Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Victory: 2-2

It seems strange that yet another draw would end up being a relief, but tonight it was. After a truly woeful first half performance, everything hinted at nothing other than another beating at the hands of Newcastle. But thanks to a timely first-of-the-season goal from Thompson and an equaliser from Caceres with only minutes left on the clock, Melbourne managed to steal back a point. Strange as it may sound, this match actually ended as somewhat of a morale booster. Coming from 2 goals down, away from home, is no mean feat and to be on the ascendancy at the end of a game is a definite positive. Not that there won’t be some serious reflection going on during the week ahead.

In particular, the roles of some of Melbourne’s key players have to be brought into question. Brebner and Muscat in the midfield looked less than convincing, with some very wayward passing. Perhaps fitness is still an issue for Brebner as he really has looked far from his best this season. With a few talented midfielders lining up to fill a gap, it is a wonder that he has managed to get so much game time. For his part, Muscat had a forgettable evening tonight or at least a forgettable first half. I for one am not entirely certain that playing a broken arm doesn’t have something to do with it. When you’re the assistant coach as well as the captain though, it is admittedly very hard to be taken off. And his influence on fellow players is arguably enough reason to keep him there.

Melbourne’s highlights were performances from Joe Keenan (anyone care to guess why he was subbed off?), Caceres, Love and Broxham, although Broxham didn’t quite show the keen nose for goal we would have loved to see. Archie scoring is definitely a good thing, as he is (and always has been) key to our success. But, for my money, man of the match was Michael Theoklitos (again). What a legend he proved to be for Melbourne. There is no such thing as an easy opportunity against him it seems and some of the saves he pulled out tonight were class. Thank you Theo!