thIRtIeth edItIOn • seAsOn 2014/15 ROUND 3 VS CENTRAL COAST MARINERS pROudLy bROught tO yOu by THE KINGS OF ASIA INSIDE THIS editiON LA ROCCA vs CACeRAs • my jOuRney As A wAndeReR the mOments thAt mAtteRed • dReAm teAm PLUS OUR NEW REGULAR COLUMNS IAn CROOk In the sheds FIeLd RepORteR wIth deAn heFFeRnAn • the ARChIve this MATCH this MATCH 05 FROm the ChAIRmAn PauL LedeReR 08 06 Warm up 08 kIngs OF AsIA 13 pLAyeRs tO WatCh LA ROCCA VS CACERES 14 my jOuRney As A wAndeReR 16 tOdAy's mAtCh 18 mOments thAt mAtteRed 20 SLAV's spOt the dIFFeRenCe 21 nRmAde betteR 23 tAke FIve wIth nIkItA RukAvytsyA 24 AFC ChAmpIOns LeAgue 14 18 dReAm teAm 26 guARdIAn FuneRALs WandeRCRew membeR OF the week wALLy vAn gOOL 27 westeRn sydney wAndeReRs COuRt AustRALIA's AsIAn FOOtbALL fans 29 THE ARCHIVE 30 OuR pARtneRs The views in this publication are not necessarily the views of the NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers FC. Material in this publication is copyrighted and may only be reproduced with the written permission of the NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers FC. All photography courtesy of Getty Images, George Suresh, Steve Christo, Jarred Stedman and Jack Pollards Soccer Records. stAy COnneCted VISIT wswAndeReRsFC.COm.Au FOLLOW US @wswAndeReRsFC WATCH WSWandeReRsTV KICK 2 WIN $100,000 Want to find out how you could have the chance to become $100,000 richer or win 1 of 100 $50 WSW merchandise vouchers? Visit www.peppergroup.com.au/kick2win for full terms, conditions and information on how to enter. Entrants must be 18 years or older. 2014/15 CORPORATE PARTNER Pepper’s Privacy Policy is available at www.peppergroup.com.au/privacy-policy. Pepper Australia Pty Ltd ABN 55 094 317 665, Australian Credit Licence Number 286655, is the servicer of loans made by Pepper Finance Corporation Ltd ACN 094 317 647. Authorised under NSW Permit LTPS/14/08726. 03 stAy COnneCted | vIsIt wswAndeReRsFC.COm.Au CONTENTS cannot express how proud, honoured won a Premiership, made two Grand United together we can continue to and excited I am for the season ahead Finals in the Hyundai A-League and achieve further success. I with our club. this season we have the goal to go one I welcome you all back to Wanderland In all my life I have never better and win the Championship. for the opening match this season and experienced a Club with the passion, This is a very special club and this look forward to welcoming you to each emotion and dedication exhibited by team is something very special with and every match we play. As a club we such an exceptional group of people great leadership and great momentum are nothing without the support of our and supporters. – a team we should all be very proud of. Members and fans. You are the benchmark Our journey so far has set new They simply do not know how to lose. for football supporters in this country. standards in Australian sport and I can As Chairman, along with my fellow We are one club and one community. publicly state that as a club we have already directors Glenn Duncan, Jefferson We are all Western Sydney Wanderers. written a history that has the strongest Cheng and David Slade, our aim is to foundations – foundations that transcend make sure this Club becomes bigger and PAUL LedeRER our sport and prove what hard work, better. To achieve this we must ensure ChAIRmAn determination and belief can achieve. that our full focus remains firmly on this nRmA InsuRAnCe westeRn We are Champions of Asia. We have Club, this region and this community. sydney WandeReRs FC 05 stAy COnneCted | FOLLOw @wswAndeReRsFC WARM UP IN the SHEDS wIth IAn CROOk @ChiPPYCROOK63 t’s been an amazing journey to win the they do has been the eye-opener for me Champions League. It still hasn’t fully and that’s what’s kept us in games. Isunk in yet but already I know I’ll have The Final had that little bit extra some interesting stories to tell for years spice, not only because it was a final but ON this DAY to come. Things such as buses not because Al-Hilal came out and said that COuRtesy OF AndRew hOwe turning up, buses being rammed, away they were going to win it. The memory @ANDYHOWE_stAttO tickets not being left for us and laser beams of the referee blowing full-time will being commonplace. stick with me forever as one of the best fter the Socceroos qualified for Thankfully the team has a togetherness experiences of my life. the FIFA World Cup for the first which sees them get over obstacles. Before I The airport arrival too was magnificent; Atime in 1974, hopes were high joined the Club I used to think “Wow, how we heard that there was going to be a for a second successive appearance in do