1981 Sydney City FC season

The 1981 season was the fifth in the National Soccer League for Sydney City (Hakoah Sydney City East Football Club). In addition to the domestic league, they also participated in the NSL Cup. Sydney City finished 1st in their National Soccer League season, and were eliminated in the third round of the NSL Cup.

Sydney City
1981 season
Head CoachEddie Thomson
StadiumSydney Sports Ground
St George Stadium
ES Marks Athletics Field
National Soccer League1st
NSL CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Ken Boden
Ian Souness
(12 each)

All:
Ken Boden (18)
Highest home attendance6,892
vs. Sydney Olympic
(5 July 1981)
National Soccer League
Lowest home attendance1,200
vs. West Adelaide
(1 March 1981)
National Soccer League
Average home league attendance2,602
Biggest win5–0
vs. Marconi Fairfield (H)
(15 March 1981)
National Soccer League
5–0
vs. Wollongong Wolves (A)
(23 August 1981)
National Soccer League
Biggest defeat1–3
vs. Marconi Fairfield (N)
(30 January 1981)
Charity Shield
0–2
vs. Canberra City (A)
(7 March 1981)
National Soccer League
0–2
vs. Brisbane City (A)
(7 June 1981)
National Soccer League
← 1980
1982 →

Players

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   AUS Todd Clarke
2 DF   AUS Kevin Mullen
3 DF   AUS John Spanos
4 DF   AUS Steve O'Connor
5 DF   SCO Ian Bruce
6 FW   SCO Willie Murray
7 MF   AUS Joe Watson
8 MF   AUS Murray Barnes
9 MF   AUS Ken Boden
10 FW   AUS John Kosmina
No. Pos. Nation Player
11 FW   BRA Hilton Silva
12 MF   AUS Jimmy Cant
14 DF   CRC Gerry Gomez
16 MF   AUS Jim Patikas
18 MF   AUS Ian Souness
20 GK   AUS Tony Pezzano
21 MF   AUS Grant Lee
MF   AUS Agenor Muniz
DF   SCO Alex Robertson

Competitions

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Overall record

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Competition First match Last match Starting round Final position Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
National Soccer League 15 February 1981 13 September 1981 Matchday 1 1st 30 19 5 6 59 30 +29 063.33
NSL Cup 22 March 1981 27 May 1981 First round Third round 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 066.67
Charity Shield 30 January 1981 Final Runners-up 1 0 0 1 1 3 −2 000.00
Total 34 21 6 7 66 35 +31 061.76

Source: Competitions

National Soccer League

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League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation
1 Sydney City (C) 30 19 5 6 59 30 +29 43
2 South Melbourne 30 13 13 4 41 27 +14 39
3 Brisbane City 30 12 11 7 37 25 +12 35
4 APIA Leichhardt 30 12 11 7 39 33 +6 35
5 Canberra City 30 13 7 10 41 32 +9 33
6 Brisbane Lions 30 11 11 8 41 33 +8 33
7 Adelaide City 30 13 6 11 46 42 +4 32
8 Heidelberg United 30 12 7 11 48 40 +8 31
9 Sydney Olympic 30 11 9 10 46 46 0 31
10 Newcastle KB United 30 11 8 11 41 41 0 30
11 Wollongong City 30 8 12 10 35 39 −4 28
12 Preston Makedonia 30 9 7 14 39 41 −2 25
13 Footscray JUST 30 9 7 14 32 48 −16 25
14 Marconi Fairfield 30 9 7 14 23 45 −22 25
15 Blacktown City (R) 30 6 9 15 32 47 −15 21 Relegated to the 1982 NSW State League
16 West Adelaide 30 5 4 21 26 57 −31 14
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Results summary

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Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
30 19 5 6 59 30  +29 62 11 4 0 37 14  +23 8 1 6 22 16  +6

Results by round

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Round123456789111214151617181913202110222324252627282930
GroundAHHAHAHAHHAAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAH
ResultWDWLWDWLDWWWWLWWLWWWLWLDWWWDWW
Position454733353532121122116112211111
Points235578101011131517191921232325272929313132343638394143
Source: worldfootball.net
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

