2005–06 A-League

29th season of top-tier soccer league in Australia January 2017 December 2012 April 2021 A-League 2005–06 26 August 2005 – 5 March 2006 Sydney FC (1st title) Adelaide United (1st title) Champions League Sydney FCAdelaide United 84 232 Alex BrosqueBobby DespotovskiArchie ThompsonStewart Petrie(8 goals) Clint Bolton Melbourne Victory 5–0 Sydney FC(16 October 2005) Newcastle Jets 0–5 Queensland Roar(26 January 2006) 25,557 1,922 10,955 2003–04 NSL 2006–07 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. 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. 3 Clubs 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 BRA Fernando Rech CHN Qu Shengqing Central Coast Mariners GER André Gumprecht IRE Wayne O'Sullivan SCO Stewart Petrie MLT John Hutchinson2SCO Ian Ferguson3 Melbourne Victory AUT Richard Kitzbichler BEL Geoffrey Claeys New Zealand Knights CHN Zhang Xiaobin ENG Darren Bazeley ENG Ben Collett ENG Neil Emblen CHN Li Yan3ENG Ronnie Bull3IRL Sean Devine1JPN Naoki Imaya3NED Frank van Eijs3 ENG Simon YeoNZL Danny Hay Newcastle Jets ENG Guy Bates URU Mateo Corbo NZL Vaughan Coveny1 Perth Glory ENG Steve McMahon JPN Hiroyuki Ishida NZL Danny Hay SOL Henry Fa'arodo ENG Stuart Young1 SCG Milan Jovanić3 ENG Brian Deane Queensland Roar BRA Reinaldo SUI Remo Buess URU Osvaldo Carro KOR Seo Hyuk-su1 Sydney FC NIR Terry McFlynn TRI Dwight Yorke USA Alejandro Salazar JPN 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 New Zealand Knights); 2Australian residents (and New Zealand residents, in the case of New Zealand Knights) 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 CHN Qu Shengqinghttps://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/eastern-promise-arrives-right-on-qu-20050715-gdloux.html 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... AUS Ross Aloisihttps://www.ftbl.com.au/news/dodd-gets-the-nod-as-skipper-118367 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. None Central Coast Mariners None AUS Noel Spencerhttps://www.smh.com.au/sport/mariners-announce-soccer-captain-20050415-gdl4o9.html Mariners announce soccer captain The Sydney Morning Herald 15 April 2005 None Melbourne Victory AUS Archie Thompsonhttps://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/archie-thompson-should-play-on-after-leaving-melbourne-victory-20160430-goiuao.html Archie Thompson should play on after leaving Melbourne Victory Michael Lynch The Sydney Morning Herald 30 April 2016 As Victory's inauguaral marquee signing...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/02/archie-thompson-adrian-leijer-sign-new-deals-with-melbourne-victory 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 AUS Kevin Muscathttps://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/31/kevin-muscat-new-melbourne-victory-coach 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 None New Zealand Knights None NZL Danny Hayhttp://www.footballfoundation.org.nz/player/danny-hay/ Player Profile - Danny Hay New Zealand Football Foundation 9 January 2020 He started the 2006–2007 season as inaugural captain for the Auckland-based New Zealand Knights ENG Darren Bazeleynote Bazeley replaced Hay as captain mid-season, after they released Hay on 23 December 2005.http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2005/12/23/knights-cut-skipper-hay Knights cut skipper Hay SBS The World Game 23 December 2005http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/article/hyundai-a-league-set-for-big-start/1ae8n51b7tev71dx8fg3cfq1pd Hyundai A-League set for big start 26 August 2006 Football Federation Australia Welcome news however is the availability of captain and key defender Darren Bazeley None Newcastle Jets AUS Ned Zelichttps://www.smh.com.au/sport/ned-zelic-signs-with-newcastle-jets-20050430-gdl860.html Ned Zelic signs with Newcastle Jets The Sydney Morning Herald 30 April 2005 AUS Ned Zelichttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-02-10/jets-look-to-shut-down-mariners/796290 Jets look to shut down Mariners ABC News 10 February 2006 Jets captain Ned Zelic says...https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/easy-come-easy-go-okon-signs-for-jets-as-captain-zelic-quits-20060607-gdnpa8.html Easy come, easy go: Okon signs for Jets as captain Zelic quits The Sydney Morning Herald Stewart Roach 7 June 2006https://www.ftbl.com.au/news/our-form-will-return---north-89811 'Our Form Will Return' - North Richie Young FTBL 17 August 2007 The Taree-born Socceroo says replacing former Jets captains Ned Zelic and Paul Okon came out of the blue at training. None Perth Glory ENG Brian Deanehttps://www.ftbl.com.au/news/deane-i-had-to-wash-my-own-kit-at-glory-471147 Deane: I had to wash my own kit at Glory John Davidson FTBL 17 August 2017 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-seasonnote Deane's contract was mutually terminated part-way through his marquee deal and he left mid-season. AUS Jamie Harnwellhttps://www.smh.com.au/sport/harnwell-named-glory-captain-20050506-gdl9jt.html Harnwell named Glory captain The Sydney Morning Herald 6 May 2005 None Queensland Roar None AUS Chad Gibsonhttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2005-05-03/roar-name-inaugural-captain/1562970 Roar name inaugural captain ABC News 3 May 2005 A-League club Queensland Roar have named Chad Gibson as their inaugural captain... None Sydney FC TRI Dwight Yorkehttps://www.theguardian.com/football/2005/jun/30/newsstory.sport1 Yorke goes Down Under The Guardian 30 June 2005 The former Manchester United, Aston Villa, Blackburn and Birmingham striker is Sydney's marquee player AUS Mark Rudanhttps://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/long-time-coming-for-rudan Long time coming for Rudan SBS The World Game 2 March 2006 None Preliminary Competitions Two competitions were held prior to the start of the A-League season. Oceania Club Championship Qualification 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. bracket 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 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 main WDL Group A Pre-season A Q MV Melbourne Victory PG Perth Glory AU Adelaide United NJ Newcastle Jets 1 2 0 2 1 1 1 1 4 4 0 3 0 3 3 0 2 1 3 4 green1 2005–06 Pre-Season Cup Semi-finals PSCSF PSCSF complete main WDL Group B Pre-season B Q SFC Sydney FC CCM Central Coast Mariners QR Queensland Roar NZK New Zealand Knights 2 1 0 5 1 2 0 1 4 3 1 1 1 6 3 0 0 3 1 9 green1 2005–06 Pre-Season Cup Semi-finals PSCSF PSCSF complete Finals 12 August Melbourne Victory 1 Central Coast Mariners 3 14 August Sydney FC 0 Perth Glory 1 21 August Central Coast Mariners 1 Perth Glory 0 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 main WDL Standings Q AU Adelaide United SFC Sydney FC CCM Central Coast Mariners NJ Newcastle Jets PG Perth Glory QR Queensland Roar MV Melbourne Victory NZK New Zealand Knights 13 4 4 33 25 10 6 5 35 28 C 8 8 5 35 28 9 4 8 27 29 8 5 8 34 29 7 7 7 27 22 7 5 9 26 24 1 3 17 15 47 GS green1 Qualification for 2007 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series GS FS yellow1 Qualification for Finals series FS New Zealand Knights cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club. 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. complete ultimatealeague.com Results Round 1 26 August 2005 20:00 UTC+8 Perth Glory 0–1 ReportSummary Central Coast Mariners Spencer 66 Members Equity Stadium, Perth 11,113 Ben Williams 26 August 2005 20:00 UTC+10 Newcastle Jets 0–1 ReportSummary Adelaide United Veart 19 EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle 13,160 NZL Peter O'Leary 28 August 2005 15:00 UTC+10 Queensland Roar 2–0 ReportSummary New Zealand Knights Brosque 80Baird 86 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 20,725 Matthew Breeze 28 August 2005 17:00 