1996 National Soccer League Grand Final
The 1996 National Soccer League Grand Final was the first grand final to be held under the A-League name after the short-lived rebranding of the National Soccer League (NSL) began before the 1995–96 season. Melbourne Knights defeated Marconi-Fairfield 2–1 to win their second consecutive grand final.[1][2]
| Event | 1995–96 National Soccer League | ||||||
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| Date | 26 May 1996 | ||||||
| Venue | Olympic Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Andrew Marth (Joe Marston Medal) | ||||||
| Referee | Eddie Lennie | ||||||
| Attendance | 14,256 | ||||||
Route to the final
Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights were the first team into the grand final defeating Marconi-Fairfield 3–2 over two legs in the major semi-final.[3]
Marconi-Fairfield
After losing the major semi-final to the Knights, Marconi-Fairfield followed up with a 4–1 win over Adelaide City in the preliminary final to book their place in the grand final.[3][4][5]
Pre-match
Venue selection
With Melbourne Knights the first into the final, there was speculation that the Knights would host the match at Somers Street, however Soccer Australia announced on 12 May that the match would be played at Olympic Park.[3]
Match
Details
| 26 May 1996 Grand final | Melbourne Knights | 2–1 | Marconi-Fairfield | Melbourne, Australia |
| 15:00 | Andrew Marth 58' Adrian Cervinski 74' |
Report | Andy Harper 78' | Stadium: Olympic Park Attendance: 14,256 Referee: Eddie Lennie |
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Match rules
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References
- Cockerill, Mike (13 September 1995). "Hill gets nod for A-League". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- Cockerill, Michael (26 May 1996). "It's two in a row for Knights". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
Melbourne Knights 2 (A Marth 58th A Cervinski 75th) bt Marconi 1 (A Harper 80th). Referee: E Lennie. Crowd: 14,258 at Olympic Park. For once the game matched the occasion as the Melbourne Knights confirmed their favouritism with a stylish 2-1 win over Marconi-Fairfield in yesterday's A-League grand final.
- Cockerill, Michael (13 May 1996). "Knights Favoured At Home". The Sydney Morning Herald.
After a 1-0 win in the first leg at Somers Street, the Knights followed with a gutsy 2-2 draw in the return leg at Bossley Park on Saturday night, securing a 3-2 win on aggregate.
- Cockerill, Michael (20 May 1996). "Marconi Rediscover Themselves In Time". The Sydney Morning Herald.
Experience ultimately triumphed over youth as Marconi-Fairfield gave themselves genuine encouragement for next weekend's grand final by eliminating Adelaide City 4-1 in convincing style at Parramatta Stadium yesterday.
- Cockerill, Michael (25 May 1996). "We're hungry enough to win, claim underdogs Marconi". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2020-06-03 – via Newspapers.com.