creating chances, but perhaps lacked fluency in the final third, and Stajcic looked to remedy this by bringing on Sapsford and Jarrod Carluccio at half-time.
Once again this season, Stajcic’s changes produced the goods.
Soon after Borrello sent a good chance on the turn just wide, he was involved in the Wanderers’ goal.
Former Wanderer Thomas Aquilina sent an errant pass across the backline which Borrello seized upon. He unselfishly squared it to the onrushing Sapsford, who swept it past Scott into the goal with a first time finish, giving the Wanderers a lead their good play deserved.
Milanovic had two more good chances just after the hour mark, firstly being matched by Scott before sending a header from a corner narrowly over the bar.
The game became more end-to-end as the Jets pushed for an equaliser, with captain Lawrence Thomas forced into a smart stop in the 71st minute.
Sapsford then had a brace chance denied by Scott, before Brillante forced the Jets custodian into a low save to his left after getting on the end of a Bozhidar Kraev cutback.
The final section of the match saw the Wanderers adopt a more defensive shape as they were forced to combat a relentless Jets onslaught, as Newcastle were looking to get something from their final home match of the season.
They sent several crosses and through balls into the box hoping to find the winning combination, but the Wanderers defence was resolute, led by yet another strong performance by centre back pairing Anthony Pantazopoulos and Alex Bonetig.
There was a nervous moment when the Jets had a corner in the last moments of the game – sending goalkeeper Scott up for it – but the Wanderers dealt with the danger and secured the win that confirmed their place in the finals.
The players and staff celebrated with the fans long after the final whistle, with the travelling Red and Black Bloc creating a fantastic atmosphere on the road, and players and fans will be hoping for similar in the final away match of the season against local rivals Macarthur.
