2005–06 A-League

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.

A-League
Season2005–06
Dates26 August 2005 – 5 March 2006
ChampionsSydney FC (1st title)
PremiersAdelaide United (1st title)
Champions LeagueSydney FC
Adelaide United
Matches played84
Goals scored232 (2.76 per match)
Top goalscorerAlex Brosque
Bobby Despotovski
Archie Thompson
Stewart Petrie
(8 goals)
Best goalkeeperClint Bolton
Biggest home winMelbourne Victory 5–0 Sydney FC
(16 October 2005)
Biggest away winNewcastle Jets 0–5 Queensland Roar
(26 January 2006)
Highest attendance25,557
Lowest attendance1,922
Average attendance10,955

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 1977–1988 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.

Clubs
Further information: 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 Fernando Qu Shengqing
Central Coast Mariners André Gumprecht Wayne O'Sullivan Stewart Petrie John Hutchinson2
Ian Ferguson3
Melbourne Victory Richard Kitzbichler Geoffrey Claeys
New Zealand Knights Zhang Xiaobin Darren Bazeley Ben Collett Neil Emblen Li Yan3
Ronnie Bull3
Naoki Imaya3
Frank van Eijs3
Sean Devine1		 Simon Yeo
Newcastle Jets Guy Bates Mateo Corbo Vaughan Coveny1
Perth Glory Steve McMahon Hiroyuki Ishida Danny Hay Henry Fa'arodo Stuart Young1
Milan Jovanić3
Queensland Roar Reinaldo Remo Buess Osvaldo Carro Seo Hyuk-su1
Sydney FC Terry McFlynn Dwight Yorke Alejandro Salazar 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 Wellington Phoenix);
2Australian residents (and New Zealand residents, in the case of Wellington Phoenix) 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 Qu Shengqing[1] Ross Aloisi[2] None
Central Coast Mariners None Noel Spencer[3] None
Melbourne Victory Archie Thompson[4][5] Kevin Muscat[6] None
New Zealand Knights None Danny Hay[7]
Darren Bazeley[note 1][9]		 None
Newcastle Jets Ned Zelic[10] Ned Zelic[11][12][13] None
Perth Glory Brian Deane[14][note 2] Jamie Harnwell[15] None
Queensland Roar None Chad Gibson[16] None
Sydney FC Dwight Yorke[17] Mark Rudan[18] None

Preliminary Competitions

Two competitions were held prior to the start of the A-League season.

Oceania Club Championship Qualification
Main article: 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.

  Round 1
(7 May)		 Semi Finals
(11 May)		 Finals
(15 May)
                           
 
  Perth Glory 1  
    Sydney FC 2  
Sydney FC 3
  Queensland Roar 0  
    Sydney FC 1
  Central Coast Mariners 0
  Central Coast Mariners (pen) 0 (4)  
Newcastle Jets 0 (2)  
Central Coast Mariners 4
    Adelaide United 0  
Adelaide United (pen) 0 (4)
  Melbourne Victory 0 (1)  

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
Main article: 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
Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Melbourne Victory 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5 2005–06 Pre-Season Cup Semi Finals
2 Perth Glory 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
3 Adelaide United 3 0 3 0 3 3 0 3
4 Newcastle Jets 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
Source:
Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Sydney FC 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 7 2005–06 Pre-Season Cup Semi Finals
2 Central Coast Mariners 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
3 Queensland Roar 3 1 1 1 6 3 +3 4
4 New Zealand Knights 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0
Source:

Finals
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
12 August
 
 
Melbourne Victory1
 
21 August
 
Central Coast Mariners3
 
Central Coast Mariners1
 
14 August
 
Perth Glory0
 
Sydney FC0
 
 
Perth Glory1
 

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
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Adelaide United 21 13 4 4 33 25 +8 43 Finals series and 2007 AFC Champions League Group stage
2 Sydney FC (C) 21 10 6 5 35 28 +7 36
3 Central Coast Mariners 21 8 8 5 35 28 +7 32 Finals series
4 Newcastle Jets 21 9 4 8 27 29 −2 31
5 Perth Glory 21 8 5 8 34 29 +5 29
6 Queensland Roar 21 7 7 7 27 22 +5 28
7 Melbourne Victory 21 7 5 9 26 24 +2 26
8 New Zealand Knights[lower-alpha 1] 21 1 3 17 15 47 −32 6
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. New Zealand Knights cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.

