2004 National Soccer League grand final
| Event | 2003–04 National Soccer League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| (asdet) | |||||||
| Date | 4 April 2004 | ||||||
| Venue | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney, Australia | ||||||
| Joe Marston Medal | Ahmad Elrich | ||||||
| Referee | Mark Shield | ||||||
| Attendance | 9,630 | ||||||
| Weather | Wet, windy, 21.2 °C (70.2 °F) | ||||||
The 2004 National Soccer League Grand Final was held on 4 April 2004 between Parramatta Power and Perth Glory at Parramatta Stadium. Parramatta Power had gained home-ground advantage by beating Perth Glory in the major semi final, while Perth earned their place with a win over Adelaide United in the preliminary final. Perth won the match 1–0, with Nik Mrdja scoring a golden goal in extra time.[1][2][3]
Background
The Australian Soccer Association (ASA) had decided that this would be the last National Soccer League season ahead of the launch of the provisionally-named Australian Premier League (APL) in 2005.[4]
Route to the final
The two teams were the clear standouts with Perth finishing the season first and Parramatta six points behind. As the top two teams, they earned the right to advance to the second week of the finals series. In the major semi-final, held over two legs at Parramatta Stadium and Perth Oval, Parramatta defeated Perth 6–2 on aggregate to advance to the grand final. Perth defeated Adelaide United in the preliminary final 5–0 at Subiaco Oval to earn the right to face the Power again. After initially suggesting that they might relinquish home-ground advantage to the Glory, the Power eventually decided to host the grand final at Parramatta.[5][6][7][8][9]
League Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perth Glory (C) | 24 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 56 | 22 | +34 | 57 | Qualification to Finals series |
| 2 | Parramatta Power | 24 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 58 | 30 | +28 | 51 | |
| 3 | Adelaide United | 24 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 28 | 25 | +3 | 40 | |
| 4 | Marconi Stallions | 24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 29 | 25 | +4 | 38 | |
| 5 | South Melbourne | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 39 | 21 | +18 | 37 | |
| 6 | Brisbane Strikers | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 28 | 33 | −5 | 32 | |
| 7 | Northern Spirit | 24 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 31 | 33 | −2 | 30 | |
| 8 | Sydney Olympic | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 26 | 31 | −5 | 29 | |
| 9 | Wollongong Wolves | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 34 | 41 | −7 | 29 | |
| 10 | Sydney United | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 18 | 25 | −7 | 29 | |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 24 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 33 | −15 | 24 | |
| 12 | Melbourne Knights | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 21 | 41 | −20 | 23 | |
| 13 | Football Kingz | 24 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 25 | 51 | −26 | 15 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored;
(C) Champions
Finals Bracket
| Elimination Finals | Major/Minor Semifinal | Preliminary Final | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Parramatta Power | 4 | 2 | 6 | Parramatta Power | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Perth Glory | 1 | 0 | 2 | Perth Glory (a.e.t.) | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Perth Glory | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Adelaide United (a) | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Adelaide United | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Brisbane Strikers | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Adelaide United (a.e.t.) | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | South Melbourne | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Marconi Stallions | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | South Melbourne | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Match
Summary
The match took place in heavy rain which led to a smaller than expected crowd and affected the pitch.[3]
Perth had the first real chance on goal in the 14th minute with Damian Mori having a shot from within the six-yard box saved by Clint Bolton, the Power goalkeeper. A Peter Zorbas cross after 23 minutes was spilt by Perth goalkeeper Jason Petkovic, however Power forward Ante Milicic was unable to capitalise. A promising Glory attack was thwarted in the 29th minute with a ball in the penalty area stopping in the mud near the line.[3][10]
With conditions improving in the second half, Power midfielder Ahmad Elrich put in a cross to Milicic who shot wide. Shortly after, Mori again missed from just outside the six-yard box with only the keeper between him and the goal. In the 74th minute, Power forward Sasho Petrovski shot the ball wide after doing to move past his opponent.[3][10]
With regulation time expiring, the teams began extra time with the Golden goal rule in effect. Mori missed a clear chance to win the grand final five minutes into extra time after Peter Zorbas slipped while trying to clear the ball from the penalty area.[2][3]
Nik Mrdja, who had been an 82nd minute substitute for striker Bobby Despotovski, ended the match eight minutes into the first period of extra time with a low shot past Power goalkeeper Bolton.[11][12]
Details
| Parramatta Power | 0 – 1 (asdet) | Perth Glory |
|---|---|---|
| Reports[13] | Mrdja 98' |
Parramatta Power
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Perth Glory
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Match rules
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Post match
Power midfielder Ahmad Elrich was presented the Joe Marston Medal for best player of the grand final by Joe Marston.[14]
References
- ^ "Golden goal earns Perth NSL glory". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 4 April 2004. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ a b Cubby, Ben (5 April 2004). "Mud and guts Glory the last to reign". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Lynch, Michael (5 April 2004). "Perth's glorious golden victory". The Age. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ Pottinger, Paul (4 April 2004). "Too long a wait to see soccer's brave new world". The Sunday Telegraph.
- ^ "Power undecided on grand final venue". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 March 2004. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "Glory into NSL grand final". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 March 2004. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ Cubby, Ben (22 March 2004). "Coast not yet clear after Power surge". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 24.
- ^ "Soccer Association approves Power ground giveaway". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 March 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ "Power backtrack on grand final venue decision". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 March 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ a b Damalas, Peter (6 April 2004). "Glorious Again!". Australian and British Soccer Weekly. p. 6. Retrieved 9 June 2020 – via Melbourne Soccer.
- ^ Gatt, Ray (5 April 2004). "To Perth goes the glory again". The Australian.
- ^ "Mrdja wins it for Glory". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service. Sportal. 4 April 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "2004 NSL Final". Oz Football. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ Taylor, John (5 April 2004). "Power to the Glory - Perth 'nick' it in extra time". Daily Telegraph. p. 40.