The
2005-06 season was the first season of the
A-LeagueThe A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
, a domestic club competition for
football (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. After over 12 months without a national professional club competition, 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.
The first A-League Grand Final took place on 5 March 2006, with becoming the league's inaugural
champions, defeating the 1-0. were the named premiers after finishing the season seven points clear at the top of the league.
Clubs
Of the A-League participants, four come from the
National Soccer LeagueThe National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
(1977–2004): (established 1995), (1999), (2000) and Adelaide United (2003). The New Zealand Knights had previously entered the NSL as the
Auckland Football Kingz, but were significantly restructured and have a vastly different playing roster. The previously competed in the NSL from 1977–1988 and had competed in the
Queensland State LeagueThe Hyundai Queensland State League, often abbreviated to the QSL, is a men's semi-professional association football league in the Australian state of Queensland...
since then as the
Brisbane Lions, who are no relation to the city's
AFLThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
team, who shared the same name as them.
| Team |
City |
Home Ground |
 |
Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, SASouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
|
Hindmarsh StadiumHindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
(17,000) |
 |
GosfordGosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...
, NSWNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
|
Bluetongue Stadium (20,119) |
 |
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, VICVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
|
Olympic Park StadiumOlympic Park Stadium was a multi-purpose outdoor stadium located on Olympic Boulevard in inner Melbourne. The stadium was built as an athletics training venue for the 1956 Olympics, a short distance from the MCG, which served as the Olympic Stadium...
(18,500) |
 |
NewcastleThe Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, NSWNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
|
Energy Australia Stadium (26,164) |
| |
AucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, NZNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
|
North Harbour StadiumNorth Harbour Stadium is a stadium, situated in Albany, in North Shore City, in New Zealand. It was opened in 1997, after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, football and rugby League are the only sports played on the main ground, as it is rectangular in shape....
(25,000) |
 |
PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, WAWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
|
Members Equity Stadium (18,156) |
 |
BrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, QldQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
|
Suncorp Stadium (52,500) |
 |
SydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, NSWNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
|
Aussie Stadium (42,000) |
Oceania Club Championship Qualification
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
NSLThe National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
champions - a bye into the semi-finals.
Sydney FC qualified for and subsequently won the
2005 Oceania Club ChampionshipThe 2004–05 Oceania Club Championship was held in from April to June, 2005. The tournament was designed to decide the Oceania Football Confederation's entrant into the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship.-Participants:-Preliminary round:...
entitling it to a place in the
2005 FIFA Club World Championship-Quarter-finals:-----Semi-finals:-----Fifth Place:-Third Place:-Final:-Scorers: 2 goals Amoroso Peter Crouch Mohammed Noor Alvaro Saborio...
to be played in
Tokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
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
Group A
| Team |
Pts |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
| Melbourne Victory |
5 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
| Perth Glory |
4 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
| Adelaide United |
3 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
| Newcastle United Jets |
2 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
Group B
| Team |
Pts |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
| Sydney FC |
7 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
| Central Coast |
6 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
| Queensland Roar FC |
4 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
3 |
| New Zealand Knights FC |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
9 |
Finals
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 CupThe FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
in Tokyo.
Home and away season
Rules for classification:1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd goals scored.
# = Position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19
Round 20
Round 21
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 systemThe Page playoff system is a playoff format used primarily in softball and curling at the championship level. Teams are seeded using a round-robin tournament and the top four play a mix of a single-elimination and double-elimination tournament to determine the winner...
, with the difference that each first round game would be played over two legs. The winner of the finals series, was crowned as the A-League champion. , 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 ruleThe away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...
(two-leg ties only), extra time and
penalty shootoutsA penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
were used to decide drawn games.
AFC Champions League
Although Australia became a member of the
Asian Football ConfederationThe Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
in 2006, Australian teams were not invited to participate in the
2006 AFC Champions League competitionThe 2006 AFC Champions League was the 25th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 4th edition under the current AFC Champions League title....
.
The AFC later determined that qualification for the
2007 AFC Champions LeagueThe 2007 AFC Champions League was the 26th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 5th edition under the current AFC Champions League title....
would be based on the 2005–06 A-League competition, despite that ACL matches will commence after the completion of the A-League 2006–07 season. Adelaide as Premiers and Sydney as Champions represented Australia.
Attendance
Highest attendance
- 41,689: vs , 5 March 2006 (Grand Final)
- 30,377: vs , 19 February 2006 (Semi-final L2)
- 25,557: vs , 3 February 2006 (Round 21)
- 25,208: vs , 28 August 2005 (Round 1)
- 23,142: vs , 23 September 2005 (Round 5)
- 20,725: vs , 28 August 2005 (Round 1)
- 18,276: vs , 9 October 2005 (Round 7)
- 18,206: vs , 16 October 2005 (Round 8)
- 17,960: vs , 4 September 2005 (Round 2)
League records
The following league records are from the regular season only. It does not include records from the finals series.