Round 1
26 August 2005 Perth Glory 0–1 Central Coast Mariners Members Equity Stadium, Perth
20:00 UTC+8 Report
Summary		 Spencer  66' Attendance: 11,113
Referee: Ben Williams
26 August 2005 Newcastle Jets 0–1 Adelaide United EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Veart  19' Attendance: 13,160
Referee: Peter O'Leary
28 August 2005 Queensland Roar 2–0 New Zealand Knights Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
15:00 UTC+10 Brosque  80'
Baird  86'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 20,725
Referee: Matthew Breeze
28 August 2005 Sydney FC 1–1 Melbourne Victory Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+10 Yorke  44' Report
Summary		 Thompson  73' Attendance: 25,208
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 2
2 September 2005 Adelaide United 0–0 Queensland Roar Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+9:30 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 11,029
Referee: Ben Williams
2 September 2005 New Zealand Knights 1–3 Sydney FC North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+12 Rose  69' Report
Summary		 Rudan  25'
Bingley  73'
Middleby  90+4'		 Attendance: 9,827
Referee: Peter O'Leary
4 September 2005 Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Newcastle Jets Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
15:00 UTC+10 Petrie  69' Report
Summary		 Milicic  25' Attendance: 5,917
Referee: Mark Shield
4 September 2005 Melbourne Victory 2–2 Perth Glory Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+10 Kitzbichler  11'
Muscat  85' (pen.)		 Report
Summary		 Caceres  40'
Despotovski  56'		 Attendance: 17,960
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 3
9 September 2005 Adelaide United 1–0 Melbourne Victory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+9:30 Brain  1' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 8,785
Referee: Peter O'Leary
10 September 2005 Perth Glory 2–1 Queensland Roar Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:35 UTC+8 Despotovski  54', 72' Report
Summary		 Moon  76' Attendance: 8,509
Referee: Simon Przydacz
10 September 2005 Central Coast Mariners 0–2 New Zealand Knights Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
19:35 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Yeo  69'
Devine  80'		 Attendance: 5,261
Referee: Ben Williams
11 September 2005 Newcastle Jets 2–1 Sydney FC EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+10 Milicic  6'
Johnson  18'		 Report
Summary		 Yorke  78' Attendance: 9,127
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 4
16 September 2005 Sydney FC 2–3 Central Coast Mariners Aussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+10 Packer  13'
Yorke  72'		 Report
Summary		 Petrie  20' (pen.)
Gumprecht  35'
Spencer  90+1'		 Attendance: 15,614
Referee: Peter O'Leary
17 September 2005 Perth Glory 1–2 Adelaide United Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:35 UTC+8 Valkanis  20' (o.g.) Report
Summary		 Aloisi  32'
Qu  65'		 Attendance: 8,052
Referee: Matthew Breeze
18 September 2005 Queensland Roar 1–1 Melbourne Victory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
15:00 UTC+10 Baird  62' Report
Summary		 Allsopp  88' Attendance: 15,444
Referee: Ben Williams
18 September 2005 Newcastle Jets 4–0 New Zealand Knights EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+10 Haliti  12'
Thompson  26'
Musialik  37'
Carle  70' (pen.)		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 7,495
Referee: Simon Przydacz

Round 5
22 September 2005 New Zealand Knights 0–1 Perth Glory North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+12 Report
Summary		 Harnwell  68' Attendance: 4,138
Referee: Neil Fox
23 September 2005 Queensland Roar 1–3 Sydney FC Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
20:00 UTC+10 Timpano  50' (o.g.) Report
Summary		 Corica  5', 67'
McFlynn  68'		 Attendance: 23,142
Referee: Matthew Breeze
25 September 2005 Melbourne Victory 1–0 Newcastle Jets Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+10 Thompson  68' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 13,831
Referee: Craig Zetter
25 September 2005 Adelaide United 1–1 Central Coast Mariners Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
17:00 UTC+9:30 Valkanis  34' Report
Summary		 Kwasnik  19' Attendance: 7,013
Referee: Angelo Nardi

