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CITY VIEWS | A Day At The Top

Ok City fans, take a deep breath and sing with me…

“We are top of the league, said we are top of the league”

It may only be for a fleeting moment but why not sit back and soak it in.  It’s been a long road and we are still miles from our destination but sometimes to reach the pinnacle you need to stop, take a sneak peak, a deep breath and soak in certain moments.

By the end of Saturday night City will relinquish top position and we will once again be thrown into a battle of four very good teams competing for an important top two position that will enable the club to host their first ever preliminary final.  Whilst we are still a month out from finals football, last night’s win puts the club in a situation where we hold our own destiny in our hands. 

Nine points from our remaining three games will ensure this.

This task won’t be easy and it cannot be expected we will achieve maximum points but if we are striving to achieve the ultimate success expectations need to be high.

Over the last Fortnight City have proven to not only to themselves but their fans that this squad is more than capable of competing with the other top teams in the competition.  The self belief on the pitch has been slowly simmering this season but over the last month the squad is really beginning to click.

When Petratos struck that sweet goal on the 22nd minute you didn’t have the same feeling of “this isn’t going to be our night” you had the feeling the small but loyal crowd at AAMI Park felt the energy of the team and were able to lift the eleven players on the pitch.

There is no denying the sending off of Hingert was a game changer but previous City teams would’ve strived to find the go ahead goal and failed, last night the three points had a real different feel about it and gave City supporters a sense of relief when Nick Fitzgerald found the back of the net for the second consecutive week.  The demeanour of Harry Novillo impressed me last night, sometimes in big games the Frenchman tends to go missing but you could really see his determination last night.  Aaron Mooy was his usual classy self and Bruno Fornaroli created numerous headaches for John Aloisi’s men.

At the back Patrick Kisnorbo looked assured and Alex Wilkinson was cool calm and collected.  One concern was that of veteran keeper Thomas Sorensen who appeared to have trouble grasping the ball last night and a basic error resulted in gifting Brisbane a corner and their only goal.  Sorensen needs to be our defensive rock at the back and his ball handling must improve over the final months.

It’s not all roses at City and one main concern is the reliance on the starting XI.  John Van’t Schip looked hesitant to go to his bench last night and throughout the course of the game you could understand his resistance to use a substitution.  Squad depth isn’t our strongest suit and the Socceroos call ups to Mooy and Wilkinson could have a profound effect on where the club finishes. 

Leaving the ground after achieving a result such as last night sure has a different feeling than the night we threw away a two goal lead to Newcastle but it’s important we remember nights like that and don’t get complacent.  This squad is capable of achieving great things but there is still a long and windy road ahead.

With two home games remaining all City fans must get to AAMI Park to get behind the most important period of our club.  Over the last few seasons we haven’t achieved anything so we can only look forward.  Many will still question our small crowds but that shouldn’t worry City fans, at least not at this moment.  The important thing is we continue to turn up and get the required results that give us the best possible chance to achieve success at Melbourne City.

Let’s not be blindsided by this brief moment at the top of the mountain, but look towards the next six weeks at the club as the biggest obstacle we have faced together.  Together we will be louder, stronger and this will help the club achieve the success we all know it can.

Enjoy the next few hours at the top City fans but let’s not get carried away just yet.

THE RUN HOME

Wellington Phoenix HOME
Perth Glory AWAY
Adelaide United HOME

 

THE TABLE

  Played Goal Difference Points
Melbourne City 24 +19 41
Western Sydney 23 +8 41
Brisbane Roar 24 +7 41
Adelaide United 23 +11 39
Perth Glory 23 +8 34

 

About David Hards (524 Articles)
The Founder of FTSAUS. A football fan who is more than willing to voice his opinion, no matter how wrong it could be. An average goalkeeper or makeshift right back who had more bad days than good on the pitch, but still loved every minute of it. Follow on Twitter: @Hardsy05
Contact: Twitter