UTC+10 Sydney FC 1–1 ReportSummaryJune 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes Melbourne Victory Yorke 44 Thompson 73 Aussie Stadium, Sydney 25,208 Mark Shield Round 2 2 September 2005 19:30 UTC+9:30 Adelaide United 0–0 ReportSummary Queensland Roar Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 11,029 Ben Williams 2 September 2005 20:00 UTC+12 New Zealand Knights 1–3 ReportSummaryJune 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes Sydney FC Rose 69 Rudan 25Bingley 73Middleby 90+4 North Harbour Stadium, Auckland 9,827 NZL Peter O'Leary 4 September 2005 15:00 UTC+10 Central Coast Mariners 1–1 ReportSummary Newcastle Jets Petrie 69 Milicic 25 Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford 5,917 Mark Shield 4 September 2005 17:00 UTC+10 Melbourne Victory 2–2 ReportSummary Perth Glory Kitzbichler 11Muscat 85 pen. Caceres 40Despotovski 56 Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne 17,960 Matthew Breeze Round 3 9 September 2005 19:30 UTC+9:30 Adelaide United 1–0 ReportSummary Melbourne Victory Brain 1 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 8,785 Peter O'Leary 10 September 2005 19:35 UTC+8 Perth Glory 2–1 ReportSummary Queensland Roar Despotovski 54', 72 Moon 76 Members Equity Stadium, Perth 8,509 Simon Przydacz 10 September 2005 19:35 UTC+10 Central Coast Mariners 0–2 ReportSummary New Zealand Knights Yeo 69Devine 80 Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford 5,261 Ben Williams 11 September 2005 17:00 UTC+10 Newcastle Jets 2–1 ReportSummaryJune 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes Sydney FC Milicic 6Johnson 18 Yorke 78 EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle 9,127 Matthew Breeze Round 4 16 September 2005 20:00 UTC+10 Sydney FC 2–3 ReportSummaryJune 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes Central Coast Mariners Packer 13Yorke 72 Petrie 20 pen.Gumprecht 35Spencer 90+1 Aussie Stadium, Sydney 15,614 NZL Peter O'Leary 17 September 2005 19:35 UTC+8 Perth Glory 1–2 ReportSummary Adelaide United Valkanis 20 o.g. Aloisi 32Qu 65 Members Equity Stadium, Perth 8,052 Matthew Breeze 18 September 2005 15:00 UTC+10 Queensland Roar 1–1 ReportSummary Melbourne Victory Baird 62 Allsopp 88 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 15,444 Ben Williams 18 September 2005 17:00 UTC+10 Newcastle Jets 4–0 ReportSummary New Zealand Knights Haliti 12Thompson 26Musialik 37Carle 70 pen. EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle 7,495 Simon Przydacz Round 5 22 September 2005 20:00 UTC+12 New Zealand Knights 0–1 ReportSummary Perth Glory Harnwell 68 North Harbour Stadium, Auckland 4,138 Neil Fox 23 September 2005 20:00 UTC+10 Queensland Roar 1–3 ReportSummaryJune 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes Sydney FC Timpano 50 o.g. Corica 5 67McFlynn 68 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 23,142 Matthew Breeze 25 September 2005 17:00 UTC+10 Melbourne Victory 1–0 ReportSummary Newcastle Jets Thompson 68 Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne 13,831 Craig Zetter 25 September 2005 17:00 UTC+9:30 Adelaide United 1–1 ReportSummary Central Coast Mariners Valkanis 34 Kwasnik 19 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 7,013 Angelo Nardi Round 6 30 September 2005 20:00 UTC+10 Central Coast Mariners 1–2 ReportSummary Melbourne Victory Heffernan 33 Thompson 73Leijer 81 Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford 9,313 Ben Williams 1 October 2005 19:35 UTC+10 Newcastle Jets 0–1 ReportSummary Queensland Roar Moon 68 EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle 7,436 Strebre Delovski 1 October 2005 19:35 UTC+8 Perth Glory 1–2 Reporthttps://archive.today/20121230142744/http://www.a-league.com.au/Scoreboard_HAL/0000260074/scoreboard.html Summary Sydney FC Despotovski 40 Petrovski 48Yorke 65 Members Equity Stadium, Perth 13,157 Matthew Breeze 2 October 