2005–06 A-League

The 2005–06 A-League was the 29th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the inaugural season of the A-League. After over 12 months without a national professional club competition since the close of the 2003–04 National Soccer League season, the first match in the A-League was played on 26 August 2005. The competition was made up of a triple round robin league stage before a championship playoff featuring the top four teams.

A-League
Season2005–06
Dates26 August 2005 – 5 March 2006
ChampionsSydney FC (1st title)
PremiersAdelaide United (1st title)
Champions LeagueSydney FC
Adelaide United
Matches played84
Goals scored232 (2.76 per match)
Top goalscorerAlex Brosque
Bobby Despotovski
Archie Thompson
Stewart Petrie
(8 goals)
Best goalkeeperClint Bolton
Biggest home winMelbourne Victory 5–0 Sydney FC
(16 October 2005)
Biggest away winNewcastle Jets 0–5 Queensland Roar
(26 January 2006)
Highest attendance25,557
Lowest attendance1,922
Average attendance10,955

Of the eight participants, four came from the National Soccer League (1977–2004): Perth Glory (established 1995), New Zealand Knights (1999), Newcastle Jets (2000) and Adelaide United (2003). New Zealand Knights had previously entered the NSL as the Auckland Football Kingz, but were significantly restructured and have a vastly different playing roster. Queensland Roar previously competed in the NSL from 1977 to 1988 and had competed in the Queensland State League since then as Brisbane Lions.

Adelaide United were named Premiers after finishing the season seven points clear at the top of the league. The first A-League Grand Final took place on 5 March 2006, with Sydney FC becoming the league's inaugural Champions, defeating the Central Coast Mariners 1–0.

Clubs
Further information: A-League § Clubs
Team City Home Ground Capacity
Adelaide United Adelaide Hindmarsh Stadium 17,000
Central Coast Mariners Gosford Bluetongue Stadium 20,119
Melbourne Victory Melbourne Olympic Park Stadium 18,500
Newcastle Jets Newcastle Energy Australia Stadium 26,164
New Zealand Knights Auckland North Harbour Stadium 25,000
Perth Glory Perth nib Stadium 20,500
Queensland Roar Brisbane Suncorp Stadium 52,500
Sydney FC Sydney Aussie Stadium 42,500

Foreign players
Club Visa 1 Visa 2 Visa 3 Visa 4 Non-Visa foreigner(s) Former player(s)
Adelaide United Brazil Fernando China Qu Shengqing
Central Coast Mariners Germany André Gumprecht Republic of Ireland Wayne O'Sullivan Scotland Stewart Petrie Malta John Hutchinson2
Scotland Ian Ferguson3
Melbourne Victory Austria Richard Kitzbichler Belgium Geoffrey Claeys
New Zealand Knights China Zhang Xiaobin England Darren Bazeley England Ben Collett England Neil Emblen China Li Yan3
England Ronnie Bull3
Japan Naoki Imaya3
Netherlands Frank van Eijs3
Republic of Ireland Sean Devine1		 England Simon Yeo
Newcastle Jets England Guy Bates Uruguay Mateo Corbo New Zealand Vaughan Coveny1
Perth Glory England Steve McMahon Japan Hiroyuki Ishida New Zealand Danny Hay Solomon Islands Henry Fa'arodo England Stuart Young1
Serbia Milan Jovanić3
Queensland Roar Brazil Reinaldo Switzerland Remo Buess Uruguay Osvaldo Carro South Korea Seo Hyuk-su1
Sydney FC Northern Ireland Terry McFlynn Trinidad and Tobago Dwight Yorke United States Alejandro Salazar Japan Kazuyoshi Miura4

The following do not fill a Visa position:
1Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Australian Residency (and New Zealand Residency, in the case of Wellington Phoenix);
2Australian residents (and New Zealand residents, in the case of Wellington Phoenix) who have chosen to represent another national team;
3Injury Replacement Players, or National Team Replacement Players;
4Guest Players (eligible to play a maximum of ten games)

