Soccer: Muted reception likely for top striker

Shane Smeltz. Photo / Getty Images

Shane Smeltz will be back at Westpac Stadium on Sunday for the first of two key matches. But the receptions he runs out to will be worlds apart.

Unlike the second, on November 14, when he will have a full house to cheer him as a key part of the All Whites' World Cup bid, his first game back in the Capital will be decidedly more muted.

Smeltz returns on Sunday for the 12th-round clash against his old club, Phoenix, as the key player in rookie Hyundai A-League club Gold Coast United. He is also the clear leader in the Golden Boot after scoring his 10th goal of the season in Gold Coast's 2-1 home win over Perth Glory.

After taking the lead through an own goal after 13 minutes, Gold Coast surrendered their lead after 55 when Todd Howarth scored for Perth. A lapse in concentration then allowed the home side to retake the lead a minute later as Smeltz struck.

He remains five goals clear of Carlos Hernandez, Archie Thompson and Robbie Fowler after the trio kept themselves in the boot race by scoring in the weekend's action.

Thompson and Hernandez scored in Melbourne Victory's late rally in Newcastle.

Trailing 0-1 after 22 minutes when Labinot Haliti scored for the Jets, the visitors stormed home with Thompson leading the charge with his 63rd-minute equaliser. Tom Pondeljak and Hernandez scored in the last 10 minutes to clinch their team's fifth win of the season - in a game in which they trailed Newcastle in attempts, corners and possession.

Brisbane Roar dominated the statistics but left Suncorp Stadium 0-3 losers against a Central Coast Mariners side who scored from three of their only seven attempts. They were also on the wrong end of a 9-2 corner count and had only 44 per cent of the possession.

Already stunned by their board's decision to dump coach Frank Farina, the Brisbane players must now regroup for Sunday's away game with Sydney FC knowing they will be without captain Craig Moore who copped his fifth booking of the season and faces the mandatory one-match stand-down.

Like Brisbane, Sydney must bounce back after being beaten 2-1 in Adelaide.

Despite being reduced to 10 players after just eight minutes, when Fabian Barbiero was dismissed for dragging goal-bound Mark Bridge down, Adelaide stunned Sydney as Cristiano scored either side of halftime for 2-0, which was reduced only in the 79th minute when John Aloisi netted.