2015–16 Western Sydney Wanderers FC season

The 2015–16 Western Sydney Wanderers FC season was the club's fourth season since its establishment in 2012. The club participated in the A-League for the fourth time and the FFA Cup for the second time.

Western Sydney Wanderers

2015–16 season
Chairman	Paul Lederer
Manager	Tony Popovic
Stadium	Pirtek Stadium, Parramatta
A-League	2nd
A-League Finals Series	Runners-up
FFA Cup	Quarter-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Mitch Nichols, Brendon Santalab (10 goals) All: Brendon Santalab (11 goals)
Highest home attendance	19,627 vs Sydney FC 16 January 2016
Lowest home attendance	9,860 vs Brisbane Roar 5 December 2015
Average home league attendance	14,297
Home colours Away colours
← 2014–15 2016–17 →

Players

Squad information

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  AUS Shannon Cole 3 DF  AUS Scott Jamieson 4 DF  AUS Nikolai Topor-Stanley (captain) 5 DF  AUS Brendan Hamill 6 MF  AUS Mitch Nichols 7 FW  NED Romeo Castelen 8 MF  ESP Dimas 9 FW  ITA Federico Piovaccari 10 MF  AUS Dario Vidošić 11 FW  AUS Brendon Šantalab 12 DF  AUS Scott Neville 13 MF  AUS Matt Sim 14 FW  AUS Golgol Mebrahtu 15 MF  AUS Kearyn Baccus

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 FW  AUS Jaushua Sotirio 17 MF  ESP Alberto 18 MF  ESP Andreu 19 FW  AUS Mark Bridge (vice-captain) 20 GK  AUS Andrew Redmayne 21 MF  AUS Jacob Pepper 22 DF  AUS Jonathan Aspropotamitis 23 DF  AUS Shayne D'Cunha 30 GK  AUS Liam Reddy 31 MF  AUS Alusine Fofanah 32 DF  AUS Daniel Alessi 33 FW  AUS Josh Macdonald 36 FW  AUS Liam Youlley — MF  AUS Jackson Bandiera

From youth squad

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Notes

Transfers in

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Moving from	Type	Transfer window	Ends	Transfer fee	Source
3	DF		Scott Jamieson	26	Perth Glory	Transfer	Pre-season	2017	Free	[1]
12	DF		Scott Neville	26	Newcastle Jets	Transfer	Pre-season	2017	Free	[2]
21	MF		Jacob Pepper	23	Newcastle Jets	Transfer	Pre-season	2017	Free	[2]
20	GK		Andrew Redmayne	26	Melbourne City	Transfer	Pre-season	2017	Free	[3]
18	MF		Andreu	32	Racing de Santander	Transfer	Pre-season	2016	Free	[4]
6	MF		Mitch Nichols	26	Cerezo Osaka	Transfer	Pre-season	2017	Free	[5]
9	FW		Federico Piovaccari	30	Free agent	Transfer	Pre-season	2016	Free	[6]
8	MF		Dimas	32	Free agent	Transfer	Pre-season	2016	Free	[7]
17	MF		Alberto	31	Free agent	Transfer	Pre-season	2016	Free	[8]
10	MF		Dario Vidošić	28	Sion	Transfer	Pre-season	2017	Free	[9]
30	GK		Liam Reddy	34	Central Coast Mariners	Transfer	Round 10	2016	Free	[10]
	MF		Jackson Bandiera	17	FFA Centre of Excellence	Transfer	Round 18	2018	Free	[11]
13	MF		Matt Sim	27	Central Coast Mariners	Transfer	Round 18	2016	Free	[11]