Salary cap exemptions and captains
Club Marquee Captain Vice-Captain
Adelaide United China Qu Shengqing[1] Australia Ross Aloisi[2] None
Central Coast Mariners None Australia Noel Spencer[3] None
Melbourne Victory Australia Archie Thompson[4][5] Australia Kevin Muscat[6] None
New Zealand Knights None New Zealand Danny Hay[7]
England Darren Bazeley[note 1][9]		 None
Newcastle Jets Australia Ned Zelic[10] Australia Ned Zelic[11][12][13] None
Perth Glory England Brian Deane[14][note 2] Australia Jamie Harnwell[15] None
Queensland Roar None Australia Chad Gibson[16] None
Sydney FC Trinidad and Tobago Dwight Yorke[17] Australia Mark Rudan[18] None

Preliminary Competitions

Two competitions were held prior to the start of the A-League season.

Oceania Club Championship Qualification
Main article: 2005 Australian Club World Championship Qualifying Tournament

This three-round competition was held in May 2005 to determine Australia's qualifier for the 2005 season of the Oceania Club Championship. It consisted of all Australian A-League clubs (i.e. all clubs except for the New Zealand Knights) and granted Perth Glory – the reigning NSL champions – a bye into the semi-finals.

Round 1
(7 May) 		Semi-finals
(11 May) 		Finals
(15 May)
      
Perth Glory 1
Sydney FC 2
Sydney FC 3
Queensland Roar 0
Sydney FC 1
Central Coast Mariners 0
Central Coast Mariners (p) 0 (4)
Newcastle Jets 0 (2)
Central Coast Mariners 4
Adelaide United 0
Adelaide United (p) 0 (4)
Melbourne Victory 0 (1)

Sydney FC qualified for and subsequently won the 2005 Oceania Club Championship entitling it to a place in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship to be played in Tokyo.

Pre-Season Challenge Cup
Main article: 2005 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup

The inaugural pre-season cup was held in July and August in the lead up to the start of the A-League season. The competition featured a group stage and a knockout stage. Commentators did not give much weight to the competition as a guide for performance during the season proper, as injuries or club strategic policy ruled that many teams did not use their best players and often used experimental tactics.

Group stage

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Melbourne Victory 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5 2005–06 Pre-Season Cup Semi-finals
2 Perth Glory 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
3 Adelaide United 3 0 3 0 3 3 0 3
4 Newcastle Jets 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
Source:

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Sydney FC 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 7 2005–06 Pre-Season Cup Semi-finals
2 Central Coast Mariners 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
3 Queensland Roar 3 1 1 1 6 3 +3 4
4 New Zealand Knights 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0
Source:

Finals
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
12 August
 
 
Melbourne Victory1
 
21 August
 
Central Coast Mariners3
 
Central Coast Mariners1
 
14 August
 
Perth Glory0
 
Sydney FC0
 
 
Perth Glory1
 

The Central Coast Mariners were the inaugural Pre-season Challenge Cup winners.

Regular season

The A-League season commenced on 26 August 2005 with two Friday night fixtures. Games each round were held throughout the weekend, though certain rounds also featured Thursday night games. As there was no concurrent cup competition, midweek fixtures were uncommon unless they were held on Australian public holidays. A three-week break was also scheduled in December to coincide with the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup in Tokyo.

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Adelaide United 21 13 4 4 33 25 +8 43 Qualification for 2007 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series
2 Sydney FC (C) 21 10 6 5 35 28 +7 36
3 Central Coast Mariners 21 8 8 5 35 28 +7 32 Qualification for Finals series
4 Newcastle Jets 21 9 4 8 27 29 −2 31
5 Perth Glory 21 8 5 8 34 29 +5 29
6 Queensland Roar 21 7 7 7 27 22 +5 28
7 Melbourne Victory 21 7 5 9 26 24 +2 26
8 New Zealand Knights[lower-alpha 1] 21 1 3 17 15 47 −32 6
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. New Zealand Knights cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.

