Victory on the edge!

Melbourne Victory hang on to their season.....?

Melbourne Victory 2 Adelaide United 2.

Wild scenes greeted the Richard Alagich own goal in the 92nd minute. Just like last night in Sydney a late late goal sent the home fans crazy.

And Melbourne fans are certainly passionate.



Ernie Merrick was booed for taking off Kaz Patafta, booed for not taking off Matty Kemp earlier, and booed whenever his face appeared on the screen in the stadium.

Yet, somehow with the score 2-0 to Adelaide in a must win game for Melbourne, Victory and Ernie lived to fight at least one more day.

It doesn't get like this in Port Vale, Ernie?

There is passion in Melbourne, and tonight the team responded.

Adelaide scored first and controlled most of the first twenty minutes but Victory lifted with Kaz Patafta and Archie Thompson inspiring perhaps Melbourne's best plays of the season.

At half-time Victory were looking good. But things soon worsened as United's Coach tightened his midfield closing Patafta and then watched as the initiative switched to Adelaide. Paul Agostino reacted quicker than Kevin Muscat to ball that came off the post, and just as he'd done in the first half he scored from close in.

2-0. This was going to get ugly at the Dome.

But if there is one player in Melbourne with pride and pace this season. It is Archie Thompson. When the chips have been going against Victory in the last few games, Archie has still looked the player most likely.

And he darted in the box and earned a penalty. And despite Leandro Love's desires never fail Muscat slotted it.

2-1 Game on.

Well not really. Victory went from bad to worse. Created nothing. Carlos Hernandez, Adrian Caceres and Leandro Love got worse if that was possible.

And then Nathan Burns stretched and pulled his hamstring. Why the ref stopped the game I'll never know. It's not life threatening and was nowhere near the ball.

But the crowd sensed something. Against 10 men now as United had used their subs, the Melbourne crowd lifted.

Bruce Djite. Hooray he's back but he gave a way a soft foul in injury time and Richard Alagich somehow managed to head one home. An own goal. 2-2
Victory and Ernie survived.

It was a great game for the neutral. Open and attacking. I think Melbourne's first half display actually meant Victory were more than just a team with a big crowd.

They showed they could play.

But in the second half they had nothing, not really.

Kaz Patafta had replaced Grant Brebner, Hallelujah Ernie. With Nicky Ward to come. Shunt Carlos and maybe there will be a team with mobility and creativity.

It's a big ask but this Melbourne team could still do it.

Matty Kemp left the field a disheartened man. Sad to see in modern sport. The Victory fans could take no more.

But really booing a player so loudly, so often, can do nothing for a players performance.

In fact supporting and encouraging can actually lift players to super human efforts.

Methinks the Melbourne football fans have a lot to learn. But don't worry some of them have told me I'm too soft and know little.

Adelaide? How did they draw this one?

It's a worry. With ten or eleven they should have seen this one out, and maybe this is why Adelaide despite all their wonderful football won't make the Grand Final this year.

Great game, full of passion both on and off the field with plenty of skill on the park...from Adelaide.

Will Ernie be there next week. I'm starting to wonder, are you?