By Jonty Ralphsmith
Melbourne City has celebrated skipper Scott Jamieson’s 300th game with a 2-1 grand final rematch win over Western United.
After losing the decider last year, Casey-based City was the dominant team at Aami Park on Friday night, getting three points over Western for the first time in their last six meetings.
Jamie McLaren looked to have the first goal of the match at the 13th minute only for VAR to disallow it, but City’s attack continued pressing.
Patrick Kisnorbo’s men broke through in the 38th minute, courtesy of a clumsy own goal as Western looked to clear a dangerous Matthew Leckie cross.
Then a switched-on McLaren gave his side breathing space when he closed down Western defender Leo Lacroix at the top of the penalty box, gained possession and found the back of the net.
The visitors got on the board late in stoppage time but City controlled most of the contest.
Western United’s James Troisi was set up in space and had a dangerous shot on target within the first 30 seconds of play, which Tom Glover scrambled to save.
That kick-started an entertaining first 15 minutes to christen the new A-League season in front of 7501 fans before City controlled the rest of the contest
Jamieson spoke in the lead up to the game about the focus remaining on the team in his milestone match, and injuries in defence saw him play as centre-back.
““I’m pretty sure the first thing that people think of me as is a sh*t-talker (who) chats sh*t or whinges,” Jamieson said ahead of the game.
“But on the flip side of that, I accepted that a long time ago that some people that don’t know me are going to think that.
“But what I do take a lot of comfort (from) and I’m proud of is the people I’ve played with and the people I work with know the real me and they know first and foremost I’m a pretty good person but I’m also a competitive person on the field.”
The 33-year-old made four Socceroos appearances between 2010-12 and he has been with City since 2017, playing 117 games for the club..
He has led the side to consecutive top-of-the-table finishes and the premiership in 2020-21.
Kisnorbo highlighted the importance of Jamieson around the club.
“He’s fantastic in amongst the group and around the club – he’s a club person we’re very lucky to have,” Kisnorbo said.
“As the seasons have gone on, and the harder it gets, he’s the one that’s at the forefront of everything – that’s what a leader is, he hasn’t let his age determine what he does.
“He has taken that upon himself and tries to improve and get better.
“He’s always led from the front and what an honour to play 300 games at any level, so it is a real proud moment for him and his family.”
While acknowledging the significance of the milestone, the skipper did not want it to be a distraction for the side and assured that it was not a major talking point.
“I’ve always been of the opinion that it is something that is a great achievement, but it shouldn’t be the catalyst or reason for a team to go out and win a game,” Jamieson said.
“It hasn’t been spoken about internally, a few boys have congratulated me, but it’s never been spoken about in a team forum.
“If it was, I would dampen it down because it’s not about me, this is round one of the new season and a little sidepiece is an achievement by me but it’s not a main talking point within our club.”