Round 6
30 September 2005 Central Coast Mariners 1–2 Melbourne Victory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+10 Heffernan  33' Report
Summary		 Thompson  73'
Leijer  81'		 Attendance: 9,313
Referee: Ben Williams
1 October 2005 Newcastle Jets 0–1 Queensland Roar EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
19:35 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Moon  68' Attendance: 7,436
Referee: Strebre Delovski
1 October 2005 Perth Glory 1–2 Sydney FC Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:35 UTC+8 Despotovski  40' Report
Summary		 Petrovski  48'
Yorke  65'		 Attendance: 13,157
Referee: Matthew Breeze
2 October 2005 New Zealand Knights 1–2 Adelaide United North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
18:00 UTC+12 Yeo  44' Report
Summary		 Dodd  34'
Qu  81'		 Attendance: 3,558
Referee: Peter O'Leary

Round 7
7 October 2005 Queensland Roar 1–1 Central Coast Mariners Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
20:00 UTC+10 Seo  57' Report
Summary		 Spencer  41' Attendance: 13,195
Referee: Perry Mur
8 October 2005 Newcastle Jets 1–5 Perth Glory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
19:30 UTC+10 Parisi  72' Report
Summary		 Mori  33', 62'
Harnwell  46'
Despotovski  52'
Sekulovski  80'		 Attendance: 5,868
Referee: James Lewis
9 October 2005 Sydney FC 2–1 Adelaide United Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+10 Carney  54'
Petrovski  88'		 Report
Summary		 Valkanis  51' Attendance: 18,276
Referee: Mark Shield
10 October 2005 Melbourne Victory 3–0 New Zealand Knights Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+10 Kitzbichler  23'
Muscat  62'
Diaco  64'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 11,010
Referee: Peter Green

Round 8
14 October 2005 Adelaide United 2–4 Newcastle Jets Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+9:30 Valkanis  38'
Corbo  67' (o.g.)		 Report
Summary		 Kemp  12' (o.g.)
Carle  22', 89'
Zelic  68'		 Attendance: 13,182
Referee: Mark Shield
16 October 2005 Melbourne Victory 5–0 Sydney FC Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
13:00 UTC+10 Kitzbichler  34'
Muscat  53' (pen.), 78' (pen.)
Thompson  57', 69'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 18,206
Referee: Matthew Breeze
16 October 2005 Central Coast Mariners 4–0 Perth Glory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
17:00 UTC+10 Petrie  14', 48'
Heffernan  85'
Spencer  90+3'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 6,494
Referee: Ben Williams
16 October 2005 New Zealand Knights 0–2 Queensland Roar North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
18:00 UTC+12 Report
Summary		 Seo  8'
Baird  57'		 Attendance: 4,182
Referee: Simon Przydacz