Awards
| Award | Recipient |
| Johnny Warren Medal The Johnny Warren Medal is the award for best player in the Australian national football club competition. It was first awarded in the National Soccer League in 1990, and upon the NSL's demise in November 2004, was carried forward into the A-League, the competition in Australia...
(Player's Player of the Year) |
Bobby DespotovskiSlobodan "Bobby" Despotovski is an Australian football player of Serbian origin.-Biography:Only nine months after his birth his family moved to Yugoslavia because his mother, Valentina, was home-sick...
|
| Reebok Golden Boot Award (Top Goalscorer) |
Four players (see below) |
| Hyundai Rising Star Award (U-20 Player of the Year) |
Nick Ward (footballer) |
| Hyundai A-League Coach of the Year |
Lawrie McKinna Lawrie McKinna is a Scottish-Australian former football player and formerly managed Chengdu Blades in China Super League.-Club career:...
|
| Zurich Referee of the Year |
Mark Shield Mark Shield is a former Australian Football referee. He most recently refereed in Australia's A-League. He first played soccer for the Innisfail Tigers at the age of six. Not showing much promise as a player, he began refereeing at age 12, and by 16 was officiating adult matches in Townsville...
|
| Joe Marston Medal The Joe Marston Medal is an A-League award given to the player of the match in the A-League Grand Final each year. Introduced in 1990, previously the award was also given to the best player in the National Soccer League grand final. The medal is named after Joe Marston, who played for Australia...
(Best player in Grand Final) |
Dwight YorkeDwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland...
|
Leading goalscorers
| Total |
Player |
Team |
Goals per Round |
| 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
| 8 |
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Alex BrosqueAlex Brosque is an Australian professional football player who currently plays for J. League side Shimizu S-Pulse...
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Bobby DespotovskiSlobodan "Bobby" Despotovski is an Australian football player of Serbian origin.-Biography:Only nine months after his birth his family moved to Yugoslavia because his mother, Valentina, was home-sick...
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Archie ThompsonArchibald Gerald Thompson is a New Zealand-born Australian professional football player, currently playing for Melbourne Victory in the Hyundai A-League, where he holds the League all time scoring record...
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Stewart Petrie Stewart Petrie is a former Scottish football player who is currently assistant manager of Arbroath F.C. who compete in the Irn Bru Scottish Third Division.-Career:...
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Carl Veart Carl Veart is a former Australian football player who last played as a striker for Adelaide United.-Club career:...
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Dean HeffernanDean James Heffernan is an Australian professional football player who currently plays as a left back for Chinese Super League club Liaoning Whowin.-Club career:...
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Dwight YorkeDwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland...
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Ante MilicicAnte Milicic is an Australian former football player. He is currently one of the assistant managers of A-League club Melbourne Heart. He is of Croatian Australian origin....
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Sasho PetrovskiSasho Petrovski is an Australian football player. He is a striker who last played for the Newcastle Jets in the Hyundai A-League. Petrovski has two caps for the Australian national team...
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Damian Mori Damian Mori is an Australian football player who is the top scorer for the Socceroos...
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Goal assists
| Player | Team | Assists |
Alex BrosqueAlex Brosque is an Australian professional football player who currently plays for J. League side Shimizu S-Pulse...
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5 not |
David CarneyDavid Raymond Carney is an Australian football player who plays left winger for Spanish club AD Alcorcón and as a left-back or left winger for the Australian national team.- Junior career :...
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6 |
| Nick Carle Nicholas Alberto "Nick" Carle is an Australian football player who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Sydney FC.- Club career :...
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6 |
| Qu Shengqing Qu Shengqing is a Chinese association football coach and former international player. As a player he was predominantly remembered for his time with Liaoning FC where he personally won the Golden Boot in the 1999 league season before joining Shanghai Shenhua and winning the 2003 league title with...
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6 |
| Tom Pondeljak Tomislav Pondeljak is an Australian football player, who is currently playing for A-league club Melbourne Victory.-Club career:...
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6 |
Dwight YorkeDwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland...
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5 |
| Kristian Sarkies Kristian Sarkies is an Australian football player who currently plays for Melbourne Heart...
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5 |
Sasho PetrovskiSasho Petrovski is an Australian football player. He is a striker who last played for the Newcastle Jets in the Hyundai A-League. Petrovski has two caps for the Australian national team...
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5 |
Andre GumprechtAndré Gumprecht is a former German football player who is currently playing for Australian club Lake Macquarie City FC-Club career:...
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4 |
| Carl Veart Carl Veart is a former Australian football player who last played as a striker for Adelaide United.-Club career:...
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4 |
Fouls conceded
| Player | Team | Fouls Conceded |
| Stewart Petrie Stewart Petrie is a former Scottish football player who is currently assistant manager of Arbroath F.C. who compete in the Irn Bru Scottish Third Division.-Career:...