Round 1
26 August 2005 Perth Glory 0–1 Central Coast Mariners Members Equity Stadium, Perth
20:00 UTC+8 Report
Summary		 Spencer 66' Attendance: 11,113
Referee: Ben Williams
26 August 2005 Newcastle Jets 0–1 Adelaide United EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Veart 19' Attendance: 13,160
Referee: New Zealand Peter O'Leary
28 August 2005 Queensland Roar 2–0 New Zealand Knights Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
15:00 UTC+10 Brosque 80'
Baird 86'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 20,725
Referee: Matthew Breeze
28 August 2005 Sydney FC 1–1 Melbourne Victory Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+10 Yorke 44' Report
Summary		 Thompson 73' Attendance: 25,208
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 2
2 September 2005 Adelaide United 0–0 Queensland Roar Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+9:30 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 11,029
Referee: Ben Williams
2 September 2005 New Zealand Knights 1–3 Sydney FC North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+12 Rose 69' Report
Summary		 Rudan 25'
Bingley 73'
Middleby 90+4'		 Attendance: 9,827
Referee: New Zealand Peter O'Leary
4 September 2005 Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Newcastle Jets Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
15:00 UTC+10 Petrie 69' Report
Summary		 Milicic 25' Attendance: 5,917
Referee: Mark Shield
4 September 2005 Melbourne Victory 2–2 Perth Glory Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+10 Kitzbichler 11'
Muscat 85' (pen.)		 Report
Summary		 Caceres 40'
Despotovski 56'		 Attendance: 17,960
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 3
9 September 2005 Adelaide United 1–0 Melbourne Victory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+9:30 Brain 1' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 8,785
Referee: Peter O'Leary
10 September 2005 Perth Glory 2–1 Queensland Roar Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:35 UTC+8 Despotovski 54', 72' Report
Summary		 Moon 76' Attendance: 8,509
Referee: Simon Przydacz
10 September 2005 Central Coast Mariners 0–2 New Zealand Knights Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:35 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Yeo 69'
Devine 80'		 Attendance: 5,261
Referee: Ben Williams
11 September 2005 Newcastle Jets 2–1 Sydney FC EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+10 Milicic 6'
Johnson 18'		 Report
Summary		 Yorke 78' Attendance: 9,127
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 4
16 September 2005 Sydney FC 2–3 Central Coast Mariners Aussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+10 Packer 13'
Yorke 72'		 Report
Summary		 Petrie 20' (pen.)
Gumprecht 35'
Spencer 90+1'		 Attendance: 15,614
Referee: New Zealand Peter O'Leary
17 September 2005 Perth Glory 1–2 Adelaide United Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:35 UTC+8 Valkanis 20' (o.g.) Report
Summary		 Aloisi 32'
Qu 65'		 Attendance: 8,052
Referee: Matthew Breeze
18 September 2005 Queensland Roar 1–1 Melbourne Victory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
15:00 UTC+10 Baird 62' Report
Summary		 Allsopp 88' Attendance: 15,444
Referee: Ben Williams
18 September 2005 Newcastle Jets 4–0 New Zealand Knights EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+10 Haliti 12'
Thompson 26'
Musialik 37'
Carle 70' (pen.)		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 7,495
Referee: Simon Przydacz

Round 5
22 September 2005 New Zealand Knights 0–1 Perth Glory North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+12 Report
Summary		 Harnwell 68' Attendance: 4,138
Referee: Neil Fox
23 September 2005 Queensland Roar 1–3 Sydney FC Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
20:00 UTC+10 Timpano 50' (o.g.) Report
Summary		 Corica 5', 67'
McFlynn 68'		 Attendance: 23,142
Referee: Matthew Breeze
25 September 2005 Melbourne Victory 1–0 Newcastle Jets Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+10 Thompson 68' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 13,831
Referee: Craig Zetter
25 September 2005 Adelaide United 1–1 Central Coast Mariners Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
17:00 UTC+9:30 Valkanis 34' Report
Summary		 Kwasnik 19' Attendance: 7,013
Referee: Angelo Nardi

Round 6
30 September 2005 Central Coast Mariners 1–2 Melbourne Victory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+10 Heffernan 33' Report
Summary		 Thompson 73'
Leijer 81'		 Attendance: 9,313
Referee: Ben Williams
1 October 2005 Newcastle Jets 0–1 Queensland Roar EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
19:35 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Moon 68' Attendance: 7,436
Referee: Strebre Delovski
1 October 2005 Perth Glory 1–2 Sydney FC Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:35 UTC+8 Despotovski 40' Report
Summary		 Petrovski 48'
Yorke 65'		 Attendance: 13,157
Referee: Matthew Breeze
2 October 2005 New Zealand Knights 1–2 Adelaide United North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
18:00 UTC+12 Yeo 44' Report
Summary		 Dodd 34'
Qu 81'		 Attendance: 3,558
Referee: New Zealand Peter O'Leary