Round 9
21 October 2005 Sydney FC 2–0 New Zealand Knights Aussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+10 Petrovski  10'
Carney  30'		 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 11,836
Referee: Ben Williams
22 October 2005 Queensland Roar 1–2 Adelaide United Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:30 UTC+10 Brownlie  76' Report
Summary		 Fernando  59'
Pantelis  89'		 Attendance: 15,181
Referee: Peter O'Leary
23 October 2005 Newcastle Jets 1–0 Central Coast Mariners Energy Australia Stadium
17:00 UTC+10 Parisi  88' Report
Summary		 Attendance: 9,371
Referee: Matthew Breeze
23 October 2005 Perth Glory 2–1 Melbourne Victory Members Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+8 Deane  22'
Sekulovski  55'		 Report
Summary		 Thompson  39' Attendance: 12,312
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 10
28 October 2005 Melbourne Victory 0–1 Adelaide United Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Veart  83' Attendance: 16,201
Referee: Matthew Breeze
29 October 2005 Queensland Roar 0–0 Perth Glory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:30 UTC+10 Report
Summary		 Attendance: 13,685
Referee: Simon Przydacz
29 October 2005 New Zealand Knights 1–3 Central Coast Mariners North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+12 Yeo  7' (pen.) Report
Summary		 Heffernan  4'
Petrie  49', 72' (pen.)		 Attendance: 2,583
Referee: Neil Fox
30 October 2005 Sydney FC 1–1 Newcastle Jets Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+10 Carney  73' Report
Summary		 Milicic  77' Attendance: 9,132
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 11
4 November 2005 New Zealand Knights 2–4 Newcastle Jets North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+13 Brockie  71', 77' Report
Summary		 Milicic  18', 28', 56'
Thompson  21'		 Attendance: 2,561
Referee: Matthew Breeze
4 November 2005 Melbourne Victory 0–1 Queensland Roar Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Report
Summary		 McKay  15' Attendance: 13,239
Referee: Mark Shield
5 November 2005 Central Coast Mariners 1–5 Sydney FC Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+11 Hutchinson  40' Report
Summary		 Yorke  9' (pen.)
Talay  14'
Petrovski  23', 68', 83'		 Attendance: 10,529
Referee: Simon Przydacz
6 November 2005 Adelaide United 2–4 Perth Glory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+10:30 Veart  13' (pen.)
Rees  53'		 Report
Summary		 Mori  9', 34', 45+1'
Despotovski  39' (pen.)		 Attendance: 10,868
Referee: Ben Williams

Round 12
11 November 2005 Perth Glory 3–0 New Zealand Knights Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:00 UTC+8 Ward  69'
Sekulovski  25'
Despotovski  12'		 Attendance: 9,667
Referee: Craig Zetter
11 November 2005 Melbourne Victory 0–0 Newcastle Jets Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Attendance: 12,407
Referee: Simon Przydacz
13 November 2005 Central Coast Mariners 1–2 Adelaide United Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
15:00 UTC+11 Hutchinson  12' Rech  90'
Dodd  85'		 Attendance: 5,467
Referee: Peter O'Leary
13 November 2005 Sydney FC 1–0 Queensland Roar Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11 Zdrillic  54' Attendance: 13,030
Referee: Ben Williams

