Sydney FC Captain Alex Wilkinson has praised the family feel of Netstrata Jubilee Stadium as the Sky Blues prepare for their top of the table clash there against Melbourne City on Sunday (kick off 6:30pm AEDT).
Wilkinson dismissed talk of the encounter being a title decider, only 12 rounds into the season, as he heralded the Sky Blues’ record in Kogarah that’s seen them win 11 of their overall 13 Hyundai A-League games at the venue.
“Our record there [at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium] has been fantastic,” Wilkinson said.
“The boys love playing there, it’s the community feel and these community grounds we’ve managed to get around to they’re just a great family feel.
“The family can come along, sit on the hill, kids can run amok while the family is watching the game. We really enjoy playing there.
“It’s a big game for us which is great,” he said, looking ahead to Sunday’s encounter.
“It’s just like any other game, it’s one v two and it gives us a nice chance to put a buffer on the rest of the league if we do win but we treat it like any other game.
“It’s far from a title decider with so long in the season to go.
“Our form over the last five or six weeks has been very good and confidence is high in the camp.”
With the league’s top two goal scorers in Adam Le Fondre and Jamie Maclaren going head to head on Sunday, Wilkinson said preparations weren’t focused solely on the City’s Socceroos’ marksmen as he discussed the culture within the Sky Blues’ that’s brought such success in recent years.
“We talk about the team, how they play and the patterns in their attacking play,” Wilkinson said.
“We don’t want to focus on one player, if you end up focusing on one player they’ve got quality all over the park that can hurt you.
“We’ll do our video on them, same as every week, we’ll focus on ourselves and what we’ll do with the ball and if we do that well, I’m pretty confident we’ll get a good result.
“The coaching staff and players have created a great culture [at Sydney FC],” he continued.
“We all get on really well off the pitch and we’ve created a lot of success on the pitch.
“That culture is built around being successful and winning trophies and we’ve managed to do that the last four years.
“That’s why players want to be here and be a part of it because they know we’re going to be challenging every year.”
Sydney FC take on Melbourne City at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Sunday 29 December (kick off 6:30pm AEDT) in the second clash of a triple header at Kogarah. With $49 Family Tickets* on offer, bring everyone done for this festive clash!
*Booking fees apply
