THE OFFICIAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME FOR THE NRMA INSURANCE WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS FC SIXTH EDITION | SEASON 2012/13 SUNDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2012 | ROUND 10 VS BRISBANE ROAR FC CHAMPIONS SEEKING REVENGE HERSI RETURNS CIVIL WAR: POLENZ V BROICH OFFICIAL WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS FC PARTNERS NIKOLAI TOPOR-StanleY IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY EMPV MODEL & TALENT MANAGEMENT CONTENTS CONTENTS RAW PAIN X2 03 The Wanderers are looking to back up their Round 4 win against the Roar. S INCE YOU WERE 04 LAST HERE A review of our last 05 two matches against Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix. HERSI IS BACK 04 Our live wire midfielder will add spark to the attack. 05 CAPTION CONTEST 11 Caption the photo of 03 Mark Bridge for your PLAYERS TO Watch VOLUNTEER chance to win. 08 The German connection 12 OF THE WEEK - Polenz and Broich. Vanessa Carrett is our ‘wanderful’ Ball Person TODAy’S Match Coordinator. 07 It’s Wanderers vs Roar, whose playing NYL Match REVIEWS ADvertising ENQUIRIES and who will win? 13 In the last two weeks our For all advertising enquiries please youth team have played AIS THE WANDERER contact Jonathan Bannister on and Central Coast Mariners. 02 8602 6407, 0438 429 713, 10 FIND-A-WORD [email protected] Can you find Wanderers MEMBER or Rebecca Boardman on Westfield W-League 13 OF THE WEEK 02 8602 6413, 0432 127 106, players this week. Meet John Tueben, at [email protected]. 89, who loves attending WESTFIELD W-LEAGUE Wanderers matches. PHOTOGRAPHY 11 Match REVIEWS WESTERN SYDNEY All photography courtesy of Brisbane Roar/ The W-League team WANDERERS FC Matt Palmer, Beans & Mash Photography versed Newcastle Jets and 14 Partners and Graeme Gillmer Photography. Perth Glory in the lead up to yesterday’s match. Thanking our 2012/13 partners. 02 WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS FC VS BRISBANE ROAR FC Raw PAIN X2 Courtesy of Brisbane Roar/Matt Palmer RAW PAIN X2 NRMA INSURANCE day for the competition’s newest club. “They have shown a number of times in WESTERN SYDNEY He said that although the Roar have recent years that they have got this ability WANDERERS COACH had their ups and downs this season to get out of trouble with their skill, even TONY POPOVIC SAYS HIS they were still a very dangerous side. when they might have looked gone as a TEAM CAN take ENORMOUS “They still have outstanding players team, and we will have to be on our game CONFIDENCE FROM THE and still play some great football,” for the full 90 minutes to counter that. fact THEY have ALREADY Popovic said. “Regardless of how they “We have enormous respect beaten TODAy’S OPPONENT might be playing on the day as a team, for the Brisbane club, and the – BRISBANE ROAR – ON any one of those players can suddenly do THE ROAD THIS SEASON. something that wins them the game. Continued on page 4 And now the Wanderers get the chance to meet the winners of last season’s championship on home soil, at Parramatta Stadium. It was back in round four, on October 27, when Mark Bridge scored off a cross from Youssouf Hersi in the 19th minute to give the Wanderers a 1-0 win at Suncorp Stadium - and a slice of history in the process. It was the first goal by the team in the A-League, providing them with their first win in the process, and Courtesy of Brisbane Roar/Matt Palmer Popovic fondly remembers it as a great WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS FC VS BRISBANE ROAR FC 03 SINCE YOU WERE LAST HERE Continued from page 3 at home. They were very competitive in those losses, but were left badly football they play, and we expect needing points against the Roar. this to be a very tough game.” Again now, the Wanderers are aiming It isn’t the sort of omen the to get back on track after losing 2-0 to Wanderers would have been looking Melbourne Victory at home and 1-0 to for, but just as they were when Wellington Phoenix away in their last they played Brisbane the first time two games – and there is good reason for they are coming off two straight fans to be optimistic that will happen. losses going into this game. The Wanderers created plenty of The Wanderers began the season with chances in both of those games, but just a 0-0 draw at home against Central couldn’t put them away, and they also Coast Mariners, and followed that up had two very good calls for penalties with a 1-0 loss to Adelaide United denied in the loss to the Phoenix. If they Courtesy of Brisbane Roar/Matt Palmer away and a 1-0 loss to Sydney FC keep pushing, the goals will surely come. SINCE YOU WERE