Round 13
18 November 2005 Melbourne Victory 0–2 Central Coast Mariners Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Heffernan  75'
Hutchinson  38'		 Attendance: 13,892
Referee: Ben Williams
19 November 2005 Sydney FC 0–0 Perth Glory Aussie Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+11 Attendance: 16,242
Referee: Matthew Breeze
20 November 2005 Adelaide United 1–0 New Zealand Knights Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+10.30 Qu  38' Attendance: 9,676
Referee: Angelo Nardi
20 November 2005 Queensland Roar 0–1 Newcastle Jets Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
18:00 UTC+10 Thompson  34' Attendance: 13,004
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 14
25 November 2005 Central Coast Mariners 2–2 Queensland Roar Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+11 Heffernan  89'
Osman  56'		 Brosque  7', 78' Attendance: 5,194
Referee: Matthew Breeze
25 November 2005 Perth Glory 0–1 Newcastle Jets Members Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+8 Coveny  47' Attendance: 7,921
Referee: Simon Przydacz
26 November 2005 New Zealand Knights 2–3 Melbourne Victory North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+13 Devine  40' (pen.)
Christie  30'		 Kitzbichler  43', 73'
Muscat  28' (pen.)		 Attendance: 1,922
Referee: Peter O'Leary
27 November 2005 Adelaide United 3–2 Sydney FC Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+10.30 Rech  4', 84'
Veart  14'		 Miura  33', 76' Attendance: 14,068
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 15
1 December 2005 Queensland Roar 1–1 New Zealand Knights Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10 Brownlie  28' Yeo  44' Attendance: 8,607
Referee: James Lewis
2 December 2005 Newcastle Jets 1–2 Adelaide United EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+11 Johnson  59' Brain  79'
Veart  75'		 Attendance: 10,132
Referee: Simon Przydacz
3 December 2005 Sydney FC 2–1 Melbourne Victory Aussie Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+11 Carney  81'
Corica  24'		 Allsopp  88' Attendance: 17,272
Referee: Matthew Breeze
4 December 2005 Perth Glory 2–2 Central Coast Mariners Members Equity Stadium, Perth
16:00 UTC+8 Ishida  65'
Ward  54'		 Petrie  12'
Hutchinson  8'		 Attendance: 7,428
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 16
29 December 2005 Melbourne Victory 2–2 Perth Glory Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Allsopp  45'
Thompson  23'		 Ward  67'
Mori  5'		 Attendance: 14,754
Referee: Peter O'Leary
30 December 2005 New Zealand Knights 2–2 Sydney FC North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+13 Brockie  86'
Devine  3'		 Yorke  45' (pen.)
Carney  6'		 Attendance: 4,212
Referee: Peter Green
31 December 2005 Central Coast Mariners 4–1 Newcastle Jets Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
18:00 UTC+11 Hutchinson  71', 82'
Brown  30'
Gumprecht  3'		 Coveny  85' Attendance: 11,612
Referee: Mark Shield
1 January 2006 Adelaide United 4–2 Queensland Roar Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
18:30 UTC+10.30 Rech  40', 63'
Qu  30'
Veart  29'		 Baird  83'
Brosque  11'		 Attendance: 8,426
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 17
5 January 2006 Adelaide United 1–0 Melbourne Victory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+10.30 Dodd  14' Attendance: 13,427
Referee: Mark Shield
6 January 2006 Sydney FC 0–0 Newcastle Jets Aussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+11 Attendance: 15,211
Referee: Matthew Breeze
7 January 2006 Perth Glory 0–2 Queensland Roar Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:00 UTC+8 Baird  80'
Reinaldo  10'		 Attendance: 11,087
Referee: Peter Green
8 January 2006 Central Coast Mariners 1–0 New Zealand Knights Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
17:00 UTC+11 Heffernan  90' Attendance: 7,257
Referee: Strebre Delovski

Round 18
12 January 2006 Perth Glory 1–2 Adelaide United Members Equity Stadium, Perth
19:00 UTC+8 Ward  86' Aloisi  71'
Qu  3'		 Attendance: 5,033
Referee: Matthew Breeze
13 January 2006 Newcastle Jets 3–0 New Zealand Knights EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+11 Haliti  86', 90'
Milicic  19'		 Attendance: 6,862
Referee: Perry Mur
14 January 2006 Sydney FC 1–1 Central Coast Mariners Aussie Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+11 Carney  61' Pondeljak  52' Attendance: 15,977
Referee: Ben Williams
15 January 2006 Queensland Roar 0–1 Melbourne Victory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
18:00 UTC+10 Thompson  56' Attendance: 12,710
Referee: Mark Shield

Round 19
19 January 2006 New Zealand Knights 1–4 Perth Glory North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+13 Emblen  7' Harnwell  78'
Coyne  14'
Sekulovski  11', 42'		 Attendance: 3,024
Referee: Neil Fox
20 January 2006 Adelaide United 1–1 Central Coast Mariners Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+10.30 Veart  50' (pen.) Kwasnik  54' Attendance: 13,008
Referee: Mark Shield
21 January 2006 Queensland Roar 2–1 Sydney FC Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10 Brosque  60', 70' Petrovski  85' Attendance: 13,302
Referee: Simon Przydacz
22 January 2006 Newcastle Jets 1–0 Melbourne Victory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11 Coveny  36' Attendance: 9,073
Referee: Matthew Breeze

Round 20
26 January 2006 Newcastle Jets 0–5 Queensland Roar EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+11 Murdocca  90'
McKay  83'
Brosque  52'
Richter  44'
Reinaldo  10'		 Attendance: 10,271
Referee: Peter O'Leary
27 January 2006 Central Coast Mariners 3–1 Melbourne Victory Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+11 Heffernan  88'
Spencer  28', 62'		 Ferrante  13' Attendance: 11,945
Referee: Simon Przydacz
28 January 2006 New Zealand Knights 1–1 Adelaide United North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+13 Zhang  71' Brain  21' Attendance: 3,079
Referee: Perry Mur
29 January 2006 Perth Glory 1–2 Sydney FC Members Equity Stadium, Perth
16:00 UTC+8 Despotovski  53' Zadkovich  23'
Rudan  14'		 Attendance: 12,796
Referee: Craig Zetter

