Melbourne Victory were considered to be one of the future "powerhouse" football clubs in Australia prior to the 2005/06 A-League season, with Socceroos Kevin Muscat and Archie Thompson returning to Melbourne from successful club careers in Europe. It was widely believed that they would be contenders for the A-League championship. However, the team ended up finishing a disappointing seventh and missed out on the finals.
| 2005–06 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Ernie Merrick |
| A-League | 7th |
| Pre-Season Challenge Cup | Semi-final |
| Top goalscorer | Archie Thompson (8) |
| Highest home attendance | 18,260 vs Sydney FC (16 October 2005) |
| Lowest home attendance | 10,078 vs New Zealand Knights (4 February 2006) |
| Average home league attendance | 14,158 |
Players edit
First-team squad edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Transfers edit
In
Matches edit
2005-06 Hyundai A-League fixtures edit
| 28 August 2005 Round 1 | Sydney FC  | 1 : 1 |  Melbourne Victory | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney |
| 17:00 UTC+10 | Yorke  44' |
Thompson 73' |
Attendance: 25,208 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 4 September 2005 Round 2 | Melbourne Victory | 2 : 2 |  Perth Glory | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 17:00 UTC+10 | Kitzbichler 11' Muscat 85' (pen) |
Caceres 40' Despotovski 56' |
Attendance: 17,960 Referee: Matthew Breeze |
| 9 September 2005 Round 3 | Adelaide United  | 1 : 0 | Melbourne Victory | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide |
| 19:30 UTC+9:30 | Brain 1' Alagich  15' |
Attendance: 8,785 Referee: Peter O'Leary |
| 18 September 2005 Round 4 | Queensland Roar  | 1 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
| 15:00 UTC+10 | Baird 62' McKay 40' |
Allsopp 88' |
Attendance: 15,444 Referee: Ben Williams |
| 25 September 2005 Round 5 | Melbourne Victory | 1 : 0 |  Newcastle Jets | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 17:00 UTC+10 | Thompson 68' |
Attendance: 13,831 Referee: Craig Zetter |
| 30 September 2005 Round 6 | Central Coast Mariners  | 1 : 2 | Melbourne Victory | Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, Gosford |
| 20:00 UTC+10 | Heffernan 33' |
Thompson 73' Leijer 81' |
Attendance: 9,313 Referee: Ben Williams |
| 10 October 2005 Round 7 | Melbourne Victory | 3 : 0 |  New Zealand Knights | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 19:00 UTC+10 | Kitzbichler 23' Muscat 62'Diaco 64' |
Attendance: 11,010 Referee: Peter Green |
| 16 October 2005 Round 8 | Melbourne Victory | 5 : 0 | Sydney FC | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 13:00 UTC+10 | Kitzbichler 34' Muscat 53' 78' Thompson 57' 69' |
Talay 58' |
Attendance: 18,206 Referee: Matthew Breeze |
| 23 October 2005 Round 9 | Perth Glory | 2 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | Members Equity Stadium, Perth |
| 17:00 UTC+8 | Deane 22' Sekulovski 55' |
Thompson 39' |
Attendance: 12,312 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 28 October 2005 Round 10 | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 1 | Adelaide United | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 20:00 UTC+10 | Veart 83' |
Attendance: 16,201 Referee: Matthew Breeze |
| 4 November 2005 Round 11 | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 1 | Queensland Roar | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Matt McKay 15' |
Attendance: 13,239 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 11 November 2005 Round 12 | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 0 | Newcastle Jets | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Attendance: 12,407 Referee: Simon Przydacz |
| 18 November 2005 Round 13 | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 2 | Central Coast Mariners | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Hutchinson 38' Heffernan 75' |
Attendance: 13,892 Referee: Ben Williams |
| 28 November 2005 Round 14 | New Zealand Knights | 2 : 3 | Melbourne Victory | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Christie 31' Devine 41' (pen) |
Muscat 41' (pen) Kitzbichler 44' Kitzbichler 75' |
Attendance: 1,922 Referee: Peter O'Leary |
| 3 December 2005 Round 15 | Sydney FC | 2 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney |
| 19:00 UTC+11 | Corica 24' Carney 81' |
Allsopp 88' |
Attendance: 17,272 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 29 December 2005 Round 16 | Melbourne Victory | 2 : 2 | Perth Glory | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Thompson 23' Allsopp 45' |
Mori 24' Ward 67' |
Attendance: 14,754 Referee: Peter O'Leary |
| 5 January 2006 Round 17 | Adelaide United | 1 : 0 | Melbourne Victory | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Dodd 14' |
Attendance: 13,427 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 15 January 2006 Round 18 | Queensland Roar | 0 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
| 19:00 UTC+11 | Thompson 55' |
Attendance: 12,710 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 21 January 2006 Round 19 | Newcastle Jets | 1 : 0 | Melbourne Victory | EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle |
| 17:00 UTC+11 | Coveny 36' |
Attendance: 9,073 Referee: Matthew Breeze |
| 27 January 2006 Round 20 | Central Coast Mariners | 3 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, Gosford |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Spencer 28' Spencer 63' Heffernan 88' |
Michael Ferrante 13' |
Attendance: 11,925 Referee: Simon Przydacz |
| 3 February 2006 Round 21 | Melbourne Victory | 2 : 1 | New Zealand Knights | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 17:00 UTC+11 | Byrnes 2' Muscat 21' (pen) |
Brockie 90' |
Attendance: 10,078 Referee: Angelo Nadi |
Ladder edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide United | 21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 25 | +8 | 43 | Qualification for 2007 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series |
| 2 | Sydney FC (C) | 21 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 36 | |
| 3 | Central Coast Mariners | 21 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 32 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 4 | Newcastle Jets | 21 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 27 | 29 | −2 | 31 | |
| 5 | Perth Glory | 21 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 29 | +5 | 29 | |
| 6 | Queensland Roar | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 28 | |
| 7 | Melbourne Victory | 21 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 24 | +2 | 26 | |
| 8 | New Zealand Knights[a] | 21 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 15 | 47 | −32 | 6 |
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
- ^ New Zealand Knights cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.
2005–06 end-of-season awards edit
- Player of the Year (Victory Medal)
- Clubman of the Year
- Players' Player of the Year
- Golden Boot
- Union Supporters Fans' Player of the Year