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  Win   Draw   Loss

15 February 1981 1 Adelaide City 0–1 Sydney City Adelaide
Report
  • Kosmina   49'
Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 2,200[1]
Referee: Bobby Kerr
22 February 1981 2 Sydney City 1–1 Brisbane City Sydney
Report
Stadium: Sydney Sports Ground
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Doug Rennie
1 March 1981 3 Sydney City 1–0 West Adelaide Sydney
Report Stadium: St George Stadium
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Tony Boskovic
7 March 1981 4 Canberra City 2–0 Sydney City Canberra
16:00 AEST
Report Stadium: Bruce Stadium
Attendance: 2,893
Referee: Ken Allen
15 March 1981 5 Sydney City 5–0 Marconi Fairfield Sydney
Report Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 3,458
Referee: Tim Davies
29 March 1981 6 Sydney Olympic 2–2 Sydney City Sydney
Report
Stadium: Pratten Park
Attendance: 4,728
Referee: Jim Reeves
5 April 1981 7 Sydney City 1–0 Heidelberg United Sydney
Report Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 2,611
Referee: Ken Small
12 April 1981 8 Footscray JUST 1–0 Sydney City Melbourne
Report Stadium: Schintler Reserve
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Dennis Voutsinas
19 April 1981 9 Sydney City 1–1 Brisbane Lions Sydney
Report
Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 1,726
Referee: Richard Lorenc
3 May 1981 11 Sydney City 4–1 Newcastle KB United Sydney
Report
Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 2,614
Referee: Henry Witschge
10 May 1981 12 APIA Leichhardt 0–1 Sydney City Sydney
15:00 AEST Report
Stadium: Lambert Park
Attendance: 4,284
Referee: Bob Mee
24 May 1981 14 South Melbourne 1–3 Sydney City Melbourne
Report
Stadium: Middle Park Soccer Stadium
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: Bobby Kerr
31 May 1981 15 Sydney City 2–0 Preston Makedonia Sydney
Report Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 1,492
Referee: Tim Davies
7 June 1981 16 Brisbane City 2–0 Sydney City Brisbane
Report Stadium: Spencer Park
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Bob Mee
14 June 1981 17 West Adelaide 1–2 Sydney City Adelaide
Report
Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 2,900
Referee: Chris Bambridge
21 June 1981 18 Sydney City 3–2 Canberra City Sydney
15:00 AEST
Report
Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 2,414
Referee: Tony Boskovic
28 June 1981 19 Marconi Fairfield 1–0 Sydney City Sydney
Report Stadium: Marconi Stadium
Attendance: 6,165
Referee: Barry Harwood
1 July 1981 13 Sydney City 1–0 Wollongong City Sydney
Report Stadium: St George Stadium
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Peter Rampley
5 July 1981 20 Sydney City 5–4 Sydney Olympic Sydney
15:00 AEST
Report
Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 6,892
Referee: Peter Rampley
12 July 1981 21 Heidelberg United 0–1 Sydney City Melbourne
Report
Stadium: Olympic Park
Attendance: 4,500
Referee: Jack Johnston
15 July 1981 10 Blacktown City 1–0 Sydney City Sydney
Report Stadium: Marconi Oval
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Gary Power
19 July 1981 22 Sydney City 3–0 Footscray JUST Sydney
Report Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 3,427
Referee: Ken Allen
26 July 1981 23 Brisbane Lions 4–3 Sydney City Brisbane
Report
Stadium: Richlands Stadium
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Alf Rodway
2 August 1981 24 Sydney City 1–1 Blacktown City Sydney
Report
Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 1,452
Referee: Ken Small
9 August 1981 25 Newcastle KB United 1–2 Sydney City Newcastle
Report
Stadium: Newcastle International Sports Centre
Attendance: 5,232
Referee: Bob Mee
16 August 1981 26 Sydney City 3–0 APIA Leichhardt Sydney
Report Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 4,216
Referee: Jim Reeves
23 August 1981 27 Wollongong City 0–5 Sydney City Wollongong
Report
Stadium: Wollongong Showground
Attendance: 3,974
Referee: Tim Davies
30 August 1981 28 Sydney City 1–1 South Melbourne Sydney
15:00 AEST
Report
Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 4,217
Referee: Dave Nugent
6 September 1981 29 Preston Makedonia 0–2 Sydney City Melbourne
Report
Stadium: B.T. Connor Reserve
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Jack Johnston
13 September 1981 30 Sydney City 5–3 Adelaide City Sydney
Report
Stadium: ES Marks Athletics Field
Attendance: 2,106
Referee: Peter Rampley

