It’s never a dull moment when Macarthur FC are playing at home and last night’s 2-0 win over Melbourne City was no different.
The match itself – the 100th in the A-League for the Bulls – was a pulsating, end to end encounter that was worthy of a final.
But the off field drama commanded just as much attention, starting with thunder and lightning over Campbelltown that forced kick off back almost an hour.
And then there was the Bullpen, whose members stood on the grass of the southern hill because they could not buy tickets to the seating near the fence.
Their regular spot was covered by a Campbelltown Council logo.
All this was in response to the Bullpen’s passionate response to a Bulls goal during last week’s AFC Cup final against the Mariners.
Just after half time last night the Bullpen made their own statement, unfurling a banner that read: Passion is not a crime.
Then they went back to chanting and singing, happy that the Bulls, 10 minutes into the second half had grabbed a 2-0 lead, courtesy of two goals by exciting young winger Bernardo.
The first 45 minutes saw both teams create several goal scoring opportunities, but they just couldn’t put any away, heading to the break at 0-0.
It didn’t take long for the game to explode in the second half, with a barnstorming run on the right by Raphael Borges Rodrigues finished off by Bernardo’s clinical finish for his first goal.
Nine minutes later Bulls captain Ulises Davila laid it on a platter for Bernardo, who threaded the needle with his shot, the ball hitting the bottom of the right post and bouncing into the back of the net.
Bulls keeper Filip Kurto, whose legendary status is growing every match, was kept busy making saves in the last 10 minutes of the match as the visitors made a last ditch attempt to score.
Kurto put his body on the line on one occasion during added time and came off second best, needing treatment, pictured above.
He eventually got up and finished the match, to the relief of the Bulls coaching staff and fans.
It was the first ever Macarthur win over Melbourne City in nine clashes.
The three premiership points helped the Bulls jump to third place on the A-League ladder, but with more games to play this weekend the worse they could end up on Monday morning is fourth.
Macarthur will host Central Coast Mariners, who are second on the ladder, next Sunday, 5pm kickoff.