Round 7
7 October 2005 Queensland Roar 1–1 Central Coast Mariners Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
20:00 UTC+10 Seo 57' Report
Summary		 Spencer 41' Attendance: 13,195
Referee: Perry Mur
8 October 2005 Newcastle Jets 1–5 Perth Glory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
19:30 UTC+10 Parisi 72' Report
Summary		 Mori 33', 62'
Harnwell 46'
Despotovski 52'
Sekulovski 80'		 Attendance: 5,868
Referee: James Lewis
9 October 2005 Sydney FC 2–1 Adelaide United Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+10 Carney 54'
Petrovski 88'		 Report
Summary		 Valkanis 51' Attendance: 18,276
Referee: Mark Shield
10 October 2005 Melbourne Victory 3–0 New Zealand Knights Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+10 Kitzbichler 23'
Muscat 62'
Diaco 64'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 11,010
Referee: Peter Green

Round 8
14 October 2005 Adelaide United 2–4 Newcastle Jets Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+9:30 Valkanis 38'
Corbo 67' (o.g.)		 Report
Summary		 Kemp 12' (o.g.)
Carle 22', 89'
Zelic 68'		 Attendance: 13,182
Referee: Mark Shield
16 October 2005 Melbourne Victory 5–0 Sydney FC Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
13:00 UTC+10 Kitzbichler 34'
Muscat 53' (pen.), 78' (pen.)
Thompson 57', 69'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 18,206
Referee: Matthew Breeze
16 October 2005 Central Coast Mariners 4–0 Perth Glory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
17:00 UTC+10 Petrie 14', 48'
Heffernan 85'
Spencer 90+3'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 6,494
Referee: Ben Williams
16 October 2005 New Zealand Knights 0–2 Queensland Roar North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
18:00 UTC+12 Report
Summary		 Seo 8'
Baird 57'		 Attendance: 4,182
Referee: Simon Przydacz

Round 9
21 October 2005 Sydney FC 2–0 New Zealand Knights Aussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+10 Petrovski 10'
Carney 30'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 11,836
Referee: Ben Williams
22 October 2005 Queensland Roar 1–2 Adelaide United Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:30 UTC+10 Brownlie 76' Report
Summary		 Fernando 59'
Pantelis 89'		 Attendance: 15,181
Referee: New Zealand Peter O'Leary
23 October 2005 Newcastle Jets 1–0 Central Coast Mariners Energy Australia Stadium
17:00 UTC+10 Parisi 88' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 9,371
Referee: Matthew Breeze
23 October 2005 Perth Glory 2–1 Melbourne Victory Members Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+8 Deane 22'
Sekulovski 55'		 Report
Summary		 Thompson 39' Attendance: 12,312
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 10
28 October 2005 Melbourne Victory 0–1 Adelaide United Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Veart 83' Attendance: 16,201
Referee: Matthew Breeze
29 October 2005 Queensland Roar 0–0 Perth Glory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:30 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 13,685
Referee: Simon Przydacz
29 October 2005 New Zealand Knights 1–3 Central Coast Mariners North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+12 Yeo 7' (pen.) Report
Summary		 Heffernan 4'
Petrie 49', 72' (pen.)		 Attendance: 2,583
Referee: Neil Fox
30 October 2005 Sydney FC 1–1 Newcastle Jets Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+10 Carney 73' Report
Summary		 Milicic 77' Attendance: 9,132
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 11
4 November 2005 New Zealand Knights 2–4 Newcastle Jets North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+13 Brockie 71', 77' Report
Summary		 Milicic 18', 28', 56'
Thompson 21'		 Attendance: 2,561
Referee: Matthew Breeze
4 November 2005 Melbourne Victory 0–1 Queensland Roar Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Report
Summary		 McKay 15' Attendance: 13,239
Referee: Mark Shield
5 November 2005 Central Coast Mariners 1–5 Sydney FC Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+11 Hutchinson 40' Report
Summary		 Yorke 9' (pen.)
Talay 14'
Petrovski 23', 68', 83'		 Attendance: 10,529
Referee: Simon Przydacz
6 November 2005 Adelaide United 2–4 Perth Glory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+10:30 Veart 13' (pen.)
Rees 53'		 Report
Summary		 Mori 9', 34', 45+1'
Despotovski 39' (pen.)		 Attendance: 10,868
Referee: Ben Williams

