Despite the disappointment of knowing their home ground will continue to be unavailable in the short term, Macarthur FC produced an almost perfect performance last night in their 1-0 win over Sydney FC.
A goal by Lachie Rose 17 minutes into the first half was all the Bulls needed to bring the three points back to Campbelltown.
A day earlier it was announced their next home game in round three against the Central Coast Mariners would be played at Penrith Stadium next Sunday, December 5, with a 4.05 kickoff.
It was not made clear when Campbelltown Stadium will be fit for an A-League game.
“We look forward to working with Campbelltown Stadium in the lead up to the following home match against Newcastle Jets on Sunday, December 19,’’ Macarthur FC said in a media statement.
In round four the Bulls head to Parramatta to take on Western Sydney Wanderers on December 11.
A week later on Boxing Day is the blockbuster all Bulls fans will be hoping can be played at Campbelltown: hosting Sydney FC.
Judging by last night’s performance at Kogarah, the Bulls are a team on the rise, while Sydney FC are in decline.
The home side enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, especially in the first half, but that’s just about the only statistic in their favour.
Macarthur FC were faster, stronger and indeed smarter than the home side, both in attack and defence.
We’re only in round two of the premiership and yet it seems Bulls coach Ante Milicic has done it again, building a very competitive team virtually from scratch in super quick time.
Last year was the first ever season, so it was definitely from scratch, and the Bulls fell short of making the grand final by just one game.
This season’s challenge was arguably harder for Milicic, who lost a dozen players in the off season for various reasons.
Some of them were big names, including Matt Derbyshire, former Socceroos Mark Milligan, Adam Federici and Ivan Franjic and current national team member Denis Genreau.
But Milicic, who is known for his strategic nous, responded by replacing them with some quality players, including Craig Noone, who was lively again last night.
Indeed Noone earned his team a penalty when he was brought down inside the box, however the officials decreed there was no foul.
Last night also saw the debut of another new star signing, Tomi Juric, who came in as a replacement in the second half.
The big centre forward caused plenty of headaches for Sydney FC, although he didn’t get on the scoresheet.
“I thought we defended well throughout the game,’’ Bulls coach Ante Milicic said after the match.
“We looked decent on the counter, probably could have taken advantage of a few more situations, but I was really pleased with the effort that the boys put in.’’