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60 |
| Ross Aloisi Ross Aloisi is a former Australian football player who was known for being the captain of Adelaide United in the Hyundai A-League - a team he guided to a minor premiership, a pre-season cup and earning entry into 2 Asian Champions League campaigns...
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50 |
Andrew ClarkAndrew Clark is an Australian football player. He is currently the Fitness and Conditioning coach for the Central Coast Mariners.-External links:* *...
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49 |
Sasho PetrovskiSasho Petrovski is an Australian football player. He is a striker who last played for the Newcastle Jets in the Hyundai A-League. Petrovski has two caps for the Australian national team...
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49 |
| Steve Pantelidis Steven Pantelidis is an Australian football player of Greek descent, who currently plays as a central midfielder for Perth Glory in the Australian A-League.- Club career :...
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47 |
Terry McFlynnTerence Martin "Terry" McFlynn is a football player from Swatragh, Northern Ireland. He plays as a central midfielder for the Australian A-League team Sydney FC. He is the current captain.-Club career:...
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42 |
Noel SpencerNoel Spencer was an Australian football player.-NSL:Noel played for his hometown of Wollongong from 1996–2000 and was part of Wollongong Wolves championship-winning team of the 1999/2000 season. After the championship win Noel left for Northern Spirit which he played for and later captained until...
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| Carl Veart Carl Veart is a former Australian football player who last played as a striker for Adelaide United.-Club career:...
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40 |
| Richard Johnson Richard Johnson is an Australian former football player.-Club career:When still a teenager Johnson moved to England to seek a professional football contract. He joined the youth ranks of Watford, and made his league début in the closing stages of the 1991/92 season...
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40 |
Travis DoddTravis Dodd is an Indigenous Australian football player who plays for Perth Glory in the A-League. He plays as an attacking midfielder or winger.-Club career:...
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39 |
Disciplinary records
| Player | Team | Yellow | 2YC | Red |
Terry McFlynnTerence Martin "Terry" McFlynn is a football player from Swatragh, Northern Ireland. He plays as a central midfielder for the Australian A-League team Sydney FC. He is the current captain.-Club career:...
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7 |
0 |
0 |
| Matt McKay Matthew Graham "Matt" McKay is an Australian football player who plays for Scottish Premier League side Rangers and the Australia national team....
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3 |
1 |
1 |
| Kevin Muscat Kevin Muscat is an Australian football player who currently plays for Victorian State League Division 1 side Sunshine George Cross and is assistant coach of Melbourne Victory...
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4 |
1 |
0 |
| Ross Aloisi Ross Aloisi is a former Australian football player who was known for being the captain of Adelaide United in the Hyundai A-League - a team he guided to a minor premiership, a pre-season cup and earning entry into 2 Asian Champions League campaigns...
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6 |
0 |
0 |
| Remo Buess -Club Career:Remo Buess is a Swiss football player who last played as a left full back for Logan United. He previously played for the in the A-League. A move to was proposed during the November 2006 transfer window, but did not eventuate...
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6 |
0 |
0 |
5 goals
| | Score | | Date | Round |
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5-0 |
|
16 Oct 2005 |
8 |
|
5-0 |
|
26 Jan 2006 |
20 |
4 goals
| | Score | | Date | Round |
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5-1 |
|
8 Oct 2005 |
7 |
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5-1 |
|
5 Nov 2005 |
11 |
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4-0 |
|
18 Sep 2005 |
4 |
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4-0 |
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8 Oct 2005 |
8 |
Highest aggregate scores
| | Score | | Date | Round |
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5-1 |
|
8 Oct 2005 |
7 |
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5-1 |
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5 Nov 2005 |
11 |
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4-2 |
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14 Oct 2005 |
8 |
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4-2 |
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4 Nov 2005 |
11 |
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4-2 |
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6 Nov 2005 |
11 |
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4-2 |
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1 Jan 2006 |
16 |
Honours
- First goal - Carl Veart
Carl Veart is a former Australian football player who last played as a striker for Adelaide United.-Club career:...
( vs , Round 1)
- First hat trick - Ante Milicic
Ante Milicic is an Australian former football player. He is currently one of the assistant managers of A-League club Melbourne Heart. He is of Croatian Australian origin....
( vs , Round 11)
- First red card - Richie Alagich
Richie Alagich is a retired Australian football player. He was a right full back mostly known for playing for Adelaide United in the A-League...
( vs , Round 3)
League statistics
- Matches Played: 84
- Home Wins: 33%, Draws: 25%, Away Wins: 42%
- Total Goals: 232
- Average of 2.76 goals per match
See also
- 2005–06 Adelaide United season
- 2005–06 Central Coast Mariners season
- 2005–06 Melbourne Victory season
- 2005–06 Newcastle Jets season
- 2005–06 New Zealand Knights season
- 2005–06 Perth Glory season
- 2005–06 Queensland Roar season
- 2005–06 Sydney FC season
External links