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The Western Sydney Wanderers kicked off their 2024/25 A-League campaign in a massive, sold out Sydney Derby clash in Parramatta tonight, the visitors taking all three points with a 2-1 win, the Wanderers showing little improvement over the team that finished in 7th place last season.

The biggest news in the lead up was national team goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas being ruled out through injury thus giving an A-League debut to 21 year old Tristan Vidackovic. There was also an A-League debut for Taewook Jeong. Off the bench there were potential A-League debuts for Dean Pelekanos and marquee attacking midfield maestro Juan Mata, with club debuts in the offing for Jordan Holmes and Ben Holliday.

Sydney FC had the opening chance of the game as they worked the ball into the penalty area, with Joe Lolley getting on the end of a blocked shot, firing it the wrong side of the near post as he slipped on the wet turf. 9 minutes in and Zac Sapsford went down after being involved in a friendly fire head clash with Gabriel Cleur.

Alexandar Popovic rescued SFC from going behind in the 15th minute, Sapsford crossed to the far post for Cleur and he reached out to loop the ball to the back stick where Hammond turned it past the SFC keeper but not strongly enough to score.

Minutes later and Sydney FC were in front. Vidackovic made a horrible pass out of the 6 yard box, giving it away to Rhyan Grant, his midfield header found Patryk Klimala unmarked, one intelligent header to the side gave Lolley space, Jack Clisby in racing back lost his footing and it was all the room Lolley needed to fire in the strike to the far post giving Vidackovic no hope to atone for his erroneous distribution.

The game flared into even more life with a pair of horrendous challenges from Sydney FC players. Klimala went into the book first and he was followed by Popovic after a wild lunge from behind into Sapsford. A melee ensued and the end result was an additional card this time for Nicolas Milanovic for joining in the fracas. Brandon Borrello continued his poor early season form by shouldering a free header on the 6 yard box that was a glorious set piece chance from a corner. Cleur was booked as well for another side lunge that stopped a promising attack. Grant also picked up a booking for his cynical foul on Hammond after he beat Cena and had Grant done for pace.

Anas Ouahim had the opportunity to double the lead after a flowing sequence where the Wanderers couldn't get a touch on the ball for several dozen passes in a row, with SFC pasing around them at all, Anthony Caceres ran into open space on the edge of the area, touched on to Ouahim but his shot went very wide with scrambling defenders jumping in to attempt to block it.

With seconds left in the half it seemed certain the Wanderers would equalise. Breaking out of their defensive zone, Milanovic lofted a ball over the top for Borrello who managed to get it into the mixer, then instead of settling for a corner after an initial clearance he kept the game going, found Hammond on his own, 8 yards out with 80% of the goal to aim for but Hammond scooped it well over the bar in a contender for the eventual worst miss of the season.

Sapsford was withdrawn after half-time, replaced by Bozhidar Kraev for his A-League debut. With Alen Stajcic in the middle of preparing the introduction of Mata, his team finally pulled off a series of passes in attack that allowed Hammond to make up for his first half miss. Sydney FC tried playing out from the back instead of clearing their lines, Costa with his back to goal failed to find a team-mate with his flick pass, instead sparking a counter for the home side. Joshua Brillante dove in to knock the ball to Kraev, he played a 1-2 pass with Milanovic, on the return he delayed long enough to open space for Borrello. Borrello was cut down by Grant for what would have been a penalty had the ball not rolled into the path of Hammond who finished unerringly at the second time of asking to make it 1-1.

Mata arrived in the 61st minute with the goalscorer Hammond coming off. His first introduction to the A-League was instantly conceded from a set piece. Playing a free kick short, Costa cut back onto his left, Mata hadn't closed down quickly enough for his lunging block to make contact, and from there it was a simple flick-on at the near post from central defender Hayden Matthews followed by Klimala stooping to conquer with a flick of his own to beat Vidackovic and leave the Wanderers and Juan Mata stunned. Klimala was robbed of another and SFC's third by a wonderful reaction save from Vidackovic, diving to his right. Pelekanos made his debut with the cramp stricken Cleur making way.

Stajcic threw on his final subs with Marcus Antonsson and Holliday making his debut, Scicluna and Borrello making way. With 4 minutes to play Sydney FC's dirty challenges were finally punished with the ultimate sanction, Max Burgess doing a Ruben Zadkovic and being sent off mere minutes after coming on for a stomping lunge. Alex King had no hestiation to pull out the red card to setup a grandstand derby finish. Andrew Redmayne became the 8th player in Alex King's notebook, his timewasting finally being punished in the 2nd minute of stoppage time.

Milanovic had been all but invisible all evening, he popped up in the 95th minute on the end of a cross that beat Grant but the contact was weak and the ball was snaffled by Redmayne. The dying seconds saw a pair of corners that even the Wanderers debutante keeper went up for, but it was to no avail as Sydney FC held on, claimed the 3 points and derby bragging rights and put the Stajcic era off on the wrong foot. It was a deserved loss for the home side, who managed just three shots on target, looked devoid of creativity for much of the game and had trouble maintaining defensive shape in the midfield & backline.

The Wanderers next match is against Western United at the Wyndham Regional facility on Sunday the 27th of October with kick-off at 4pm Sydney time.