Transfers out

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Moving to	Type	Transfer window	Transfer fee	Source
15	MF		Yianni Perkatis	21	Blacktown City	Released	Pre-season		[12]
1	GK		Ante Covic	39		End of contract	Pre-season		[13]
6	DF		Antony Golec	24		End of contract	Pre-season		[13]
9	FW		Tomi Juric	23		End of contract	Pre-season		[13]
12	FW		Nikita Rukavytsya	27		End of contract	Pre-season		[13]
14	FW		Kerem Bulut	23		End of contract	Pre-season		[13]
18	MF		Iacopo La Rocca	30		End of contract	Pre-season		[13]
22	MF		Nick Ward	30		End of contract	Pre-season		[13]
23	MF		Jason Trifiro	26		End of contract	Pre-season		[13]
33	MF		Nick Kalmar	27		End of contract	Pre-season		[13]
42	DF		Adrian Madaschi	32		End of contract	Pre-season		[13]
3	DF		Yūsuke Tanaka	29		End of contract	Pre-season		[14]
10	FW		Yojiro Takahagi	28		End of contract	Pre-season		[14]
38	FW		Steve Kuzmanovski	18	Melbourne City	Transfer	Pre-season	Free	[15]
13	DF		Matthew Spiranovic	27	Hangzhou Greentown	Transfer	Pre-season	$1,000,000	[16]
7	FW		Labinot Haliti	29	Newcastle Jets	Transfer	Pre-season	Free	[17]
8	MF		Mateo Poljak	25	Newcastle Jets	Transfer	Pre-season	Free	[17]
25	DF		Sam Gallaway	23		Released	Pre-season		[18]
1	GK		Dean Bouzanis	25	Melbourne City	Transfer	Round 14	Free	[19]

Technical staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Tony Popovic
Assistant coach	Andrés Carrasco
Assistant coach	Hayden Foxe
Goalkeeping coach	Zeljko Kalac
Strength & conditioning coach	Scott Smith
Physiotherapist	David Hughes

Statistics

Squad statistics

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Total					A-League					FFA Cup
				Apps	Goals				Apps	Goals				Apps	Goals
2	DF		Shannon Cole	4	0	0	0	0	0+4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	DF		Scott Jamieson	32	0	5	0	0	29	0	4	0	0	3	0	1	0	0
4	DF		Nikolai Topor-Stanley	28	0	10	0	0	27	0	10	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
5	DF		Brendan Hamill	8	1	2	0	0	4+2	0	1	0	0	2	1	1	0	0
6	MF		Mitch Nichols	32	10	6	0	0	29	10	6	0	0	3	0	0	0	0
7	FW		Romeo Castelen	30	7	0	0	0	20+8	7	0	0	0	1+1	0	0	0	0
8	MF		Dimas	28	2	12	0	0	26	0	11	0	0	2	2	1	0	0
9	FW		Federico Piovaccari	14	2	2	0	0	10+2	2	1	0	0	2	0	1	0	0
10	MF		Dario Vidošić	29	4	3	0	0	17+11	4	3	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	0
11	FW		Brendon Šantalab	24	11	8	0	0	5+18	11	8	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	0
12	DF		Scott Neville	29	1	7	0	0	28	1	7	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
13	MF		Matt Sim	1	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	FW		Golgol Mebrahtu	8	1	1	0	0	1+6	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0
15	MF		Kearyn Baccus	15	0	1	0	0	2+11	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
16	FW		Jaushua Sotirio	22	1	4	0	0	13+6	1	4	0	0	3	0	0	0	0
17	MF		Alberto	25	1	5	0	1	23	1	5	0	1	2	0	0	0	0
18	MF		Andreu	29	3	7	0	0	26+1	3	7	0	0	1+1	0	0	0	0
19	FW		Mark Bridge	26	9	3	0	0	21+3	9	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
20	GK		Andrew Redmayne	26	0	0	0	0	23	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0
21	MF		Jacob Pepper	14	0	1	0	0	5+6	0	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	0
22	DF		Jonathan Aspropotamitis	5	0	1	0	1	4+1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
23	DF		Shayne D'Cunha	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
30	GK		Liam Reddy	6	0	1	0	0	6	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31	MF		Alusine Fofanah	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
32	DF		Daniel Alessi	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0
33	FW		Josh Macdonald	5	0	1	0	0	0+2	0	0	0	0	0+3	0	1	0	0
34	FW		Mario Shabow	1	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
36	FW		Liam Youlley	3	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0+2	0	0	0	0
	MF		Jackson Bandiera	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Players no longer at the club:
1	GK		Dean Bouzanis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

• Last updated: 1 May 2016
• Source: au.soccerway.com
• = Number of bookings; = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card; = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.