NSL Cup

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  Win   Draw   Loss

22 March 1981 First round Sydney City 3–0 Blacktown City Newcastle
Report Stadium: Newcastle International Sports Centre
Attendance: 1,310[2]
Referee: Alf Rodway
6 May 1981 Second round Sydney City 1–0 (a.e.t.) Weston Bears Sydney
Report Stadium: Marconi Oval
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Ken Allen
27 May 1981 Third round Marconi Fairfield 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(5–4 p)
Sydney City Sydney
Report
Stadium: Marconi Oval
Referee: Richard Lorenc

Charity Shield

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Marconi Fairfield, as National Soccer League champions in the previous season, played against Marconi Fairfield who won the NSL Cup in the previous season in the 1981 Charity Shield.[3]

30 January 1981 Final Sydney City 1–3 (a.e.t.) Marconi Fairfield Sydney
Report
Stadium: Redfern Oval
Attendance: 3,500
Referee: Henry Witschge

Statistics

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Appearances and goals

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Includes all competitions. Players with no appearances not included in the list.[4][2]

No. Pos. Nat. Player National Soccer League NSL Cup Charity Shield Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK   Todd Clarke 22 0 0 0 0 0 22 0
2 DF   Kevin Mullen 16+1 1 2 0 0 0 19 1
3 DF   John Spanos 29 1 3 0 1 0 33 1
4 DF   Steve O'Connor 27 1 3 0 0 0 30 1
5 DF   Ian Bruce 23+1 1 3 0 1 0 28 1
6 FW   Willie Murray 10+5 0 0+2 0 1 0 18 0
7 MF   Joe Watson 29+1 4 3 0 1 0 34 4
8 MF   Murray Barnes 28 11 2+1 0 1 0 32 11
9 MF   Ken Boden 27+1 12 3 6 1 0 32 18
10 FW   John Kosmina 26 11 3 0 1 1 30 12
11 FW   Hilton Silva 1+3 0 1 0 0 0 5 0
12 MF   Jimmy Cant 17+8 2 1+1 0 1 0 28 2
14 DF   Gerry Gomez 5+7 2 0+1 0 1 0 14 2
16 MF   Jim Patikas 19+5 1 2 0 0 0 26 1
18 MF   Ian Souness 27 12 3 0 1 0 31 12
20 GK   Tony Pezzano 8 0 3 0 1 0 12 0
21 MF   Grant Lee 0+4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
MF   Agenor Muniz 7+1 0 1 0 0 0 9 0
DF   Alex Robertson 9+5 0 0 0 0 0 14 0

Disciplinary record

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Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total cards are equal. Players with no cards not included in the list.

Rank No. Pos. Nat. Player National Soccer League NSL Cup Total
                 
1 18 MF   Ian Souness 4 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 1
2 2 DF   Kevin Mullen 4 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 0
3 10 FW   John Kosmina 3 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0
4 3 DF   John Spanos 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0
8 MF   Murray Barnes 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
6 4 DF   Steve O'Connor 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
9 MF   Ken Boden 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0
8 7 MF   Joe Watson 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
14 DF   Gerry Gomez 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
16 MF   Jim Patikas 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Total 22 0 1 4 0 0 26 0 1

Clean sheets

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Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total clean sheets are equal. Numbers in parentheses represent games where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start of play. Goalkeepers with no clean sheets not included in the list.

Rank No. Nat. Goalkeeper NSL NSL Cup Total
1 1   Todd Clarke 8 0 8
2 20   Tony Pezzano 4 2 6
Total 12 2 14

References

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  1. ^ Stock, Greg. "1981 National Soccer League Results". OzFootball.
  2. ^ a b Stock, Greg. "1981 National Soccer League Cup Results". OzFootball.
  3. ^ "Charity match start for City in '81 Soccer". The Australian Jewish Times. Vol. 88A, no. 18. New South Wales, Australia. 15 January 1981. p. 16. Retrieved 23 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "Sydney City 1981 Squad". OzFootball.