Had Sydney FC coach Patrick Kisnorbo had his way, Sky Blues star Joe Lolley would not have been required at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday night.
However, the bonus of Lolley’s extra-time cameo in Sydney’s semi-final success against Newcastle was that it has given him some much-needed minutes in his legs ahead of this Saturday’s grand final against Auckland FC at Go Media Stadium.
The Sky Blues advanced to the decider thanks to a 4-2 penalty shootout win after their two-legged semi-final against the Jets finished 2-2 on aggregate.
With scores level at 1-1 after the previous week’s first-leg, Kisnorbo’s men seemed certain to qualify for the grand final when they led the second-leg 1-0 deep into stoppage-time courtesy of a second-half Piero Quispe goal.
However, the Jets forced extra-time with a dramatic last-gasp equaliser from Eli Adams.
“It was just the timing of the game,” Kisnorbo said in explaining his reason for holding back Lolley, who had only made his return – also via the bench – a week earlier after being sidelined for more than two months with an ankle injury.
“(Leading the game) with one and a half minutes to go, I didn’t think we needed an attacker, but then obviously things changed, and Joe was available.
“He adapted really well, he came on (had an) impact, and again he gets some minutes, which is great for him, and also great for the team.”
Lolley looked dangerous every time he touched the ball in extra-time.
While he was the only Sydney player not to convert his spot-kick during the shootout, it ultimately didn’t prove costly, with the Sky Blues ending Newcastle’s domestic treble dreams and earning a spot in the decider against a Steve Corica-coached Auckland outfit that beat Adelaide United 4-1 on aggregate in its semi-final.
When asked if Lolley would start in the decider, Kisnorbo kept his cards close to his chest.
“Time will tell,” he said.
“We all know that every player wants to play. The main thing is we have 20-something fit players ready for next week.”
Sydney is yet to taste defeat under Kisnorbo, who has been in charge for seven games since taking over from Ufuk Talay in March.
“Nothing’s done yet, but it’s just showing belief and confidence within the group again,” the former Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory coach said.
“Sometimes it’s very hard to come in and you don’t know where the group is at, but to be fair to them, they’ve adapted really well to me. I’m quite demanding, and they’ve been great in doing that.
“We still have another week to go … but the belief from the group, I’m very happy with.”
