That Newcastle had five key players missing might explain their serious loss to Sydney United tonight. But it doesn't really explain why so many of their players didn't seem to recognise how important it was to win. Why were they so listless?
The concern for Sydney United is that they should have won 5-0. They won't bother other teams in the top six unless they can convert the easy chances.
United's more senior fans welcomed me to my seat: "You write a good report, okay?" These guys had been my mates for many home games this season. But when they discovered at half time that I wrote for a website they reacted quite negatively. Unlike the United Boys who copied down the Back of the Net URL. Cheers guys.
Sydney were missing the suspended David Huxley plus several others released from the squad midweek. However, they were boosted by new signing Liam Austin from Wollongong Wolves.
Who would win, I asked a Newcastle journo before the game. "Newcastle have to win, or else it's all over."
The United Boys and Girls welcomed their team onto the pitch with a shower of newspaper confetti. And then they sang the national anthem.
The home team didn't start positively, though, with Mark Rudan conceding a free kick just outside the Sydney penalty area. Ryan Griffiths took the kick and Liam Reddy saved at the feet of Craig Deans.
Austin won the ball with a sliding tackle in the Newcastle penalty area and shot over the crossbar, earning praise from the United Boys.
Damon Collina won a corner against Peter Tsekenis. Collina was then pulled up for pulling Robert Middleby's shirt.
Sydney's hero and villain Brendan Santalab beat Deans but Deans made a great tackle back.
In the eighth minute Matthew Langdon was very good cutting in from the right and feeding Santalab's partner up front, Paul Ivanic. But Ivanic's first touch was clumsy and he ruined a great chance.
Collina made a good tackle, intercepting a through ball to Middleby.
Deans was good again, holding off and winning a throw against Ivanic.
In the 12th minute Langdon was impressive keeping the ball during a run at goal and slotting the ball through for Santalab who backheeled to Ivanic who shot wildly across the box.
Middleby rounded Langdon on the right and found Masi on the left, but Masi was shut down by three Sydney players before Anthony Doumanis fouled Joel Thiessen. Newcastle ended up with a corner which Reddy twice failed to gather. Newcastle won a throw before Sydney finally cleared.
Santalab came up with the ball in front of goal but took too long and was caught in possession.
Santalab, then on the right, crossed to Langdon on the left of the Newcastle area. Langdon hit a good shot that was well saved by Thomas Willis.
Sydney was awarded a free kick to the right of the Newcastle penalty area. Esala Masi ran the ball away from his goal but gave it away and then fouled Dean Heffernan.
Santalab brought the ball down well with his chest to the left of goal. He fell under a tackle but was not awarded a penalty.
Less than 20 minutes in and Sydney were on top. But could they keep up the frenetic pace? Ivanic headed a free kick from the right high over the crossbar.
Thiessen received a yellow card for a hit from behind on Collina.
In the 21st minute Langdon hit a beautiful, beautiful ball from the right sideline to the far post, perfect for an unmarked Santalab. Santalab however managed to head wide. It was bread and butter stuff that should have put Sydney into the lead.
But in the 22nd minute Santalab made amends, shielding a through ball away from Michael Prentice and speeding for goal. His shot as he reached the penalty area was fierce, low and too good for Willis. (Perhaps Prentice was unsettled by the United Boys who had been mercilessly taunting him about the height of his waistband.)
Ivanic and Santalab then worked well for Santalab to cross from the left. Too many white shirts were in the way for Ivanic to collect. Ivanic, despite his clumsy moments, was doing a good job finding Santalab with flick-ons off his head.
Newcastle tried to break but Middleby was frustrated, caught offside.
The United Boys got a smile from handlebar moustached referee Perry Mur with chants of, "We love you Merv!" They then got a "wave" from the ref, who held his hand high while a long indirect free kick was in the air.
The home fans could afford to have fun. Newcastle weren't in it. Middleby couldn't beat Rudan but Newcastle got a throw on the left - before Sydney broke down their right and won a corner through the efforts of Ivanic.
A great run through Newcastle players by Austin got Santalab the ball on the edge of the Newcastle penalty area, but there were too many Newcastle legs for Santalab to make any more progress.
The forlorn Newcastle fans in front of me could manage only a few genteel "Come on Newcastle"s. It was probably a mistake for them to sit in front of the vocal United Boys.
Sydney had a lucky moment when a Newcastle goal kick was touched on to Stephen Eagleton wide on the right. Eagleton made a good run into the penalty area and crossed across the face of the goal - Thiessen arriving a few steps too late.
In the 38th minute Masi was good getting the ball across from the right to Mark Wilson who headed back to Eagleton who shot over.
Two minutes later, though, Sydney reasserted themselves. Langdon crossed from the right and Santalab headed down. Austin, sliding in again, connected with the ball and his shot slipped inside the left post. What a debut! More newspaper confetti.
Middleby robbed Collina and fed Griffiths on the left. Griffiths made a good run to the box where he was dispossessed.