2005 18:00 UTC+12 New Zealand Knights 1–2 ReportSummary Adelaide United Yeo 44 Dodd 34Qu 81 North Harbour Stadium, Auckland 3,558 NZL Peter O'Leary Round 7 7 October 2005 20:00 UTC+10 Queensland Roar 1–1 ReportSummary Central Coast Mariners Seo 57 Spencer 41 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 13,195 Perry Mur 8 October 2005 19:30 UTC+10 Newcastle Jets 1–5 ReportSummary Perth Glory Parisi 72 Mori 33 62Harnwell 46Despotovski 52Sekulovski 80 EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle 5,868 James Lewis 9 October 2005 17:00 UTC+10 Sydney FC 2–1 Reporthttps://archive.today/20121230122154/http://www.a-league.com.au/Scoreboard_HAL/0000260078/scoreboard.html Summary Adelaide United Carney 54Petrovski 88 Valkanis 51 Aussie Stadium, Sydney 18,276 Mark Shield 10 October 2005 19:00 UTC+10 Melbourne Victory 3–0 ReportSummary New Zealand Knights Kitzbichler 23Muscat 62Diaco 64 Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne 11,010 Peter Green Round 8 14 October 2005 19:30 UTC+9:30 Adelaide United 2–4 ReportSummary Newcastle Jets Valkanis 38Corbo 67 o.g. Kemp 12 o.g.Carle 22 89Zelic 68 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 13,182 Mark Shield 16 October 2005 13:00 UTC+10 Melbourne Victory 5–0 Reporthttps://archive.today/20121230235228/http://www.a-league.com.au/Scoreboard_HAL/0000260081/scoreboard.html Summary Sydney FC Kitzbichler 34Muscat 53 pen. 78 pen.Thompson 57 69 Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne 18,206 Matthew Breeze 16 October 2005 17:00 UTC+10 Central Coast Mariners 4–0 ReportSummary Perth Glory Petrie 14 48Heffernan 85Spencer 90+3 Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford 6,494 Ben Williams 16 October 2005 18:00 UTC+12 New Zealand Knights 0–2 ReportSummary Queensland Roar Seo 8Baird 57 North Harbour Stadium, Auckland 4,182 Simon Przydacz Round 9 21 October 2005 20:00 UTC+10 Sydney FC 2–0 Reporthttps://archive.today/20121230062459/http://www.a-league.com.au/Scoreboard_HAL/0000260084/scoreboard.html Summary New Zealand Knights Petrovski 10Carney 30 Aussie Stadium, Sydney 11,836 Ben Williams 22 October 2005 19:30 UTC+10 Queensland Roar 1–2 ReportSummary Adelaide United Brownlie 76 Fernando 59Pantelis 89 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 15,181 NZL Peter O'Leary 23 October 2005 17:00 UTC+10 Newcastle Jets 1–0 ReportSummary Central Coast Mariners Parisi 88 Energy Australia Stadium 9,371 Matthew Breeze 23 October 2005 17:00 UTC+8 Perth Glory 2–1 ReportSummary Melbourne Victory Deane 22Sekulovski 55 Thompson 39 Members Equity Stadium, Perth 12,312 Mark Shield Round 10 28 October 2005 20:00 UTC+10 Melbourne Victory 0–1 ReportSummary Adelaide United Veart 83 Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne 16,201 Matthew Breeze 29 October 2005 19:30 UTC+10 Queensland Roar 0–0 ReportSummary Perth Glory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 13,685 Simon Przydacz 29 October 2005 20:00 UTC+12 New Zealand Knights 1–3 ReportSummary Central Coast Mariners Yeo 7 pen. Heffernan 4 Petrie 49 72 pen. North Harbour Stadium, Auckland 2,583 Neil Fox 30 October 2005 17:00 UTC+10 Sydney FC 1–1 Reporthttps://archive.today/20121230212455/http://www.a-league.com.au/Scoreboard_HAL/0000260091/scoreboard.html Summary Newcastle Jets Carney 73 Milicic 77 Aussie Stadium, Sydney 9,132 Mark Shield Round 11 4 November 2005 20:00 UTC+13 New Zealand Knights 2–4 ReportSummary Newcastle Jets Brockie 71 77 Milicic 18 28 56Thompson 21 North Harbour Stadium, Auckland 2,561 Matthew Breeze 4 November 2005 20:00 UTC+11 Melbourne Victory 0–1 ReportSummary Queensland Roar McKay 15 Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne 13,239 Mark Shield 5 November 2005 20:00 UTC+11 Central Coast Mariners 1–5 Reporthttps://archive.today/20121206025212/http://www.a-league.com.au/Scoreboard_HAL/0000260094/scoreboard.html Summary Sydney FC Hutchinson 40 Yorke 9 pen.Talay 14Petrovski 23 68 83 Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford 10,529 Simon Przydacz 6 November 2005 16:30 UTC+10:30 Adelaide United 2–4 ReportSummary Perth Glory Veart 13 pen.Rees 53 Mori 9 34 45+1Despotovski 39 pen. Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 10,868 Ben Williams Round 12 11 November 2005 19:00 UTC+8 Perth Glory 3–0 New Zealand Knights Ward 69Sekulovski 25Despotovski 12 Members Equity Stadium, Perth 9,667 Craig Zetter 11 November 2005 20:00 UTC+11 Melbourne Victory 0–0 Newcastle Jets Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne 12,407 Simon Przydacz 13 November 2005 15:00 UTC+11 Central Coast Mariners 1–2 Adelaide United Hutchinson 12 Rech 90Dodd 85 Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford 5,467 NZL Peter O'Leary 13 November 2005 17:00 UTC+11 Sydney FC 1–0 Queensland Roar Zdrillic 54 Aussie Stadium, Sydney 13,030 Ben Williams Round 13 18 November 2005 20:00 UTC+11 Melbourne Victory 0–2 Central Coast Mariners Heffernan 75Hutchinson 38 Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne 13,892 Ben Williams 19 November 2005 19:00 UTC+11 Sydney FC 0–0 Perth Glory Aussie Stadium, Sydney 16,242 Matthew Breeze 20 November 2005 16:30 UTC+10.30 Adelaide United 1–0 New Zealand Knights Qu 38 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 9,676 Angelo Nardi 20 November 2005 18:00 UTC+10 Queensland Roar 0–1 Newcastle Jets Thompson 34 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 13,004 Mark Shield Round 14 25 November 2005 20:00 UTC+11 Central Coast Mariners 2–2 Queensland Roar Heffernan 89Osman 56 Brosque 7 78 Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford 5,194 Matthew Breeze 25 November 2005 17:00 UTC+8 Perth Glory 0–1 Newcastle Jets Coveny 47 Members Equity Stadium, Perth 7,921 Simon Przydacz 26 November 2005 20:00 UTC+13 New Zealand Knights 2–3 Melbourne Victory Devine 40 pen.Christie 30 Kitzbichler 43 73Muscat 28 pen. North Harbour Stadium, Auckland 1,922 NZL Peter O'Leary 27 November 2005 16:30 UTC+10.30 Adelaide United 3–2 Sydney FC Rech 4 84Veart 14 Miura 33 76 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 14,068 Mark Shield Round 15 1 December 2005 19:00 UTC+10 Queensland Roar 1–1 New Zealand Knights Brownlie 28 Yeo 44 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 8,607 James Lewis 2 December 2005 20:00 UTC+11 Newcastle Jets 1–2 Adelaide United Johnson 59 Brain 79Veart 75 EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle 10,132 Simon Przydacz 3 December 2005 19:00 UTC+11 Sydney FC 2–1 Melbourne Victory Carney 81Corica 24 Allsopp 88 Aussie Stadium, Sydney 17,272 Matthew Breeze 4 December 2005 16:00 UTC+8 Perth Glory 2–2 Central Coast Mariners Ishida 65Ward 54 Petrie 12Hutchinson 8 Members Equity Stadium, Perth 7,428 Mark Shield Round 16 29 December 2005 20:00 UTC+11 Melbourne Victory 2–2 Perth Glory Allsopp 45Thompson 23 Ward 67Mori 5 Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne 14,754 NZL Peter O'Leary 30 December 2005 20:00 UTC+13 New Zealand Knights 2–2 Sydney FC Brockie 86Devine 3 Yorke 45 pen.Carney 6 North Harbour Stadium, Auckland 4,212 Peter Green 31 December 2005 18:00 UTC+11 Central Coast Mariners 4–1 Newcastle Jets Hutchinson 71 82Brown 30Gumprecht 3 Coveny 85 Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford 11,612 Mark Shield 1 January 2006 18:30 UTC+10.30 Adelaide United 4–2 Queensland Roar Rech 40 63Qu 30Veart 29 Baird 83Brosque 11 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 8,426 Matthew Breeze Round 17 5 January 2006 19:30 UTC+10.30 Adelaide United 1–0 Melbourne Victory Dodd 14 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 13,427 Mark Shield 6 January 2006 20:00 UTC+11 Sydney FC 0–0 Newcastle Jets Aussie Stadium, Sydney 15,211 Matthew Breeze 7 January 2006 19:00 UTC+8 Perth Glory 0–2 Queensland Roar Baird 80Reinaldo 10 Members Equity Stadium, Perth 11,087 Peter