When Macarthur FC finally run out on to the field at Campbelltown Stadium for the first time next Sunday they will do so as competition leaders.
The Bulls jumped to the top of the A-League ladder after their 2-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers last night at Parramatta.
The victory was built off the back of a mighty defensive effort once again, with debutant Adrian Mariappa a standout.
In the first half the Bulls were under the pump from a Wanderers side launching numerous attacking raids.
But despite some clever moves by the home side, which enjoyed 60 percent of possession, the Macarthur FC defence stayed composed.
The match continued in the same vein in the second half, but signs were emerging that the Bulls were about to pounce as frustration set in among the Wanderers.
And that’s exactly what they did, scoring two goals in the space of nine minutes.
Sixty-three minutes into the game big defender Tomislav Uskok took two attempts to finally smash the ball into the back of the net, before racing away to celebrate like it was 1999 (pictured).
Nine minutes later Jake Hollman scored his first ever A-League goal after receiving a lovely pass from Daniel De Silva, who put him one on one with the Wanderers goalie.
Cool as a cucumber, Hollman drilled the ball past the goalie, on to the bottom of the upright and into the net.
A humble young man, Hollman said in a post match interview that while he was happy he had scored his maiden goal, the team winning the match was the most important thing.
Hopefully Macarthur FC can keep players like Hollman, Charles M’mombwa, Lachlan Rose and Michael Ruhs for a few years.
All of them are still developing while playing in a team that also boasts very experienced players like Craig Noone, who wore the captain’s armband last night in the absence of Ulises Davila.
In the hands of head coach Ante Milicic, this Macarthur FC is side is already superior to the one that was one match away from playing in the grand final last season.
Hopefully the fans will turn up in big numbers next Sunday at Campbelltown Stadium when the Bulls will host the Newcastle Jets in rounds five.
Newcastle smashed Wellington Phoenix 4-0, so they are also a team on the rise, and it should be a cracker of a football game.