Round 12
11 November 2005 Perth Glory 3–0 New Zealand Knights Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:00 UTC+8 Ward 69'
Sekulovski 25'
Despotovski 12'		 Attendance: 9,667
Referee: Craig Zetter
11 November 2005 Melbourne Victory 0–0 Newcastle Jets Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Attendance: 12,407
Referee: Simon Przydacz
13 November 2005 Central Coast Mariners 1–2 Adelaide United Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
15:00 UTC+11 Hutchinson 12' Rech 90'
Dodd 85'		 Attendance: 5,467
Referee: New Zealand Peter O'Leary
13 November 2005 Sydney FC 1–0 Queensland Roar Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11 Zdrillic 54' Attendance: 13,030
Referee: Ben Williams

Round 13
18 November 2005 Melbourne Victory 0–2 Central Coast Mariners Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Heffernan 75'
Hutchinson 38'		 Attendance: 13,892
Referee: Ben Williams
19 November 2005 Sydney FC 0–0 Perth Glory Aussie Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+11 Attendance: 16,242
Referee: Matthew Breeze
20 November 2005 Adelaide United 1–0 New Zealand Knights Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+10.30 Qu 38' Attendance: 9,676
Referee: Angelo Nardi
20 November 2005 Queensland Roar 0–1 Newcastle Jets Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
18:00 UTC+10 Thompson 34' Attendance: 13,004
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 14
25 November 2005 Central Coast Mariners 2–2 Queensland Roar Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+11 Heffernan 89'
Osman 56'		 Brosque 7', 78' Attendance: 5,194
Referee: Matthew Breeze
25 November 2005 Perth Glory 0–1 Newcastle Jets Members Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+8 Coveny 47' Attendance: 7,921
Referee: Simon Przydacz
26 November 2005 New Zealand Knights 2–3 Melbourne Victory North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+13 Devine 40' (pen.)
Christie 30'		 Kitzbichler 43', 73'
Muscat 28' (pen.)		 Attendance: 1,922
Referee: New Zealand Peter O'Leary
27 November 2005 Adelaide United 3–2 Sydney FC Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+10.30 Rech 4', 84'
Veart 14'		 Miura 33', 76' Attendance: 14,068
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 15
1 December 2005 Queensland Roar 1–1 New Zealand Knights Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10 Brownlie 28' Yeo 44' Attendance: 8,607
Referee: James Lewis
2 December 2005 Newcastle Jets 1–2 Adelaide United EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+11 Johnson 59' Brain 79'
Veart 75'		 Attendance: 10,132
Referee: Simon Przydacz
3 December 2005 Sydney FC 2–1 Melbourne Victory Aussie Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+11 Carney 81'
Corica 24'		 Allsopp 88' Attendance: 17,272
Referee: Matthew Breeze
4 December 2005 Perth Glory 2–2 Central Coast Mariners Members Equity Stadium, Perth
16:00 UTC+8 Ishida 65'
Ward 54'		 Petrie 12'
Hutchinson 8'		 Attendance: 7,428
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 16
29 December 2005 Melbourne Victory 2–2 Perth Glory Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Allsopp 45'
Thompson 23'		 Ward 67'
Mori 5'		 Attendance: 14,754
Referee: New Zealand Peter O'Leary
30 December 2005 New Zealand Knights 2–2 Sydney FC North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+13 Brockie 86'
Devine 3'		 Yorke 45' (pen.)
Carney 6'		 Attendance: 4,212
Referee: Peter Green
31 December 2005 Central Coast Mariners 4–1 Newcastle Jets Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
18:00 UTC+11 Hutchinson 71', 82'
Brown 30'
Gumprecht 3'		 Coveny 85' Attendance: 11,612
Referee: Mark Shield
1 January 2006 Adelaide United 4–2 Queensland Roar Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
18:30 UTC+10.30 Rech 40', 63'
Qu 30'
Veart 29'		 Baird 83'
Brosque 11'		 Attendance: 8,426
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 17
5 January 2006 Adelaide United 1–0 Melbourne Victory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+10.30 Dodd 14' Attendance: 13,427
Referee: Mark Shield
6 January 2006 Sydney FC 0–0 Newcastle Jets Aussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+11 Attendance: 15,211
Referee: Matthew Breeze
7 January 2006 Perth Glory 0–2 Queensland Roar Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:00 UTC+8 Baird 80'
Reinaldo 10'		 Attendance: 11,087
Referee: Peter Green
8 January 2006 Central Coast Mariners 1–0 New Zealand Knights Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
17:00 UTC+11 Heffernan 90' Attendance: 7,257
Referee: Strebre Delovski