Pre-season and friendlies

Mt Druitt Town Rangers v Western Sydney Wanderers

29 July 2015	Mt Druitt Town Rangers	0–3	Western Sydney Wanderers	Sydney, Australia
19:30		Report	Bridge ?' Castelen ?' Ly ?'	Stadium: Popondetta Park Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones

Central Coast Mariners v Western Sydney Wanderers

7 August 2015	Central Coast Mariners	3–2	Western Sydney Wanderers	Coffs Harbour, Australia
19:15	Heffernan 52', 53', 56'	Report	Castelen 69' Macdonald 77'	Stadium: C.ex Coffs International Stadium

Canberra FC v Western Sydney Wanderers

7 August 2015	Canberra FC	0–3	Western Sydney Wanderers	Canberra, Australia
19:15		Report	Bridge 37' Piovaccari 40' Šantalab 65'	Stadium: Deakin Stadium

Western Sydney Wanderers v Wellington Phoenix

13 September 2015	Western Sydney Wanderers	1–3	Wellington Phoenix	Parramatta, Australia
18:00 AEST	Nichols 70'	Report	Bonevacia 8', 16' Powell 85'	Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Referee: Stephen Lucas

APIA Leichhardt Tigers v Western Sydney Wanderers

22 September 2015	APIA Leichhardt Tigers	1–2	Western Sydney Wanderers	Sydney, Australia
19:45 AEST	Milgate 81'	Report	Piovaccari 23' Castelen 32' (pen.)	Stadium: Leichhardt Oval

Competitions

Overall

Competition	Started round	Final position / round	First match	Last match
A-League	—	2nd	8 October 2015	10 April 2016
A-League Finals	Semi-finals	Runners-up	24 April 2016	1 May 2016
FFA Cup	Round of 32	Quarter-finals	11 August 2015	29 September 2015

A-League

Main article: 2015–16 A-League

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Adelaide United (C)	27	14	7	6	45	28	+17	49	Qualification for 2017 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series
2	Western Sydney Wanderers	27	14	6	7	44	33	+11	48
3	Brisbane Roar	27	14	6	7	49	40	+9	48	Qualification for 2017 AFC Champions League second preliminary round and Finals series
4	Melbourne City	27	13	5	9	63	44	+19	44	Qualification for Finals series
5	Perth Glory	27	13	4	10	49	42	+7	43
6	Melbourne Victory	27	11	8	8	40	33	+7	41
7	Sydney FC	27	8	10	9	36	36	0	34
8	Newcastle Jets	27	8	6	13	28	41	−13	30
9	Wellington Phoenix[a]	27	7	4	16	34	54	−20	25
10	Central Coast Mariners	27	3	4	20	33	70	−37	13

Source: A-Leagues
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:

1. Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
27	14	6	7	44	33	+11	48	8	2	3	23	17	+6	6	4	4	21	16	+5

Last updated: 10 April 2016.
Source: ultimatealeague.com

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27
Ground	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A
Result	L	D	L	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	W	D	L	L	W	W	D	L	D	W	L	W	D	L	W	W
Position	10	9	10	7	6	4	3	2	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	1	2	1	1	2	2	1	4	3	2

Updated to match(es) played on 10 April 2016. Source: ultimatealeague.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Western Sydney Wanderers v Brisbane Roar

8 October 2015 1	Western Sydney Wanderers	1–3	Brisbane Roar	Parramatta
20:00 AEDT	Nichols 13'	Report	Maclaren 9', 34' Bowles 23'	Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 14,122 Referee: Jarred Gillett

Adelaide United v Western Sydney Wanderers

16 October 2015 2	Adelaide United	1–1	Western Sydney Wanderers	Adelaide
19:10 ACDT	Andreu 21' (o.g.)	Report	Andreu 83'	Stadium: Coopers Stadium Attendance: 9,442 Referee: Chris Beath

Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers

24 October 2015 3	Sydney FC	1–0	Western Sydney Wanderers	Sydney
19:30 AEDT	Ninković 88'	Report		Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 40,539 Referee: Ben Williams

Western Sydney Wanderers v Perth Glory

1 November 2015 4	Western Sydney Wanderers	1–0	Perth Glory	Parramatta
17:30 AEDT	Vidošić 45'	Report		Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 14,194 Referee: Matthew Conger

