It was meant to be a weekend off for the A-League through the festive season but instead fans were treated to the best game in the League's near-three year history.

Sydney looked to be heading for a hammering at the hands of Central Coast in Gosford when a red-card to Olyroos goalkeeper Danny Vukovic turned the game on its head. Do yourself a favor and enjoy the highlights courtesy of YouTube! A 5-4 win to Sydney and one that continues to open the gap between Melbourne Victory and fourth place. The match was moved to this weekend after a rain-out. But I said it last year and I'll say it again - The A-League is missing out on the chance to get easy exposure by scheduling a full four-game round through Christmas. A Christmas day double-header with Newcastle and Central Coast at home to two of Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland would be a hit on TV, if not with the crowd.

So what of Melbourne's disastrous title defence? After signing former Perth Glory and QPR midfielder Nick Ward it seems nothing much has changed for Victory. Beleaguered coach Ernie Merrick is bolstering his squad to prepare for what may well be Asian Champions League humiliation, while the fans call relentlessly for his head.

Tis the season to be jolly however, not the season to dump on Melbourne. Let's assess the mess when the top four is separated from the rest and Melbourne sits out a month of football.

Until then, enjoy your football.

Despite Queensland Roar leaving the door open right up to a chance in the 94th minute Melbourne failed to take its chances and fell to a 1-0 loss at Sunscorp stadium tonight.

If results go against Melbourne in the other three A-League matches this weekend then the Victory will be a full game out of the top four - a situation the team found itself in around this time in season one when it emphatically failed to rise to the challenge.

 Tonight was a frustrating affair as Queensland dominated in the first half and managed to weather the Victory's best chances after the break.

Carlos Hernandez hit the post with a free-kick for Melbourne while Danny Allsopp missed an open goal - albeit hitting a first time shot on the end of a 40-yard aerial ball.

The general consensus from the Victory fans is that the team is paying the price for not playing enough attacking players and not having enough attacking depth.

The worm is turning on last season's top scorer in the league Danny Allsopp with his tally on just two after 13 games.

Next weekend Melbourne will be at home to Wellington Phoenix, the New Zealand-based team only one of two below Victory on the eight team ladder.

Anything less than a win and our season is over. Even with seven games to come after next week it's not dramatic to say that we won't be able to make up a gap of four-points plus in this horrible form slump.

Melbourne Victory 0-0 Perth Glory - Official A-League report

Another disappointing draw for Melbourne tonight in front of 31, 545 at Telstra Dome. Let's not forget what an amazing crowd that is, it seems that little bit less special because Melbourne drew so many fantastic crowds at the 53-odd-thousand capacity dome last season but it's still sensational.

What's disappointing is what I'm reading on the Victory fans forum about fans dividing between the first and third level and chanting against each other. Politics about chanting, sitting and not contributing are becoming a week-to-week issue with many diehard chanters infuriated by people sitting on level one and not contributing. There is no easy answer, this is Australia, you can't have chant police demanding people chant. By the same token the last thing anyone wants is the passionate fanbase being dissipated by apathetic infiltrators.

 On the pitch I'll confess I didn't see the game, too busy with a soccer awards night of my own - but from the sound of things Perth played a more adventurous game than what they bought to the dome last season when the Victory snared a 1-0 win in the last minute.

Unfortunately it sounds as though Daniel Piorkowski who is back in competitive action after a season ending injury last year is horribly off the pace. New signings Carlos Hernandez, Joe Keenan and Kaz Patafta are all cameo players for now rather than part of a cohesive unit. One thing is for sure, this team will either kick-start its season or get a wake up call against Adelaide United next weekend when we travel to Hindmarsh.

That is, if it's not a third straight draw.

Wellington Phoenix 2-2 Melbourne Victory - official A-League report.

So Melbourne led 2-0 and blew it this afternoon and were ultimately lucky not to lose the game. With a myridad of chances through the first half, most of them falling to Danny Allsopp, Melbourne could have had the game done and dusted.

 There are plenty of things to be worried about but to be perfectly honest I'm not devastated that we didn't win. In the big picture the Wellington Phoenix had to give their fanbase something in their first game as an A-League franchise and more than 14 000 fans saw a draw this afternoon. On the hour mark the Phoenix had missed a penalty and were trailing 2-0, their side showed plenty to get back in the game.

Melbourne's biggest worry right now is an injury to Ljubo Milicevic that forced him from the field in the first half. Up front it's just a matter of tuning, if we create this many chances in round 6 or round 12 we'll score a hatful, no question. Some fans are rather cruelly suggesting that our new recruit Carlos Hernandez should swim home to get fit...all i can say to that is to trust in our fitness staff and not get on his back just yet, heh.

There's no cause for panic and who knows, as the season goes on maybe a point from the New Zealand trip will be a good result for the other A-League teams.