Round 18
12 January 2006 Perth Glory 1–2 Adelaide United Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:00 UTC+8 Ward 86' Aloisi 71'
Qu 3'		 Attendance: 5,033
Referee: Matthew Breeze
13 January 2006 Newcastle Jets 3–0 New Zealand Knights EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+11 Haliti 86', 90'
Milicic 19'		 Attendance: 6,862
Referee: Perry Mur
14 January 2006 Sydney FC 1–1 Central Coast Mariners Aussie Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+11 Carney 61' Pondeljak 52' Attendance: 15,977
Referee: Ben Williams
15 January 2006 Queensland Roar 0–1 Melbourne Victory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
18:00 UTC+10 Thompson 56' Attendance: 12,710
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 19
19 January 2006 New Zealand Knights 1–4 Perth Glory North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+13 Emblen 7' Harnwell 78'
Coyne 14'
Sekulovski 11', 42'		 Attendance: 3,024
Referee: Neil Fox
20 January 2006 Adelaide United 1–1 Central Coast Mariners Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+10.30 Veart 50' (pen.) Kwasnik 54' Attendance: 13,008
Referee: Mark Shield
21 January 2006 Queensland Roar 2–1 Sydney FC Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10 Brosque 60', 70' Petrovski 85' Attendance: 13,302
Referee: Simon Przydacz
22 January 2006 Newcastle Jets 1–0 Melbourne Victory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11 Coveny 36' Attendance: 9,073
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 20
26 January 2006 Newcastle Jets 0–5 Queensland Roar EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+11 Murdocca 90'
McKay 83'
Brosque 52'
Richter 44'
Reinaldo 10'		 Attendance: 10,271
Referee: New Zealand Peter O'Leary
27 January 2006 Central Coast Mariners 3–1 Melbourne Victory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+11 Heffernan 88'
Spencer 28', 62'		 Ferrante 13' Attendance: 11,945
Referee: Simon Przydacz
28 January 2006 New Zealand Knights 1–1 Adelaide United North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+13 Zhang 71' Brain 21' Attendance: 3,079
Referee: Perry Mur
29 January 2006 Perth Glory 1–2 Sydney FC Members Equity Stadium, Perth
16:00 UTC+8 Despotovski 53' Zadkovich 23'
Rudan 14'		 Attendance: 12,796
Referee: Craig Zetter

Round 21
3 February 2006 Sydney FC 2–1 Adelaide United Aussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+11 Ceccoli 71'
Yorke 48' (pen.)		 Qu 90' Attendance: 25,557
Referee: Mark Shield
4 February 2006 Melbourne Victory 2–1 New Zealand Knights Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
18:00 UTC+11 Muscat 21' (pen.)
Byrnes 2'		 Brockie 90' Attendance: 10,078
Referee: Angelo Nardi
4 February 2006 Queensland Roar 2–2 Central Coast Mariners Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10 Baird 60'
Brosque 3'		 O'Sullivan 81'
Petrie 33'		 Attendance: 13,641
Referee: Ben Williams
5 February 2006 Newcastle Jets 1–3 Perth Glory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11 Coveny 34' Mori 71'
Picken 58' (o.g.)
Ward 9'		 Attendance: 9,232
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Finals series

After the home and away season, the finals series began, with the top four teams. The finals series used a modified Page playoff system, with the difference that each first-round game would be played over two legs. The winner of the finals series, Sydney FC was crowned as the A-League champion. Adelaide United, as the holder of the top position on the league ladder, were named the 2005–06 premiers.

