Adelaide back on top on A-League table and Asian C.L. Entry

[U LEGS]

Adelaide back on top on A-League table
The Age - October 30, 2005

Adelaide resumed its position as A-League pacesetters by breaking clear of a packed field as the inaugural competition neared the halfway mark this weekend.

After dropping a four-point advantage with back-to-back losses earlier in the month, the Reds have now beaten Queensland and Melbourne away from home in consecutive weeks to jump three points ahead of second-placed Sydney FC.

With just four points separating second and seventh, Adelaide's advantage gives them the inside running to secure a finals berth over the final 11 rounds of the regular season.

After watching the Reds beat the Victory 1-0 on Friday, Sydney FC blew a golden opportunity to join United as runaway leaders after being held to a 1-1 draw with Newcastle on Sunday.

Sydney dominated in wet conditions, but came unstuck when defender Iain Fyfe slipped and allowed Ante Milicic to equalise just four minutes after David Carney put the home side in front.

Newcastle coach Richard Money was pleased to leave Sydney with a point, but left special praise after the game for the efforts of John Kosmina's Adelaide, who the Jets beat 4-2 just two weeks ago.

"We all have to hold our hands up to Adelaide, after we've beaten them they've gone away and won in Queensland and won in Melbourne, and I've got nothing but respect for those two results, they are a good team," Money said.

Adelaide (20 points), has now won five of six away games this season to lead Sydney (17).

The Melbourne Victory (15) remained third despite suffering their second straight loss. They are positioned just ahead of Central Coast (15) on goal difference after the Mariners' 3-1 victory over cellar dwellers the New Zealand Knights on Saturday.

Influential Mariners midfielder Tom Pondeljak, who set up two goals against the Knights, suffered a fractured wrist in the clash and is expected to miss the next four weeks.

Newcastle (14) follow in fifth place, ahead of Perth on goal difference, and the Queensland Roar (13), who drop to seventh after a frustrating 0-0 draw with the Glory on Saturday.

The Knights (three) continue to languish at the bottom of the table after their seventh straight loss.

The Roar became the first club to pass the 100,000 attendance mark with its crowd of 13,685 on Saturday.

Suncorp Stadium, though, hasn't been the happiest of hunting grounds for the team itself with the Roar winning just one of six games at home.

Meanwhile, a place in the top two at the end of the season may not prove as lucrative as first thought with reports A-League clubs will have to wait until 2007 to gain entry into the Asian Champions League.

Australia will be welcomed into the Asian Football Confederation on January 1, 2006 and it was hoped the two leading Australian teams would take part in next year's competition.

But AFC president Mohammed Bin Hammam told SBS television the timing of the A-League meant such a scenario was not possible.

He said as A-League entrants would not be confirmed until the end of the season in early March, no Australian team would be eligible for the draw of the 2006 Champions League in December.

[scott]

With our home game this week, it becomes crucial. I think we've only won one game at Hindmarsh this season, so if we can break our not-winning-very-much-at-home hoodoo, we can incrase our buffer at the pinnacle of the table.

[U LEGS]

We should beat the Glory if Mori gets payed out profusely!

[SBR]

Should be able to beat the Glory at home, if we're serious about staying at the top of the table then we will, which we are.

[Jimmy]

Whats the ladder or better still, a website for the A league

[MagicKiwi]

http://www.a-league.com.au/

[U LEGS]

or

http://www.adelaideunited.com.au