they keep winning?” but when you come few people down but we didn’t imagine the finals in 1978. Twenty-two countries here and work on the inside you realise anything like that. Usually it’s the fans who from Asia and Oceania, together with the whole place has such a commitment to film the players but if you look back on politically-isolated Israel, were vying for detail and that starts with Popa. the video you’ll see it’s the players and staff one solitary World Cup spot in 1978. Five His attention to detail and hence the who had their phones out filming the fans! zonal qualifying winners took part in the players’ attention to detail in everything That’s a testament to how good they are. final round-robin group stage, Iran, South Korea, Kuwait, Australia and Hong Kong. Any chance the Socceroos had of reaching We ARE ON the LINE FIXTURES & RESULTS Argentina ’78 became mathematically impossible with a narrow 1-0 loss to You may have noticed these odd Scan the QR code below for all score Kuwait in the second-last match of the looking barcodes (see below right) updates across our Hyundai A-League, final group stage on 19 November 1977. throughout this edition of The Wanderer. Westfield W-League and Foxtel National As testament to the strength of Western To get the best experience simply follow Youth League matches. Sydney clubs at the time more than half these three easy steps: the starting eleven for this match played STEP 1 Download a QR scanner app on for teams from Sydney’s west; Marconi your smart device (Gary Byrne, Alan Maher and Jimmy STEP 2 Open the app and scan each Rooney), Western Suburbs (Colin Curran QR code in The Wanderer and Peter Stone) and Sydney Croatia STEP 3 Enjoy your interactive (Atti Abonyi). Wanderers content BURLINGTON — Stone inspired porcelain tile DI LORENZO TILES Pty Ltd Tile Merchants | www.dilorenzo.com.au Bella Vista 02 8818 2999 | Redfern 02 9698 8737 | Newcastle 02 4962 5775 | Willoughby 02 8602 1470 1855-28 06 ROund 3 | wAndeReRs FC vs CentRAL COAst mARIneRs WARM UP #HASHTAG Every edition we’ll publish the best tweets and instagram pics you guys tag us in. FIELD REPORteR wIth deAn heFFeRnAn @heff35 ’d like to start by congratulating If you had of seen me celebrate Tomi’s everyone involved with the club for goal the other week you would have Ivictory in the Champions League. thought I was still part of the squad! When I sat down to watch I could tell it I rode the highs and the lows of the meant a lot to the players because the two game and though I’m no longer part of super-subs, Spira and Tomi, had gone for the squad I wanted to see the boys win, I vICtORy!!! #Rbb #wAndeReRs the two-for-one Just Cuts deal in the week wanted to see the Club win. Even when #westeRnsydneywAndeReRs leading up to the game. Knowing millions a large number of us left the Club after #ACLFInAL #pARRAmAttA would be watching worldwide they had the Round of 16 we knew the players that @GABRIELLAGIULIA93 tried to look good. remained could get the job done; they just It was amazing to see the boys digging in don’t know how to lose. and getting the job done on the big stage, it Personally I’m stoked to have was more of the same really – the Wanderers played a part in the campaign, it’s just a seem to do this every game. It was awesome great feeling and even though I wasn’t there watching us win but it was even better seeing on the final day, I’ve lost four Grand Finals the celebrations afterwards with smiles on in the Hyundai A-League so I’m going to the faces of everyone. take some pride from this win! #gOwAndeReRs #ACLFInAL we hAd sIx @WestsYDNEYFOOTBALL CLEAN sheets And sIx wIns Out OF OuR seven THE SCARVES OF THOSE hOme gAmes In the COnqueRed. heLL yeAh!!!! #thIsIshIstORy AFC ChAMPIONS LEAGUE @JOSIASCHROedeR 6geAR up FOR WA2014/15NDE meRLARChAndNDIse WARM UP WSW MENS AUthentiC TRAINING JACket $85.00 AvAILAbLe In xs, s, m, L, xL, 2xL durable fabric, a mock neck and rib trim delivery a fit that’s built to last like your club pride. 100% polyester. meRChAndIse @WSWAndeRERSFC .COm.Au 07 stAy COnneCted | WatCh wswAndeReRstv 08 ROund 3 | wAndeReRs FC vs CentRAL COAst mARIneRs KINGS OF stORy by ChRIstIAn LAyLAnd ASIA@LAYLes89 westeRn sydney WandeReRs ARe the ChAmpIOns OF AsIA! efeating Al-Hilal 1-0 over two legs But, football is a team game and the It was just reward for the football fans was just the culmination of an tournament was won – and celebrated – as of Western Sydney, from the supporters of Dincredible journey that meant that a team with Tony Popovic carried off the the original district clubs, to the ensuing the Red & Black are the first Australian team field on the shoulders of his players.