Green 8 January 2006 17:00 UTC+11 Central Coast Mariners 1–0 New Zealand Knights Heffernan 90 Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford 7,257 Strebre Delovski Round 18 12 January 2006 19:00 UTC+8 Perth Glory 1–2 Adelaide United Ward 86 Aloisi 71Qu 3 Members Equity Stadium, Perth 5,033 Matthew Breeze 13 January 2006 20:00 UTC+11 Newcastle Jets 3–0 New Zealand Knights Haliti 86 90Milicic 19 EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle 6,862 Perry Mur 14 January 2006 19:00 UTC+11 Sydney FC 1–1 Central Coast Mariners Carney 61 Pondeljak 52 Aussie Stadium, Sydney 15,977 Ben Williams 15 January 2006 18:00 UTC+10 Queensland Roar 0–1 Melbourne Victory Thompson 56 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 12,710 Mark Shield Round 19 20:00 UTC+13 19 January 2006 New Zealand Knights 1–4 Perth Glory Emblen 7 Harnwell 78Coyne 14Sekulovski 11 42 North Harbour Stadium, Auckland 3,024 Neil Fox 20 January 2006 19:30 UTC+10.30 Adelaide United 1–1 Central Coast Mariners Veart 50 pen. Kwasnik 54 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 13,008 Mark Shield 21 January 2006 19:00 UTC+10 Queensland Roar 2–1 Sydney FC Brosque 60 70 Petrovski 85 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 13,302 Simon Przydacz 22 January 2006 17:00 UTC+11 Newcastle Jets 1–0 Melbourne Victory Coveny 36 EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle 9,073 Matthew Breeze Round 20 26 January 2006 20:00 UTC+11 Newcastle Jets 0–5 Queensland Roar Murdocca 90McKay 83Brosque 52Richter 44Reinaldo 10 EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle 10,271 NZL Peter O'Leary 27 January 2006 20:00 UTC+11 Central Coast Mariners 3–1 Melbourne Victory Heffernan 88Spencer 28 62 Ferrante 13 Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford 11,945 Simon Przydacz 28 January 2006 20:00 UTC+13 New Zealand Knights 1–1 Adelaide United Zhang 71 Brain 21 North Harbour Stadium, Auckland 3,079 Perry Mur 29 January 2006 16:00 UTC+8 Perth Glory 1–2 Sydney FC Despotovski 53 Zadkovich 23Rudan 14 Members Equity Stadium, Perth 12,796 Craig Zetter Round 21 3 February 2006 20:00 UTC+11 Sydney FC 2–1 Adelaide United Ceccoli 71Yorke 48 pen. Qu 90 Aussie Stadium, Sydney 25,557 Mark Shield 4 February 2006 18:00 UTC+11 Melbourne Victory 2–1 New Zealand Knights Muscat 21 pen.Byrnes 2 Brockie 90 Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne 10,078 Angelo Nardi 4 February 2006 19:00 UTC+10 Queensland Roar 2–2 Central Coast Mariners Baird 60Brosque 3 O'Sullivan 81Petrie 33 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 13,641 Ben Williams 5 February 2006 17:00 UTC+11 Newcastle Jets 1–3 Perth Glory Coveny 34 Mori 71Picken 58 o.g.Ward 9 EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle 9,232 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. main Bracket 2 y yes February 10 & 17 Adelaide United 1 2 1 3 Sydney FC 2 2 2 4 February 12 & 19 Central Coast Mariners 1 1 2 3 Newcastle Jets 0 1 1 4 26 February 1 Adelaide United 0 3 Central Coast Mariners 1 5 March 2 Sydney FC 1 3 Central Coast Mariners 0 Semi-finals 17:00 UTC+10.30 12 February 2006 Adelaide United 2–2 Sydney FC Rech 34Dodd 31 Petrovski 39Corica 9 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 15,104 Matthew Breeze 17:00 UTC+11 19 February 2006 Sydney FC 2–1 Adelaide United Rudan 76Petrovski 29 Qu 60 Aussie Stadium, Sydney 30,377 Mark ShieldSydney FC won 4–3 on aggregate. 