Ivanic hit a lovely ball wide left to Heffernan but the Newcastle defence was good clearing Heffernan's cross.
Langdon gave the ball away to Scott Thomas who delivered to Middleby who shot high.
Collina hit a good long ball to Ivanic who found Santalab offside.
Then Ivanic, with plenty of time in front of goal to the right, unselfishly passed to Santalab to his left. Santalab had plenty of room but left-footed his shot wide to the right of goal. As a guy behind me said, it was "A bad miss."
At half time it was 2-0. It should have been 4-0. Newcastle had but one shot on target.
Returning from the shop with my VB and cevapi roll I learned from a United Boy that on February 22, perhaps Sydney's last home game in the NSL family, the local fans and the travelling Glory supporters were planning some good spirited collaboration. Including a rendezvous before the game and a penalty shoot out at half time.
Newcastle won a corner early in the second half and the United Boys sang, "You don't score goals at Edensor."
Newcastle had another break but Masi couldn't beat Michael Cunico. Newcastle came again but Wilson couldn't control with his chest as he ran into the penalty area.
Santalab took on five Newcastle players and won a corner.
Austin made a great anticipatory run down the right to connect with a header back to Ivanic. The United Boys, discovering they now had two Liams, amended one of their most popular chants to "Liam (Austin), Liam (Austin)". Sydney won a free kick after Santalab was sandwiched.
Langdon hit a few off passes.
Wilson got past Austin and crossed from the line. Reddy held low at the post. Newcastle then defended in a similar situation at the other end.
The visitors saw a bit more of the ball. Middleby crossed from the right and Reddy held high.
Heffernan robbed substitute Mitchell Johnson and fed Santalab. Santalab shot and Willis saved. Santalab then fed Cunico who hit a soft shot, easily saved by Willis. The senior fans behind me said, "I can't believe this!"
Anthony Doumanis found Austin in space on the right but Austin couldn't beat Johnson.
Ivanic made a strong run down the left, ruined his execution with a poor final touch but won a corner. Ivanic received the headed clearance and had a great chance to shoot - but slipped over. Angry at himself, Ivanic chased back to make a wonderful tackle at the halfway line.
Rudan gave the ball away to Middleby who crossed for Masi to head over.
Willis was good tackling Santalab on a promising break, fed by Cunico.
Austin's pace again was effective down the right. Austin crossed to Heffernan who couldn't get a shot away.
In the 69th minute Griffiths got a shot on target - right down the throat of Reddy.
Langdon robbed Masi and hit a good long ball for Ivanic who was flagged offside.
In the 75th minute Masi - one of the few Newcastle players who showed any passion - used good skills down the left and centred to Griffiths who shot high.
Three minutes later Masi headed to the right of goal on a decent early cross from the right. Masi surely realised he should have done better.
Masi did some good work again, getting the ball to players on the edge of the Sydney penalty area, but the defence allowed only a rushed shot wide to the right.
In the 82nd minute Griffiths put over a good cross from the left to Masi, but with six players on him Masi did well to even get a shot away, left of goal.
Santalab made a break past Josh Mitchell but Deans shut him down.
In the 85th minute Franco Parisi rounded Johnson to the left, cut back and shot. Willis made a good save.
You certainly wouldn't have thought Newcastle were desperate to win. Middleby and Masi were stranded forward alone, watched by four Sydney defenders.
Parisi beat Mitchell on the right and hit a beautiful ball to Petar Markovic on the left. Markovic struck the ball well but sent it just past the right upright.
Parisi couldn't beat Mitchell a second time but Marko Filipovic got a cross over to the left where Sydney won another corner.
At the final whistle Willis came over to speak to the Newcastle fans. The United Boys gave him some stick, but I felt a bit sorry for him. He hadn't had a bad game.
Sydney's coach Grant Lee said it was a disappointing 2-0 result, but that was the way it had been all season: games where they had enough opportunities to win but they hadn't taken them. "The nice thing about it is that we hit the back of the net tonight, on a couple of occasions."
He thought his team had learned from the indiscipline in the post-Christmas games and would be more careful not to cop silly goals.
Ian Crook said Sydney exploited the space and "did everything better than us tonight. They passed the ball better, they defended better, attacked better. That's as bad as we've been for Š full stop."
He said, "We are having tremendous problems just putting the same structure on week in, week out at the moment Š We've got to find a way to pull ourselves back and put in a challenge." He said for Newcastle to still be in shake-up with the bodies they had lost was a great effort.
He said, "We've lost five players crucial to us being a good side. Take half out of the Perth side; they might finish fourth or fifth, they aren't going to finish first or second."
He said despite the injuries, and a penalty he thought Newcastle should have been awarded, "We were beaten by a better side tonight."
Lee said Austin did very well for Sydney. "He played the full 90 minutes, tucked in, won possession, got forward, got on the end of things and scored a goal himself."
He said his problem with Santalab ("my biggest headache all year") was finding a way to make him do the good things for 90 minutes. "If he could do what he does in that ten or 15 minutes for 90, the kid would be playing overseas."