Blacktown City 1-1 Sydney Olympic

The result in isolation, is one most Sydney Olympic Supporters could and would accept in any normal circumstances.

We battled well, we stayed in the contest, we created our fair share of chances and defensively we were not as calamitous as we have been, during the last 6 weeks. Some might even say that this team has “turned the corner”.

But given the predicament we find ourselves in as a club in season 2019, it’s another poor result, it’s yet more points thrown away, it’s yet another match where we simply had to win to stay alive in the League and to keep us away from relegation trouble via the Club Championship, and we once again didn’t.

The goal we conceded to go behind, was once again amateur hour stuff and just makes you want to shake your head at it all, a comedy of errors. It is not a co-incidence that we have only kept 1 clean sheet all season.

We did well enough to pick ourselves up quickly and find an equaliser, but that was as good as it was going to get.

The club and the board have been far too complacent, you can’t stand still in this competition or in any competitive field and be successful, but in our case, you certainly can’t go backwards and attempt to be successful and we certainly have gone backwards, in every aspect in 2019.

Recruitment to replace the departed players who did so well for us last season; Max Burgess, Riley Woodcock, George Timotheou has been non-existent. That is a lot of quality gone and those players simply, were not replaced. Recruitment has been an absolute shambles. A major failure of the people at the club.

Did the club and the board think they could just replace those quality players with fringe players from other clubs? If so, they have learned a harsh lesson. Let’s just hope that the harsh lesson doesn’t result in us being relegated to the NSW 2nd Division, which is a distinct possibility at this point, with only 1/3 of the season remaining.

Even in this mid-season signing window, the club have failed to strengthen. When you consider that, the majority of the other clubs have strengthened and have gotten better, it just goes to show how poor Sydney Olympic have been in 2019.

It has gotten to the point now, where even if the club did try and panic sign some players right now, it would be far too late and a waste of everybody’s time, money and resources anyway.

As for the Sydney Olympic starting XI line-ups that have been put out this season. Is some sort of game being played, to see how ridiculous of a line-up can be fielded on any given weekend?

There has been more tinkering then I care to comment about. Every week, chopping and changing, players out of position, players out, players in, every weekend without fail. Where is the continuity? How is that meant to make us successful on the pitch?

It has been a bizarre season and everyone must be hoping that there is no late season sting at the tail end of it.

To add insult to injury, last Wednesday Night, Sydney Olympic failed to progress to the Main Round of 32 Draw of the FFA Cup for the 4th year in a row. Losing yet another match at home in the process in yet another poor display, as we went down 3-1 to the Marconi Stallions in the Final Round Qualifier.

We have now not qualified for the FFA Cup since 2015, a 4th straight failure for the club in a competition where we were promised and assured by the club, that they were going to focus on and do everything to achieve that objective. That turned out to be lies.

When you actually look at the 4 FFA Cup Qualifiers we played this season; we were awful in all of them and realistically, could have been knocked out earlier by either of those opponents. Truly awful.

There is also a bit of news around regarding the so-called Tempe Reserve redevelopment, as it appears to have been abandoned. The exclusive dealing period between Sydney Olympic and the Inner-West Council, which was an agreement between the 2 parties to develop the highlighted area in the accompanying photo, has expired. Essentially this means that it will not go ahead.



There have just been way too many obstacles put in front of the club and the money is simply not there from the club either, to proceed and do anything.

Ironically or call it what you want, at around the same time, Canterbury-Bankstown Council and Sydney Olympic put out statements which included a story in the local paper, announcing that Peter Moore Field No.1 which has a grass pitch, will be ripped up and replaced with a synthetic surface.



No guarantees or timelines were given for when this latest phantom Sydney Olympic project is supposed to happen. But if it’s like the plethora of other promises during the last 62 years, I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

In the Club Championship, the U18s lost 1-0 and in the U20s we drew 1-1, more fantastic results. To all those who have scoffed at relegation talk, we are now in 2nd last place in the Club Championship. We need to wake up and start winning some matches, otherwise it will be trips to Rydalmere, Northbridge and North Turramurra next season.

Our next match is perhaps the most important match Sydney Olympic will play this season, against relegation rivals Hakoah Sydney City-East. Sunday June 16 at Belmore Sports Ground, Kick-Off is at 4pm. This is simply a must win.