A-League wrap: Victory take Heart from derby win

2 February 2013 12:03

Melbourne Victory gained a second successive derby triumph over Melbourne Heart with a 2-1 win on Saturday.

Local bragging rights were not the only prize on offer - maximum spoils see Victory close to within three points of Central Coast Mariners after the A-League leaders could only draw with Brisbane Roar on Friday.

Archie Thompson opened the scoring for Victory in the 29th minute, and Mark Milligan doubled the lead from the penalty spot 10 minutes into the second half.

An opportunistic David Williams pulled one back for Heart with 17 minutes remaining, but they could not snatch an equaliser, as Victory registered their first derby win at the Docklands stadium.

Elsewhere, an 89th-minute penalty to Newcastle Jets striker Ryan Griffiths rescued a valuable 2-2 draw with Sydney FC in a tense battle at a water-logged Hunter Stadium.

Sydney took an early lead via marquee man Alessandro Del Piero before the Jets levelled through a Griffiths penalty to see the teams locked 1-1 at half-time.

The Sky Blues regained the lead through Blake Powell just before the hour mark and the visitors looked like going on with it before the Jets mounted a late fightback with Griffiths slotting his second from the spot after Sydney skipper Terry McFlynn handled the ball on the goal-line.

The point keeps the Jets in the top six while Sydney stay in touch drawing level with Brisbane and the Melbourne Heart with the rest of the round to play.

Wellington Phoenix lifted themselves off the bottom of the table with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Perth Glory at Eden Park in Auckland.

In the end a goal from Jeremy Brockie four minutes before half-time was all that separated the two sides after a scrappy, but always keenly contested, encounter.