You can see the goals by going to the 'video' feature on www.foxsports.com.au

Carlos Hernandez is the attacking midfielder new to the Melbourne Victory this season. It's hard to believe Melbourne could sign a player who is in the prime years of his career and made two appearances at the 2006 World Cup with Costa Rica but then again, it's hard to believe he would sit in the Costa Rican league until now.

Here's a link to his long-range goal in a pre-season match against Perth Glory at the weekend, the game was in Darwin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXZk2pMbrhA

If he's fit and firing I can't see him avoiding exposure to europe or the MLS/Mexican league. Like all Victory fans here's hoping he is honourable to his two year contract.

Full name: Carlos Hernández Valverde

Born: April 9, 1982 in La Pastora, Costa Rica

Former clubs: Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (Costa Rica)

Nickname: "Zorro" or "el Zorro"

Sydney were eliminated from the Asian Champions League this evening after drawing 0-0 away to the Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan. It officially ends Australia's involvement in the competition, Adelaide's dead-rubber game against Dong Tam Long An of Vietnam a 3-0 win courtesy of a Travis Dodd hat-trick.

 The focus on Sydney's exit won't get a great deal of coverage, given it fell on the same night as State of Origin rugby league, but it's likely that what will be said will be sympathetic to the Bling's cause. Sydney should be disappointed that they couldn't find a way through against a Urawa team only mildly interested in winning the match, and succeeding with a safety first approach.

Sydney's best two chances of the match were poles apart in terms of quality. In the second half David Carney hit the outside of the post with a brilliant left-footed shot from outside of the area. David Zdrilic's miss in the first half was considerably less impressive. Unmarked ten yards from goal, Zdrilic headed a cross from the right flank nowhere near the goal. How heavily that miss is criticised may be swept away by the "brave" Sydney team, who stood up to an always-singing throng of Urawa fans, and seemed less than daunted by the atmosphere and occasion.

 In other A-League news, Melbourne finally signed off on a new stadium agreement today at the Olympic Park site. For now, it will be opened in 2009 with a seating capacity of 31,000 seats. The debate about "safe standing" seems set to continue, with a chance the actual capacity of the venue may be around the 35,000 mark by the time the stadium opens. And in a win for the club, an agreement was reached where blockbuster games can be moved to the Telstra Dome - although one hopes that by 2009 the A-League season will be longer than 21 home and away games (meaning today's breakdown of 7 at OP and 5 at the Dome will be irrelevant).

 And keep an eye on the Australian page at OleOle because the "revenge" friendly between Australia and Uruguay is coming soon.

Melbourne's squad is likely to undergo further changes in the coming week, with out of contract midfielder Kristian Sarkies set to leave the Victory.

 Speculation has been rife about Sarkies since version one, when most fans felt he was underplayed in the Victory's season of struggle. Sarkies started just 6 matches in the 2006/7 A-League season and failed to prove himself worthy of a spot in attacking midfield ahead of Fred.

 The end for Sarkies was almost certainly sealed when the club's management and administration failed to annoint him the successor to Fred when the Brazilian left the club for DC United. The signs were clear that Sarkies wasn't the ideal replacement, fellow young Socceroo Leigh Broxham had moved level with him in the pecking order and his being substituted on before Sarkies in the Grand Final may have been the final straw.

 Sarkies would be a quality pick up for any other A-League team, provided the coach can keep him happy with game time. He's dominating for the Olyroos, scoring again in Australia U23's 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia last night. Adelaide United appear favourites to capture his services, but interim coach Aurelio Vidmar has denied any deal has been done yet.

 As for the fans? Sarkies was a devisive force, and those who felt he wasn't ever good enough for Melbourne have lead the charge to boo him on his return to Telstra Dome.

It's been a good week for football in Australia, Sydney drawing 2-2 with Urawa Reds and Adelaide beating Dong Tam 2-0 in the Champions League. But the entire nation will take far more interest in Saturday's friendly between the national team and China.

 It won't be the strongest Australian team taking the field, far from it, but with coach Graham Arnold still considered an interim manager by the fanbase, a good performance against Asian opposition could allay some fears going into the Nations Cup in the upcoming european offseason.

Worryingly, some star Socceroos such as Mark Viduka and Lucas Neill have criticised future friendlies against Uruguay and Argentina to be played in Sydney and Melbourne respectively in June. It's ridiculous that the word "boycott" is even being used. While the club-vs-country debate is an old chestnut, the chance to play in front of 180,000 fans against two of the most decorated teams in the world sems unrefusable.

In Melbourne, the Victory have undergone some changes to their squad, with the likes of Mark Byrnes and Simon Storey leaving to pursue their careers elsewhere. Brazillian recruit Fred has also left the club, apparently on his way to DC United in America.

 And finally, the FFA have decided New Zealand will get their third crack at a franchise in Australia's national league, this time from the city of Wellington. No name or concrete player details about the team yet, and opinion is still very much divided about whether it will be third time lucky, or third strike and out for the Kiwis.