Standard cup rules – such as the away goals rule (two-leg ties only), extra time and penalty shootouts were used to decide drawn games.

10 February 2006 Minor semi-final leg 1 Newcastle Jets 0–1 Central Coast Mariners EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+11 Osman 76' Attendance: 10,236
Referee: Ben Williams
12 February 2006 Major semi-final leg 1 Adelaide United 2–2 Sydney FC Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
17:00 UTC+10.30 Rech 34'
Dodd 31'		 Petrovski 39'
Corica 9'		 Attendance: 15,104
Referee: Matthew Breeze
17 February 2006 Minor semi-final leg 2 Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Newcastle Jets Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+11 Heffernan 79' Thompson 28' Attendance: 17,429
Referee: Simon Przydacz
19 February 2006 Major semi-final leg 2 Sydney FC 2–1 Adelaide United Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11 Rudan 76'
Petrovski 29'		 Qu 60' Attendance: 30,377
Referee: Mark Shield
26 February 2006 Preliminary final Adelaide United 0–1 Central Coast Mariners Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
17:00 UTC+10.30 Pondeljak 7' Attendance: 11,405
Referee: Matthew Breeze
See also: 2006 A-League Grand Final
5 March 2006 Grand final Sydney FC 1–0 Central Coast Mariners Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11 Corica 62' Attendance: 41,689
Referee: Mark Shield

Statistics

Attendance
Team Hosted Average High Low Total
Sydney FC1116,66925,5579,132183,355
Queensland Roar1114,78523,1428,607162,636
Melbourne Victory1014,15818,02610,078141,578
Adelaide United1010,94714,0687,013109,473
Perth Glory119,73413,1575,033107,075
Newcastle Jets118,91213,0005,86898,027
Central Coast Mariners107,89917,4295,19478,989
New Zealand Knights103,9099,9001,92239,086
{{{T9}}}00000
{{{T10}}}00000
{{{T11}}}00000
{{{T12}}}00000
League total 84 10,955 25,557 1,922 920,219

Highest attendance

Leading goalscorers
Further information: A-League top scorers
Total Player Team Goals per Round
 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 101112131415161718192021
8 AustraliaAlex BrosqueBrisbane Roar 121211
AustraliaBobby DespotovskiPerth Glory 1211111
AustraliaArchie ThompsonMelbourne Victory 1112111
ScotlandStewart PetrieCentral Coast Mariners 112211
7 AustraliaCarl VeartAdelaide United 1111111
AustraliaDean HeffernanCentral Coast Mariners 1111111
Trinidad and TobagoDwight YorkeSydney FC 1111111
AustraliaAnte MilicicNewcastle Jets 11131
AustraliaSasho PetrovskiSydney FC 11131
AustraliaDamian MoriPerth Glory 2311

Disciplinary records
PlayerTeamYellow2YCRed
Terry McFlynnSydney FC700
Matt McKayQueensland Roar311
Kevin MuscatMelbourne Victory410
Ross AloisiAdelaide United600
Remo BuessQueensland Roar600

Biggest victories
ScoreDateRound
Melbourne Victory5–0Sydney FC16 Oct 20058
Queensland Roar5–0Newcastle Jets26 Jan 200620
Perth Glory5–1Newcastle Jets8 Oct 20057
Sydney FC5–1Central Coast Mariners5 Nov 200511
Newcastle Jets4–0New Zealand Knights18 Sep 20054
Central Coast Mariners4–0Perth Glory8 Oct 20058

Highest aggregate scores
ScoreDateRound
Perth Glory5–1Newcastle Jets8 Oct 20057
Sydney FC5–1Central Coast Mariners5 Nov 200511
Newcastle Jets4–2Adelaide United14 Oct 20058
Newcastle Jets4–2New Zealand Knights4 Nov 200511
Perth Glory4–2Adelaide United6 Nov 200511
Adelaide United4–2Queensland Roar1 Jan 200616

