Welcome to Made With Mitre Moments, where aleagues.com.au brings you all the biggest talking points from each round of the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Read on for all the biggest talking points from Round 21, thanks to Mitre.
Why Bulls boss remains optimistic despite loss
Macarthur Bulls head coach Mile Sterjovski isn’t giving up hope of playing finals football this season.
The Bulls were convincingly beaten 2-0 by rivals Sydney FC at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Saturday night thanks to second-half goals from Patryk Klimala and Adrian Segecic.
The result leaves Macarthur eighth in the standings and now five points behind Melbourne Victory, who currently occupy the last remaining spot in the top six.
But despite the gap that’s now emerging between themselves and their finals rivals, Bulls boss Sterjovski is adamant his side aren’t giving up the fight.
“No, there’s still plenty of games to play,” said Sterjovski when asked after the game if he thinks playing finals football is looking more and more unlikely this season.
“We need to make sure that we perform in every match that we have now. I know there’s a few games away but we’ve been performing a lot better away than at home, so it might work in our favour.”
The Bulls have now recorded just one win in six matches and have suffered four defeats during that period.
Arguably key to their poor run of form has been the number of players they lost during the January transfer window.
Captain Valere Germain, in-form winger Jed Drew, impact player Ariath Piol and young defender Ollie Jones all moved on to pastures new while youngsters Oliver Randazzo, Alexander Robinson, Frans Deli and Dean Bosnjak have all been away with the Subway Young Socceroos during their historic AFC Under-20 Asian Cup success.
“No I didn’t expect it,” said Sterjovski when asked whether or not the club’s January business was planned.
“I mean, it’s great for the club, and it’s great to see what we’re doing at the club and the environment. Great to develop players and to sell players. At the same time, we were missing four with the Young Socceroos so it’s difficult, you know.
“It’s nine players out from your regular squad. But like I said in saying that, when people leave, you know others need to step up and take the opportunity, and I felt like we could have been better today.”
‘What would you like me to say?’
Brisbane Roar head coach Ruben Zadkovich was left rueing what could have been after his side somehow walked away with just a point against Melbourne Victory.
Having taken the lead in the 20th minute through Henry Hore, the home side then wasted a series of excellent chances to put the game beyond Victory at Suncorp Stadium, where the visitors snatched a point care of a 97th minute equaliser from full-back Kasey Bos.
“What would you like me to say?” said Zadkovich when asked about his side’s failure to convert a plethora of chances during the 90 minutes at Suncorp Stadium
“We had a few open goals and a few big chances, few clear-cut ones… that’s it. That’s the story of today.”
Among those to have missed two good chances was young striker Nathan Amanatidis.
The 19-year-old did everything but score against Victory, proving to be a constant thorn in the side of the opposition defence with his running before limping off injured in the 53rd minute.
“I haven’t spoken to the physios yet and I haven’t spoken to Nathan. Obviously he was disappointed that he didn’t take his chances and he’s probably beating himself up about it,” Zadkovich said.
“But the way he played, the way he blew that game open with his power and his pace and his movement; look, he’s made the move to us from Sydney in very tricky circumstances.
He continued: “Like I said on the pitch in my post-match interview, I think it’s a credit to him how hard he works and how hard he prepares and it’s a credit to his family.
‘Are you joking?’: Corica far from impressed after eight-goal epic
Auckland FC remain the team to catch at the top of the Isuzu UTE A-League after Round 21.
However, what could have been a 10-point lead over second-placed Western United now stands at eight points after Adelaide United defender Bart Vriends snatched a draw for the visitors with an 98th-minute equaliser.
The draw though may well feel like a defeat for the Black Knights and their head coach Steve Corica given his side were leading 3-1 and then re-took the lead in the 92nd minute through captain Hiroki Sakai who made it 4-3.
“Yeah definitely,” said Corica when asked if he felt the result was two points dropped. “I felt we deserved to win that game, similar to the one in Adelaide.
“But again, you come up against a very good team that kept going, kept fighting and in the end they scored the late one like we did down there.”
Asked how disappointed he was that his side weren’t able to hold on to their late lead, Corica then revealed his frustration at some of the officiating.
“Well I’m more disappointed with some of the decisions made by the referee but we’ve got to defend the last goal better.
“We played really well. We scored four good goals, so we’ve got to take a lot out of it. We showed great character when Hiroki, we thought, (scored) what was the winner, but we’ve also got to defend that last goal.”
Then asked specifically which decisions he took umbrage with, Corica didn’t hold back.
He continued: “The two penalty decisions from the VAR and from the referee were, for me, both soft and were wrong, in my opinion, and that changed the game.
“Otherwise we probably would have won that quite comfortably.