Newcastle Jets v Western Sydney Wanderers

7 November 2015 5	Newcastle Jets	1–2	Western Sydney Wanderers	Newcastle
17:15 AEDT	Alivodić 73'	Report	Andreu 79' (pen.) Nichols 86'	Stadium: Hunter Stadium Attendance: 14,886 Referee: Stephen Lucas

Melbourne City v Western Sydney Wanderers

13 November 2015 6	Melbourne City	0–3	Western Sydney Wanderers	Melbourne
19:40 AEDT		Report	Nichols 47' Piovaccari 61' Bridge 84'	Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 7,910 Referee: Peter Green

Western Sydney Wanderers v Wellington Phoenix

21 November 2015 7	Western Sydney Wanderers	2–1	Wellington Phoenix	Parramatta
17:15 AEDT	Piovaccari 9' Bridge 85'	Report	Muscat 18'	Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 14,426 Referee: Strebre Delovski

Central Coast Mariners v Western Sydney Wanderers

29 November 2015 8	Central Coast Mariners	0–2	Western Sydney Wanderers	Gosford
17:00 AEDT		Report	Šantalab 66' Nichols 90+2'	Stadium: Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 10,519 Referee: Alan Milliner

Western Sydney Wanderers v Brisbane Roar

5 December 2015 9	Western Sydney Wanderers	2–1	Brisbane Roar	Parramatta
19:30 AEDT	Bridge 29' Nichols 79'	Report	Maclaren 36'	Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 9,860 Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones

Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne Victory

12 December 2015 10	Western Sydney Wanderers	2–0	Melbourne Victory	Parramatta
19:30 AEDT	Bridge 54' Castelen 79'	Report		Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 17,073 Referee: Shaun Evans

Perth Glory v Western Sydney Wanderers

19 December 2015 11	Perth Glory	2–2	Western Sydney Wanderers	Perth
18:40 AWST	Castro 2' (pen.) Oxborrow 60'	Report	Šantalab 20' Nichols 81'	Stadium: nib Stadium Attendance: 7,409 Referee: Jarred Gillett

Western Sydney Wanderers v Newcastle Jets

24 December 2015 12	Western Sydney Wanderers	2–0	Newcastle Jets	Parramatta
19:00 AEDT	Alberto 45+1' Bridge 70'	Report		Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 10,141 Referee: Stephen Lucas

Western Sydney Wanderers v Adelaide United

1 January 2016 13	Western Sydney Wanderers	0–0	Adelaide United	Parramatta
19:40 AEDT		Report		Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 16,312 Referee: Ben Williams

Melbourne City v Western Sydney Wanderers

9 January 2016 14	Melbourne City	3–2	Western Sydney Wanderers	Melbourne
19:30 AEDT	Novillo 7', 85' Fornaroli 24'	Report	Nichols 29' Hughes 60' (o.g.)	Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 9,776 Referee: Jarred Gillett

Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC

16 January 2016 15	Western Sydney Wanderers	1–2	Sydney FC	Parramatta
19:30 AEDT	Vidošić 58'	Report	Faty 22' Smeltz 90'	Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 19,627 Referee: Strebre Delovski

Central Coast Mariners v Western Sydney Wanderers

23 January 2016 16	Central Coast Mariners	1–2	Western Sydney Wanderers	Gosford
19:30 AEDT	F. Ferreira 67' Montgomery  79'	Report	Bridge 11' Šantalab 87'	Stadium: Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 13,105 Referee: Ben Williams

Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne City

29 January 2016 17	Western Sydney Wanderers	4–3	Melbourne City	Parramatta
19:40 AEDT	Nichols 32' Bridge 60', 66' Šantalab 89'	Report	Novillo 76' Fornaroli 78' Cáceres  65'  85' Paartalu 90+3'	Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 14,820 Referee: Shaun Evans

Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney Wanderers

6 February 2016 18	Melbourne Victory	1–1	Western Sydney Wanderers	Melbourne
19:30 AEDT	Berisha 16'	Report	Šantalab 89' Alberto  90+3'	Stadium: Etihad Stadium Attendance: 25,445 Referee: Ben Williams

Western Sydney Wanderers v Wellington Phoenix

14 February 2016 19	Western Sydney Wanderers	2–5	Wellington Phoenix	Parramatta
17:00 AEDT	Nichols 75' Bridge 84' Aspropotamitis  89'	Report	Powell 4', 20', 33', 71' McGlinchey 90' (pen.)	Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 12,589 Referee: Peter Green

Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers

20 February 2016 20	Sydney FC	1–1	Western Sydney Wanderers	Sydney
19:30 AEDT	Jamieson 36' (o.g.)	Report	Vidošić 13'	Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 40,382 Referee: Jarred Gillett

Western Sydney Wanderers v Perth Glory

26 February 2016 21	Western Sydney Wanderers	2–1	Perth Glory	Parramatta
19:40 AEDT	Castelen 62' Šantalab 85'	Report	Keogh 64' (pen.)	Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 12,639 Referee: Strebre Delovski

Brisbane Roar v Western Sydney Wanderers

4 March 2016 22	Brisbane Roar	3–2	Western Sydney Wanderers	Brisbane
19:00 AEST	Maclaren 5', 81' D. Petratos 84'	Report	Andreu 74' (pen.) Castelen 78'	Stadium: Suncorp Stadium Attendance: 13,157 Referee: Ben Williams

Newcastle Jets v Western Sydney Wanderers

13 March 2016 23	Newcastle Jets	0–1	Western Sydney Wanderers	Newcastle
17:00 AEDT		Report	Sotirio 17'	Stadium: Hunter Stadium Attendance: 12,153 Referee: Koichiro Fukushima (Japan)

Western Sydney Wanderers v Adelaide United

19 March 2016 24	Western Sydney Wanderers	0–0	Adelaide United	Parramatta
19:30 AEDT		Report		Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 15,208 Referee: Takuto Okabe (Japan)

Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney Wanderers

25 March 2016 25	Melbourne Victory	2–0	Western Sydney Wanderers	Melbourne
19:40 AEDT	Bozanic 3', 66'	Report		Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 20,097 Referee: Strebre Delovski

Western Sydney Wanderers v Central Coast Mariners

1 April 2016 26	Western Sydney Wanderers	4–1	Central Coast Mariners	Parramatta
19:30 AEDT	Castelen 8' Šantalab 36', 52' Nichols 83'	Report	L. García 21'	Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 14,855 Referee: Chris Beath

Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers

10 April 2016 27	Wellington Phoenix	0–2	Western Sydney Wanderers	Wellington
17:00 NZST		Report	Šantalab 31', 44'	Stadium: Westpac Stadium Attendance: 10,143 Referee: Shaun Evans

Finals series

Western Sydney Wanderers v Brisbane Roar

24 April 2016 Semi-finals	Western Sydney Wanderers	5–4	Brisbane Roar	Parramatta
16:30 AEST	Castelen 26', 53', 59' Šantalab 39' Vidošić 102'	Report	D. Petratos 16' (pen.) Andreu 20' (o.g.) Maclaren 23', 81'	Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 20,084 Referee: Peter Green

Adelaide United v Western Sydney Wanderers

1 May 2016 Grand Final	Adelaide United	3–1	Western Sydney Wanderers	Adelaide
15:30 ACST	Kamau 21' Isaías 32' Sánchez 89'	Report	Neville 58'	Stadium: Adelaide Oval Attendance: 50,119 Referee: Jarred Gillett

FFA Cup

Main article: 2015 FFA Cup

Western Sydney Wanderers v Brisbane Roar

11 August 2015 Round of 32	Western Sydney Wanderers	1–0	Brisbane Roar	Sydney
19:30 AEST	Mebrahtu 69'	Report		Stadium: Pepper Stadium Attendance: 6,028 Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones

Palm Beach v Western Sydney Wanderers

1 September 2015 Round of 16	Palm Beach	0–2	Western Sydney Wanderers	Gold Coast
19:30 AEST		Report	Dimas 45' Hamill 86'	Stadium: Cbus Super Stadium Attendance: 1,794 Referee: Alan Milliner

Perth Glory v Western Sydney Wanderers

29 September 2015 Quarter-finals	Perth Glory	1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p)	Western Sydney Wanderers	Perth
18:30 AWST	Marinković 60'	Report	Dimas 42'	Stadium: Dorrien Gardens Attendance: 3,003 Referee: Stephen Lucas
	Penalties
	Marinković Golec Sidnei R. Garcia		Vidošić Piovaccarli Andreu Jamieson