20:00 UTC+11 10 February 2006 Newcastle Jets 0–1 Central Coast Mariners Osman 76 EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle 10,236 Ben Williams 20:00 UTC+11 17 February 2006 Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Newcastle Jets Heffernan 79 Thompson 28 Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford 17,429 Simon PrzydaczCentral Coast Mariners won 2–1 on aggregate. Preliminary final 17:00 UTC+10.30 26 February 2006 Adelaide United 0–1 Central Coast Mariners Pondeljak 7 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide 11,405 Matthew Breeze Grand Final 2006 A-League Grand Final 17:00 UTC+11 5 March 2006 Sydney FC 1–0 Central Coast Mariners Corica 62 Aussie Stadium, Sydney 41,689 Mark Shield Statistics Attendance SFC 11 25557 9132 183355 QR 11 23142 8607 162636 MV 10 18026 10078 141578 AU 10 14068 7013 109473 PG 11 13157 5033 107075 NUJ 11 13000 5868 98027 CCM 10 17429 5194 78989 NZK 10 9900 1922 39086 Highest attendance 41,689: Sydney FC vs Central Coast Mariners, 5 March 2006 (grand final) 30,377: Sydney FC vs Adelaide United, 19 February 2006 (Semi-final Leg2) 25,557: Sydney FC vs Adelaide United, 3 February 2006 (Round 21) 25,208: Sydney FC vs Melbourne Victory, 28 August 2005 (Round 1) 23,142: Queensland Roar vs Sydney FC, 23 September 2005 (Round 5) 20,725: Queensland Roar vs New Zealand Knights, 28 August 2005 (Round 1) 18,276: Sydney FC vs Adelaide United, 9 October 2005 (Round 7) 18,206: Melbourne Victory vs Sydney FC, 16 October 2005 (Round 8) 17,960: Melbourne Victory vs Perth Glory, 4 September 2005 (Round 2) Leading goalscorers A-League all-time records#Top scorers of all time A-League top scorers TotalPlayerTeamGoals per Round  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 218 AUS Alex Brosque Brisbane Roar1 2 1 2 1 1 AUS Bobby Despotovski Perth Glory 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 AUS Archie Thompson Melbourne Victory1 1 1 2 1 1 1 SCO Stewart Petrie Central Coast Mariners 1 1 2 2 1 17 AUS Carl Veart Adelaide United1 1 1 1 1 1 1 AUS Dean Heffernan Central Coast Mariners 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 TRI Dwight Yorke Sydney FC1 1 1 1 1 1 1 AUS Ante Milicic Newcastle Jets 1 1 1 3 1 AUS Sasho Petrovski Sydney FC 1 1 1 3 1 AUS Damian Mori Perth Glory 2 3 1 1 Disciplinary records PlayerTeamYellow2YCRedTerry McFlynnSydney FC700Matt McKayQueensland Roar311Kevin MuscatMelbourne Victory410Ross AloisiAdelaide United600Remo BuessQueensland Roar600 Biggest victories Score DateRoundMelbourne Victory5–0Sydney FC16 Oct 20058Queensland Roar5–0Newcastle Jets26 Jan 200620Perth Glory5–1Newcastle Jets8 Oct 20057Sydney FC5–1Central Coast Mariners5 Nov 200511Newcastle Jets4–0New Zealand Knights18 Sep 20054Central Coast Mariners4–0Perth Glory8 Oct 20058 Highest aggregate scores Score DateRoundPerth Glory5–1Newcastle Jets8 Oct 20057Sydney FC5–1Central Coast Mariners5 Nov 200511Newcastle Jets4–2Adelaide United14 Oct 20058Newcastle Jets4–2New Zealand Knights4 Nov 200511Perth Glory4–2Adelaide United6 Nov 200511Adelaide United4–2Queensland Roar1 Jan 200616 Other honours First goal – Carl Veart (Adelaide United vs Newcastle Jets, Round 1) First hat trick – Ante Milicic (Newcastle Jets vs New Zealand Knights, Round 11) First red card – Richie Alagich (Adelaide United vs Melbourne Victory, Round 3) Awards AwardRecipientJohnny 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 ShieldJoe 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 2006–07 A-League season. Adelaide as Premiers and Sydney as Champions were the representatives. See also 2005–06 Adelaide United FC season 2005–06 Central Coast Mariners FC season 2005–06 Melbourne Victory FC season 2005–06 Newcastle Jets FC season 2005–06 New Zealand Knights FC season 2005–06 Perth Glory FC season 2005–06 Queensland Roar FC season 2005–06 Sydney FC season Notes note References External links A-League official website, including fixtures 2005–06 Category:2005–06 in Australian men's soccer leagues Australia Category:August 2005 sports events in Australia Category:September 2005 sports events in Australia Category:October 2005 sports events in Australia Category:November 2005 sports events in Australia Category:December 2005 sports events in Australia Category:January 2006 sports events in Australia Category:February 2006 sports events in Australia Category:March 2006 sports events in Australia