Round 21
3 February 2006 Sydney FC 2–1 Adelaide United Aussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00 UTC+11 Ceccoli  71'
Yorke  48' (pen.)		 Qu  90' Attendance: 25,557
Referee: Mark Shield
4 February 2006 Melbourne Victory 2–1 New Zealand Knights Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
18:00 UTC+11 Muscat  21' (pen.)
Byrnes  2'		 Brockie  90' Attendance: 10,078
Referee: Angelo Nardi
4 February 2006 Queensland Roar 2–2 Central Coast Mariners Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10 Baird  60'
Brosque  3'		 O'Sullivan  81'
Petrie  33'		 Attendance: 13,641
Referee: Ben Williams
5 February 2006 Newcastle Jets 1–3 Perth Glory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11 Coveny  34' Mori  71'
Picken  58' (o.g.)
Ward  9'		 Attendance: 9,232
Referee: 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.

  Semi Finals Preliminary Final Grand Final
    L1 L2    
    February 10 & 17                        
1 Adelaide United 2 1     5 March
2 Sydney FC 2 2     26 February       2 Sydney FC 1
    1 Adelaide United 0   3 Central Coast Mariners 0
  February 12 & 19   3 Central Coast Mariners 1  
3 Central Coast Mariners 1 1
4 Newcastle Jets 0 1  
10 February 2006 Minor Semi-Final Leg 1 Newcastle Jets 0–1 Central Coast Mariners EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+11 Osman  76' Attendance: 10,236
Referee: Ben Williams
12 February 2006 Major Semi-Final Leg 1 Adelaide United 2–2 Sydney FC Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
17:00 UTC+10.30 Rech  34'
Dodd  31'		 Petrovski  39'
Corica  9'		 Attendance: 15,104
Referee: Matthew Breeze
17 February 2006 Minor Semi-Final Leg 2 Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Newcastle Jets Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
20:00 UTC+11 Heffernan  79' Thompson  28' Attendance: 17,429
Referee: Simon Przydacz
19 February 2006 Major Semi-Final Leg 2 Sydney FC 2–1 Adelaide United Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11 Rudan  76'
Petrovski  29'		 Qu  60' Attendance: 30,377
Referee: Mark Shield
26 February 2006 Preliminary Final Adelaide United 0–1 Central Coast Mariners Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
17:00 UTC+10.30 Pondeljak  7' Attendance: 11,405
Referee: Matthew Breeze
See also: 2006 A-League Grand Final
5 March 2006 Grand Final Sydney FC 1–0 Central Coast Mariners Aussie Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11 Corica  62' Attendance: 41,689
Referee: Mark Shield

Statistics

Attendance
Team Hosted Average High Low Total
Sydney FC1116,66925,5579,132183,355
Queensland Roar1114,78523,1428,607162,636
Melbourne Victory1014,15818,02610,078141,578
Adelaide United1010,94714,0687,013109,473
Perth Glory119,73413,1575,033107,075
Newcastle Jets118,91213,0005,86898,027
Central Coast Mariners107,89917,4295,19478,989
New Zealand Knights103,9099,9001,92239,086
{{{T9}}}00000
{{{T10}}}00000
{{{T11}}}00000
{{{T12}}}00000
League total 84 10,955 25,557 1,922 920,219

Highest attendance

Leading goalscorers
Further information: A-League top scorers
Total Player Team Goals per Round
 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 101112131415161718192021
8 Alex BrosqueBrisbane Roar 121211
Bobby DespotovskiPerth Glory 1211111
Archie ThompsonMelbourne Victory 1112111
Stewart PetrieCentral Coast Mariners 112211
7 Carl VeartAdelaide United 1111111
Dean HeffernanCentral Coast Mariners 1111111
Dwight YorkeSydney FC 1111111
Ante MilicicNewcastle Jets 11131
Sasho PetrovskiSydney FC 11131
Damian MoriPerth Glory 2311

