All the emotion of the Sydney derby hit me as soon as the final whistle went on Saturday night.
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It was a moment of complete happiness and one I will never forget.
For three long years the Wanderers had waited to get one back over Sydney FC and finally we were able to do it with our backs against the wall.
Before kick-off people had already written us off, but we never doubted that we could get the job done, despite the fact the Sky Blues hadn’t lost a game all year.
We believed it was our time and with a great display, we deservedly got a 1-0 win.
The character the boys showed on the night was second to none.
I couldn’t have been more proud of every single one of them.
On top of that, to score the winning goal as well was the stuff of fairy tales.
As a kid you dream about scoring the winner in matches like the derby and I’ve now been lucky enough to do it twice.
The goal was something I had prepared for during the week.
I’d spoke to coach Tony Popovic at length about keeping my composure in situations like that after missing a couple of big chances in the weeks leading up to the match.
I was determined for that not to happen again on one of the biggest stages in the A-League.
Fortunately I got a fantastic ball from Mitch Nichols and was able to do the rest.
I’ve got no doubts it was one of the most important goals of my career to date, given our drought against the Sky Blues at the time and their unbeaten run leading into the match.
It capped off a truly memorable night.
However, roll forward the clock 72 hours and we were reminded how quickly things can change in the world of football by Japanese heavyweights Urawa Red Diamonds.
To be truthful we learned some hard lessons in that Asian Champions League opener.
You simply can’t make mistakes like the ones we did on Tuesday night at that level and they punished us accordingly in the 4-0 defeat.
It was a stern reminder of the level of competition in the ACL.
It also gave me a bit of a flashback to 2014 when we won the tournament.
In our first game that year we were also beaten convincingly at home in a 3-1 loss to Ulsan Hyundai.
But at our next opportunity we were able to bounce back and continued to build momentum from there.
The rest is history.
We went on to become the first Australian team to win the ACL.
That’s our challenge as a club now.
We have to bounce back when we get the chance and be careful not to make the same mistakes again because it will prove costly.
Before our next ACL match, we also have a tough trip across the country to Perth to face the Glory.
Make no mistake, they are a dangerous football side at the moment.
Their attack has been firing on all cylinders in the past couple of weeks where they have banged in 10 goals in their last three A-League matches.
Our defence will need to be water-tight like it was against Sydney FC to nullify them in the attacking third.
If we can replicate our performance from last weekend against the Sky Blues, I’ve got no doubt it will put us in a strong position to win again.
Three points in Perth remain at a premium in our fight to cement our spot in the top-six. Another win could allow us to put a buffer on the chasing pack and give us every chance of making finals this season.
- UPCOMING GAMES
A-League
Perth Glory v Western Sydney Wanderers
Nib Stadium (Saturday, 10pm AEDST)
Asian Champions League
Shanghai East Asia v Western Sydney Wanderers
Shanghai Stadium (Tuesday 10.3pm AEDST)
