Dwight Yorke kicked off his Sydney FC career with the goal everyone was hoping for, but if the truth be told he was upstaged by his striking partner Sasho Petrovski (pictured right), with two very well taken goals in Sydney FC’Äôs 3-1 victory over New Zealand Knights at Aussie Stadium.
Yorke converted a 25th minute penalty and played strongly for his 74 minutes on the pitch and received a standing ovation from the appreciative crowd. However it should be Petrovski who should take all the plaudits for an outstanding display.
Petrovski, who also secured the penalty for Sydney, which Yorke converted with a clinical finish, could well have had a hat-trick and combined well with Yorke with links up in play.
Once sensed this might be his night when he after just two minutes he turned in side the box to strike a nice volley that tested Knights keeper Danny Milosevic.
Indeed he struck the decisive blow right on the stroke of half time, when he guided a header past Milosevic and then placed a terrific shot past the former Leeds keeper in the 72nd minute.
Sydney certainly came out the stronger dominating the opening ten minutes, with Knights keeper Danny Milosevic forced into three good saves from Sasho Petrovski and Dwight Yorke twice.
Yorke’Äôs first strike at goal didn’Äôt take too long, with Milosevic diving to his right to save and then just three minutes Milosevic came out well to smother Yorke’Äôs shot after he capitalized on a Knights error.
A Neil Emblen dipping volley from 25 metres that was just over the crossbar sparked the Knights into life and they then had a run of chances from two set piece corners. The best of these saw Sean Devine get a touch from a flick on, which Bolton managed to parry and Alvin Ceccoli scrambled away for another corner.
The first booking came in the 16th minute, when Knights captain Danny Hay brought Robbie Middleby as the speedy tried to skip past them. From the free kick, Milosevic pulled off a terrific to deny Middleby’Äôs volley.
With plenty of chances being created the opening goal was bound to come and duly did in the 25th minute, albeit from the penalty spot, after Petrovski was bundled over by Milosevic as they went for a neat through ball from Ceccoli. Yorke stepped up and placed a perfect shot past Milosevic, who had managed to pick the right way.
The game continued to be a very open affair and almost immediately Knights could have been level if Yeo had taken his time to look up and find a team mate instead of blasting his cross from the byline across the face of goal.
Sydney though struck a killer blow into the hopes of the Knights right on half time, when a patient build up saw the ball find Packer in space on the right. His cross to the near post was flicked on by David Carney and Petrovski was on hand to guide his header inside the far post.
The second half saw both start slowly with little of the goalmouth action from the first half evident.
Carney made the first incisive move of the second period in the 60th minute, with brilliant work on the right to get past two markers. He got to the byline and his low cross was just cut out by Milosevic with Yorke steaming into the six-yard box.
Yorke showed his obvious skill in the 63rd minute, when he instigated a neat one-two with Petrovski with a delicate flick, and then went round his defender only for his to be blocked away by Milosevic.
In the 70th minute, Petrovski went on a mazy run half way, but his shot was across the face of goal.
Two minutes later, McFlynn supplied a brilliant chip pass to Petrovski, who this time made no mistake with his finish past a badly exposed Milosevic.
With the game in the bag, it was time for Yorke to depart and the crowd stood to applaud their new football hero as he slowly made his way off the pitch.
The Knights got a deserved consolation goal for their efforts, when Fitzsimmons hit a well struck volley, after Sydney goalkeeper Bolton had flapped at a corner.