Disciplinary records
PlayerTeamYellow2YCRed
Terry McFlynnSydney FC700
Matt McKayQueensland Roar311
Kevin MuscatMelbourne Victory410
Ross AloisiAdelaide United600
Remo BuessQueensland Roar600

Biggest victories
ScoreDateRound
Melbourne Victory5–0Sydney FC16 Oct 20058
Queensland Roar5–0Newcastle Jets26 Jan 200620
Perth Glory5–1Newcastle Jets8 Oct 20057
Sydney FC5–1Central Coast Mariners5 Nov 200511
Newcastle Jets4–0New Zealand Knights18 Sep 20054
Central Coast Mariners4–0Perth Glory8 Oct 20058

Highest aggregate scores
ScoreDateRound
Perth Glory5–1Newcastle Jets8 Oct 20057
Sydney FC5–1Central Coast Mariners5 Nov 200511
Newcastle Jets4–2Adelaide United14 Oct 20058
Newcastle Jets4–2New Zealand Knights4 Nov 200511
Perth Glory4–2Adelaide United6 Nov 200511
Adelaide United4–2Queensland Roar1 Jan 200616

Other Honours

Awards
AwardRecipient
Johnny Warren Medal (Player's Player of the Year)Bobby Despotovski (Perth Glory)
Reebok Golden Boot Award (Top Goalscorer)Alex Brosque (Brisbane Roar)
Bobby Despotovski (Perth Glory)
Archie Thompson (Melbourne Victory)
Stewart Petrie (Central Coast Mariners)
Hyundai Rising Star Award (U-20 Player of the Year)Nick Ward (Perth Glory)
Hyundai A-League Coach of the YearLawrie McKinna (Central Coast Mariners)
Zurich Referee of the YearMark Shield
Joe 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 A-League 2006–07 season. Adelaide as Premiers and Sydney as Champions were the representatives.

See also

Notes
  1. Bazeley replaced Hay as captain mid-season, after they released Hay on 23 December 2005.[8]
  2. Deane's contract was mutually terminated part-way through his marquee deal and he left mid-season.[14]

References
  1. "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...
  2. "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.
  3. "Mariners announce soccer captain". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 April 2005.
  4. Lynch, Michael (30 April 2016). "Archie Thompson should play on after leaving Melbourne Victory". The Sydney Morning Herald. As Victory's inauguaral marquee signing...
  5. "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
  6. "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
  7. "Player Profile - Danny Hay". New Zealand Football Foundation. Retrieved 9 January 2020. He started the 2006–2007 season as inaugural captain for the Auckland-based New Zealand Knights
  8. "Knights cut skipper Hay". The World Game. SBS. 23 December 2005.
  9. "Hyundai A-League set for big start". Football Federation Australia. 26 August 2006. Welcome news however is the availability of captain and key defender Darren Bazeley
  10. "Ned Zelic signs with Newcastle Jets". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 April 2005.
  11. "Jets look to shut down Mariners". ABC News. 10 February 2006. Jets captain Ned Zelic says...
  12. Roach, Stewart (7 June 2006). "Easy come, easy go: Okon signs for Jets as captain Zelic quits". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  13. Young, Richie (17 August 2007). "'Our Form Will Return' - North". FTBL. The Taree-born Socceroo says replacing former Jets captains Ned Zelic and Paul Okon came out of the blue at training.
  14. Davidson, John (17 August 2017). "Deane: I had to wash my own kit at Glory". FTBL. 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-season
  15. "Harnwell named Glory captain". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 May 2005.
  16. "Roar name inaugural captain". ABC News. 3 May 2005. A-League club Queensland Roar have named Chad Gibson as their inaugural captain...
  17. "Yorke goes Down Under". The Guardian. 30 June 2005. The former Manchester United, Aston Villa, Blackburn and Birmingham striker is Sydney's marquee player
  18. "Long time coming for Rudan". The World Game. SBS. 2 March 2006.
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