Melbourne Victory had a comfortable win against New Zealand at a sunny Olympic Park on Saturday evening in the contractual obligation game which ended both sides' participation in the competition. The win ended Melbourne's horror stretch during which it earnt just two wins in the twelve intervening matches since defeating Sydney FC five-nil in Melbourne, one of those also against the Knights.
The game's scoreline misleads. New Zealand was comprehensively beaten, and scored in the last seconds of second-half added time in what was its first attack of any note.
Mark Byrnes put Victory ahead with just two minutes gone, heading in a Kristian Sarkies' corner at the far-post which had eluded a forest of players seeking to make a touch at the near-post. Byrnes got to it on the bounce and hit it on its rise.
Kevin Muscat converted a penalty after a foul by John Tambouras on Danny Allsopp just before the first-half's midpoint, to make it two.
Jeremy Brockie got New Zealand's consolation goal, making a clever run behind Victory's defence onto a through-ball and slotting home past the otherwise under-employed Michael Theoklitos.
But for that moment, New Zealand Knights' players looked as if they'd concluded their season before disembarking at Tullamarine such was the lack of endeavour and fight affecting most of the team. True enough, neither side would take any further part in the inaugural A-League season after the game's final whistle, and New Zealand especially had had a horror year, but it was clear this game could not end soon enough for the visitors.
Melbourne Victory too had only pride to play for. Perhaps the desire not to fail in front of the loyal home support and so end a disappointing season with an ignominious loss to the league's basement team ¬‚ New Zealand had just one win all season coming into the game - was enough of a spur.
Victory coach Ernie Merrick agreed that it had been the most one-sided game in the history of football to have ended two-one. "It sums up our season," he said. "Our defence had hardly allowed (Knights) a shot at goal, our midfield had created lots of chances, and our strikers got on the end of things. Goalkeepers always have a fantastic game against us. So does the woodwork."
Knights' coach John Adshead could point to the scoreboard as the reason for his post-match chirpiness. "Two-one away ¬‚ it's not a bad result," he said.
"You might say it's flattering, and you might have a point. But then again, you might look at it and say (that) at times there was some very good defending." It was perhaps a trick of the media-conference's acoustics, but as he said this, there was the faint sound of the theme tune from ’ÄòThe Life of Brian' echoing away in the background.
The game could have been a rout before the interval. From a Sarkies' corner shortly after the one which produced the opener, Carl Recchia crashed a powerful header off the bar. Byrnes followed up the rebound with a shot which Sam Jasper headed clear off the line.
Richard Kitzbichler, who was leaving Victory to return to play in Austria after a successful season in Melbourne, was given a suitable send-off at half-time, allowing the fans who had appreciated his speed and attacking qualities an opportunity to show their thanks. Kitzbichler had shown the A-League's ability to attract elite quality footballers from Europe to mix with the exciting young home-grown talent.
Tambouras and Allsopp had been the only pair to have decided to duel, and did so throughout the game. Tambouras had been booked for the challenge on Allsopp which won Victory the penalty and thereafter needed to tread a fine line. Referee Angelo Nardi must have had to give serious consideration whether to pull out a second yellow for either one of two subsequent Tambouras fouls on Allsopp. That he kept his card in his pocket allowed the only genuine battle of the afternoon in an otherwise lukewarm encounter to continue without premature end.
But it was otherwise a passionless affair, the mood more akin to a practice or exhibition match rather than a league encounter. Victory didn't need to exert itself, so didn't. The support knew no matter how it urged its team, Victory's season would conclude before sunset. The campaign could not end soon enough.
The muted Victory support only came into life for a short time after the break when a section behind the northern goal expressed its heartfelt desire to see the departure of Merrick. The same section had wished a similar fate on the football writer for one of Melbourne's major dailies, so they'd clearly grasped the possibilities of the new federal workplace laws even if they lacked the ability to implement them.
Knights was scarcely in the contest, winning just a single corner in the first half, and just two all game, and mounting not even a single credible attack until deep into added time.
The balance of play remained heavily in Victory's favour in the second half. In a ten-minute period just after the hour, Victory had a bagful of chances, none of them taken. Sarkies had the first when he beat the Knights' offside trap running onto a Michael Ferrante through-ball. Sarkies' shot was pushed clear by Moss' foot. Allsopp was making a run in support but the ball ran over the line before he could reach it.
Just a minute later, Ferrante sent in another ball, this time from the right. Ricky Diaco, who had been introduced at half-time for Andy Vlahos, stretched but only just failed to get a touch. Allsopp, again making a supporting run at the far-post, also just failed to reach what would have been a standard tap-in.
Two minutes later, Muscat found himself set free in the Knights' penalty area after Diaco had short-passed to him. Muscat danced past one defender but was unable to find the target when attempting to slip it by Moss.
Then Muscat showed another part of his repertoire when he volleyed a half-clearance from 25 metres after spotting Moss off his line. Moss frantically back-pedalled to pull off a one-handed save, conceding the corner.
Then Allsopp won a chase for a long ball, outpacing Tambouras, and leaping to get a boot to the ball as Moss came out to meet him. Allsopp's touch sent the ball goalwards, but Tambouras, continuing his run, was able to scramble clear off the line.
Merrick drew some comfort from the way he'd developed his team, despite finishing out of the Finals. "We know we've got a solid squad for the future," he said. "All our players, apart from two, played in the NSL or overseas. We've got a good foundation, we've got a good crowd. There's no flares, there's a lot of families who come to watch us, (and) our quality of football (is good)."
For the Knights, Adshead indicated there would be a root-and-branch shake-up. Asked to nominate a number of players in his squad who would still be involved in next year's campaign he was startlingly direct. "Somewhere between seven and an outside maximum of probably ten."
"When we come here next year, you will not be looking at a performance like that. I know the personnel (who are) needed."