LAST HERE ROUND 8 VS MELBOURNE Ono again came within centimetres down to Wellington Phoenix VICTORY at Parramatta of scoring the opener with a free-kick FC at Westpac Stadium. StaDIUM late in the half before disaster struck for A cross by fullback Jerome Polenz in the hosts in the shadows of half-time. the 16th minute clearly struck Phoenix TheVictory were reduced to 10 men Despite spending the rest of the defender Andrew Durante low on in just the 16th minute when Sam opening stanza on the back foot the the arm as he turned his back inside Gallagher was given his marching visitors hit the front in the 44th minute the penalty box, sparking a united orders for dragging down striker Dino via an own goal from Michael Beauchamp. appeal from the Wanderers players. Kresinger on the edge of the penalty box. Ange Postecoglou’s men struck To the amazement of everyone at Midfielders Shinji Ono flicked a clever again on the hour when Archie Westpac Stadium referee Matthew ball in behind for Kresinger who won the Thompson scored on the counter Gillett played the resulting corner race to the ball when Gallagher appeared attack to double the advantage. and did call Durante’s obvious foul. to trip over his own feet after some initial The Wanderers peppered the visitors’ The corner was taken by midfielder contact from the Wanderers striker. goal in the final half hour but couldn’t Shinji Ono and eventually defused. A desperate Gallagher made contact breach the Victory defence and suffered After several more raids down the with the Wanderers striker on the edge of their second straight loss at home. left, Brockie sent an innocuous cross in the penalty box and referee Ben Williams Western Sydney Wanderers 0 the 21st minute that drifted into the immediately produced a red card. Melbourne Victory 2 (Beauchamp wind across Ante Covic’s goal mouth. Ono narrowly missed the ensuing free- 44 OG, Thompson 60) After initially misjudging the flight kick as the NRMA Insurance Western in the wind, Covic slipped when trying Sydney Wanderers started to dominate ROUND 9 VS to change direction and was left prone the undermanned Melbourne side. WELLINGTON PHOENIX and red-faced as the ball floated in slow Shinji Ono’s audacious shot from at Westpac StaDIUM motion into the net on his near side. halfway in the third minute was as Four minutes after replacing Dino close as either side came to an early A brave NRMA Insurance Western Kresinger in the 58th minute, young goal in an even start to the encounter. Sydney Wanderers FC team went striker Joey Gibbs was brought down heavily in the box by Ben Sigmund but the referee was again not interested. Muscat was finally given a yellow card for a professional foul in the 81st minute, the only card given all match. In an opportunity that summed up the Wanderers’ day, Gibbs received the ball 4m out in the 90th minute only for his blistering shot to cannon into the back of a Wellington player point blank in front of goal. Wellington Phoenix 1 (Brockie 21) Courtesy of Beans & Mash Photography Western Sydney Wanderers 0 04 WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS FC VS BRISBANE ROAR FC HERSI IS BACK HERSI Courtesy of Beans & Mash Photography IS BACK NRMA INSURANCE WESTERN was frustrating. And when the team went interacting with the crowd. SYDNEY WANDERERS star to Wellington for the game against the “The supporters are there for you all the YOUSSOUF HERSI SAYS HE IS Phoenix, I couldn’t watch it on TV. time, so I try to give them something a bit DETERMINED TO MAKE UP FOR “I went outside and kept checking different,” he said. “They like to see some leaving THE TEAM short- the score on the internet. It’s too hard skill, and they appreciate it when you HANDED WHEN HE RETURNS to watch when you know you should celebrate with them after the team scores. FROM SUSPENSION AGAINST be out there playing, and you want I just try to give them something back.” BRISBANE ROAR TODAY. to play your part for the team.” Hersi has already had a good Hersi has missed the last two games for experience against the Roar this season. It the Wanderers – both of which were was his cross that set up the goal for Mark losses, against Melbourne Victory and Bridge in their round-four encounter, at Wellington Phoenix – after receiving Suncorp Stadium. It was the first goal for a two-match suspension for retaliation the Wanderers in the Hyundai A-League, in the 1-0 win over Perth Glory. and the only goal of the match. The vastly experienced Dutchman But while that will give Hersi great with the ability to run all day concedes heart going into this game, he is well that while he was angry over being aware of how dangerous Brisbane are.