He went on to say: “It’s soft, very soft. He went down easily,” when discussing the first penalty call which saw midfielder Louis Verstraete penalised for a trip on Ethan Alagich.
“The second one (involving Adelaide United’s Stefan Mauk) also. He went through two players, he was always going to go down and the second one, they should have looked at it and got the decision right.
“That’s my opinion. That’s my take on it. I’m pretty sure tomorrow we might get an apology as well like we did in the first game in Adelaide when they scored their goal.
“It should have been a foul on Callan Elliot and we got an apology the next day, but it doesn’t take back the four points we probably should have extra.”
‘We’re certainly a real contender’: Big belief for in-form Wanderers
Western Sydney Wanderers are back in the top six and hot on the heels of the teams above them following a comprehensive 4-1 win over Perth Glory on Sunday.
A double from Aydan Hammond coupled with second half strikes from Oscar Priestman and Bozhidar Kraev saw the Wanderers dismantle their opponents at CommBank Stadium to move back into the finals positions with what is their third consecutive win.
While they currently occupy fourth spot on the ladder, Alen Stajcic’s side now sit just a point behind Western United in second and the side’s five-game unbeaten run has the head coach feeling even more confident in his side’s ability to seal a spot in the finals.
“I’ve had that belief in this team all the way through, to be honest,” said Stajcic, speaking at his post-match press conference.
“In pre season, I’ve said it, you know, two, three months ago, if anyone was listening, I saw the quality in this group, and I knew that we had it in us. It was a matter of just getting that confidence and belief, and there’s no magic wand for that.
He continued: “So you’ve just got to keep working hard and we’ve done that. Then when you know you’re working hard and doing all the right things at training, then you start getting some rewards on the field with results.
“Even our first win wasn’t a pretty win, to be honest, against Brisbane in this run, the one nil win. So it’s not as if I walked away from that game going ‘we’re flying!’ but it’s about just putting all those right things in place.
“I know that we’re doing that and now I know that there’s real belief and real confidence in the group, and they’re really starting to trust each other and really starting to put in for each other.
“And again, regardless of who comes on the pitch, now they’re adding value, and they’re all trusting each other in whichever role they’re put on the field to do. So I think they’re the most important building blocks that we put in place.
“But again, I never take it for granted, I just know how much hard work there is still to go.”
Next up for Stajcic and the Wanderers is a home clash with Melbourne Victory in Round 22 before they then have consecutive trips to New Zealand to take on Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC respectively.
Following that the Wanderers then have home games against top six rivals Western United and Melbourne City before rounding out their campaign with away trips to Newcastle and Macarthur.
Vidmar’s advice for rookie goalkeeper: ‘We know where he can get to’
Marco Tilio scored the goal to lead Melbourne City past Wellington Phoenix 1-0 but there was a moment that stood out moments later on Friday night.
Rookie goalkeeper Patrick Beach pulled off a save of the season contender to deny Corbin Piper equalising for the slumping Phoenix in Wellington as City ended the round in fifth position with their first away win in six outings.
The 22-year-old is City’s new number one after taking the reins at the start of 2024-25 and it has been a season of learning for the shot-stopper, who has endured ups and downs.
City head coach Aurelio Vidmar has been impressed with the academy graduate, but had some advice for the talented goalkeeper.
“That was a good save but I think we turned over the ball for them to get that opportunity,” Vidmar said when asked about the save.
“For me, we know where he can get to but he is right at his infancy of being a goalkeeper. He is 22 years old, this is his first season of senior football, he has learnt a hell of a lot.
Is this the A-Leagues’ next Socceroo?
Based on form, Western United star Noah Botic is firmly in contention to be called up by the Subway Socceroos for this month’s 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifiers.
Botic is the outright Golden Boot leader after scoring his 10th goal of the season in Friday night’s 3-1 win away to two-time reigning champions Central Coast Mariners.
The 23-year-old, who has made no secret of his desire to represent the Socceroos, gave Western the lead in the 52nd minute with his seventh goal in seven games before Luke Vickery and Michael Ruhs ensured the Green and Black beat the Mariners in Gosford for the very first time.
Botic’s goalscoring exploits at Industree Group Stadium will only amplify Socceroos talk.
“Of course it is (a goal to play for the Socceroos),” he told Paramount+.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was 10 years old but at the moment all I’m focusing on is playing for Western until the international break, where we can re-group as much as possible.”
Botic, whose Western are second in the standings, added: “Confidence is as high as can be, as a team as well. We’re doing well, especially with such a young group.
“And for myself, you bounce back from injuries and you don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. You have to stay disciplined, focused and determined, and things will come around your way.”
