Valentine’s Day is a day that will sit strong with every Sydney FC supporter as the day the Sky Blues clinched the Premiership, and for club legend Steve Corica it’s a day that ranks as one of his most treasured memories.
Needing a win to secure the plate Corica said the mood in the camp was great ahead of the crunch match in the final round of the regular season.
“The mood was very good,” he said.
“Obviously we needed to win the game to win the Minor Premiership because they were two points in front of us.
“We knew exactly what we had to do to win the game and we believed that we could do it. In the end it was a good day, my last game for the club, so it had a lot of feeling to it and was a great, great day.
“For me I would say after the Grand Final that I scored in when we won the Grand Final that would be my next special day,” he continued.
“You work all year to win the Grand Final but I think that the Minor Premiership is next in line and the most important after a Grand Final for Australian people and it showed that we were the most consistent team all year.”
It was a bittersweet ending for Corica as he limped off with a hamstring injury that ultimately led to his retirement, however the current Sydney FC Assistant Coach said he had no doubts the Sky Blues would win it once Aloisi scored the second goal of the day.
“I wasn’t sure how bad the injury was at the time but I had this hamstring problem the last couple of weeks leading into the game,” he said.
“I could feel it a little bit, but the scans showed it had come off the bone and my dream of playing in the final was over.
“I thought once Johnny sunk the second one that we’d won it,” he continued.
“You could tell we had a lot of experienced players that year and when it came down to the crunch in the big games they all performed very well.”
Sydney FC take on Melbourne Victory on Valentine’s Day (kick off 7:30pm), five years after their Premiership triumph on the same date. Purchase tickets today or become a Member and ensure you don’t miss a moment of action this Hyundai A-League season.
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