Other honours

Awards
AwardRecipient
Johnny Warren Medal (Player's Player of the Year)Bobby Despotovski (Perth Glory)
Golden Boot Award (Top Goalscorer)Alex Brosque (Brisbane Roar)
Bobby Despotovski (Perth Glory)
Archie Thompson (Melbourne Victory)
Stewart Petrie (Central Coast Mariners)
Rising Star Award (U-20 Player of the Year)Nick Ward (Perth Glory)
Coach of the YearLawrie McKinna (Central Coast Mariners)
Referee of the YearMark Shield
Joe Marston Medal (Best player in grand final)Dwight Yorke (Sydney FC)

AFC Champions League

Although Australia became a member of the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, Australian teams were not invited to participate in the 2006 AFC Champions League competition.

The AFC later determined that qualification for the 2007 AFC Champions League would be based on the 2005–06 A-League competition, despite that ACL matches will commence after the completion of the A-League 2006–07 season. Adelaide as Premiers and Sydney as Champions were the representatives.

See also

Notes
  1. Bazeley replaced Hay as captain mid-season, after they released Hay on 23 December 2005.[8]
  2. Deane's contract was mutually terminated part-way through his marquee deal and he left mid-season.[14]

References
  1. "Eastern promise arrives right on Qu". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 July 2005. The 30-year-old Chinese international, who has the potential to be one of the stars of the new A-League as Adelaide United's marquee signing...
  2. "Dodd Gets The Nod As Skipper". FTBL. 31 July 2008. Ross Aloisi taking over as the club's first Hyundai A-League captain and then Valkanis acquiring the role prior to the 2007/08 season.
  3. "Mariners announce soccer captain". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 April 2005.
  4. Lynch, Michael (30 April 2016). "Archie Thompson should play on after leaving Melbourne Victory". The Sydney Morning Herald. As Victory's inauguaral marquee signing...
  5. "Archie Thompson, Adrian Leijer sign new deals with Melbourne Victory". The Guardian. 2 May 2014. Victory's first ever signing, and scorer, will join up with new marquee Besart Berisha next season, after agreeing a new deal with the club that takes him inside the salary cap
  6. "Kevin Muscat appointed as new Melbourne Victory coach". The Guardian. 31 October 2013. Phoenix's Ernie Merrick was the Victory's inaugural coach and Muscat the club's inaugural captain
  7. "Player Profile - Danny Hay". New Zealand Football Foundation. Retrieved 9 January 2020. He started the 2006–2007 season as inaugural captain for the Auckland-based New Zealand Knights
  8. "Knights cut skipper Hay". The World Game. SBS. 23 December 2005.
  9. "Hyundai A-League set for big start". Football Federation Australia. 26 August 2006. Welcome news however is the availability of captain and key defender Darren Bazeley
  10. "Ned Zelic signs with Newcastle Jets". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 April 2005.
  11. "Jets look to shut down Mariners". ABC News. 10 February 2006. Jets captain Ned Zelic says...
  12. Roach, Stewart (7 June 2006). "Easy come, easy go: Okon signs for Jets as captain Zelic quits". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  13. Young, Richie (17 August 2007). "'Our Form Will Return' - North". FTBL. The Taree-born Socceroo says replacing former Jets captains Ned Zelic and Paul Okon came out of the blue at training.
  14. Davidson, John (17 August 2017). "Deane: I had to wash my own kit at Glory". FTBL. Deane was Perth's marquee signing for the first season of the new competition in 2005.[...] Deane's spell at the Glory was short-lived, with the centre forward departing mid-season
  15. "Harnwell named Glory captain". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 May 2005.
  16. "Roar name inaugural captain". ABC News. 3 May 2005. A-League club Queensland Roar have named Chad Gibson as their inaugural captain...
  17. "Yorke goes Down Under". The Guardian. 30 June 2005. The former Manchester United, Aston Villa, Blackburn and Birmingham striker is Sydney's marquee player
  18. "Long time coming for Rudan". The World Game. SBS. 2 March 2006.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.