2020–21 Western United FC season
2020–21 season | |||
---|---|---|---|
Chairman | Jason Sourasis | ||
Manager | Marko Rudan | ||
Stadium | GMHBA Stadium AAMI Park Mars Stadium UTAS Stadium | ||
A-League | 10th | ||
A-League Finals | DNQ | ||
FFA Cup | Cancelled | ||
Top goalscorer | League: Besart Berisha (7) All: Besart Berisha (7) | ||
Highest home attendance | 7,016 vs. Melbourne Victory (30 January 2021) A-League | ||
Lowest home attendance | 990 vs. Newcastle Jets (26 April 2021) A-League | ||
Average home league attendance | 3,290 | ||
Biggest win | 4–1 vs. Macarthur FC (H) (20 February 2021) A-League | ||
Biggest defeat | 0–5 vs. Western Sydney Wanderers (A) (8 May 2021) A-League 1–6 vs. Melbourne Victory (H) (28 May 2021) A-League | ||
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The 2020–21 season was the second in the history of Western United Football Club. The club only participated in the A-League after the 2020 FFA Cup was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[1]
Western United finished tenth in their A-League season, forcing them to play in an FFA Cup play-off in the 2021–22 season.
Review
[edit]Background
[edit]Western United's inaugural campaign had seen the team finish 5th and advance to the 2020 A-League Finals series, where they won the elimination-final against Brisbane Roar with the only goal from a free kick from Alessandro Diamanti. They advanced to the semi-final where they lost 2–0 against Melbourne City.[2]
Pre-season
[edit]The club confirmed four player departures on 31 August 2020 which included Valentino Yuel, Thiel Iradukunda, Oskar Dillon, and Patrick Antelmi.[3] The club's first transfer of the season came on 2 October, when Western United signed former Melbourne City winger Lachlan Wales on a two-year deal.[4] In the span of two days on 6–7 December, two players Tomoki Imai and Andrew Durante both extended their contracts by one-year.[5][6]
On 21 October, Jonathan Aspropotamitis departed the club to join Perth Glory and continue their AFC Champions League campaign.[7] As the club returned to training ahead of the 2020–21 A-League campaign, they signed a sponsorship with Strapit Sports Tape for two A-League seasons.[8] On 11 November, the club confirmed the departure of James Delianov who was injured throughout Western United's entire inaugural season as he signed for Adelaide United the same day.[9][10] The day after, the club officially announced their kits for the 2020–21 season designed by Kappa.[11]
On 27 November, the club signed Spanish midfielder Víctor Sánchez who made over 300 appearances in Spain's top-flight La Liga including a spell at Barcelona for three years.[12] Western United played their first friendly on 28 November against local A-League rivals Melbourne City where they lost 2–1 in Melbourne in a behind closed doors match.[13]
December
[edit]Western United kicked off their season in the A-League for their second campaign against Adelaide United where the match resulted in a 0–0 draw.[14] Their new players included Víctor Sánchez, Lachlan Wales, Nicolas Milanovic, and Ayom Majok.
Players
[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]Transfers in
[edit]No. | Position | Player | Transferred from | Type/fee | Contract length | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | FW | Lachlan Wales | Unattached | Free transfer | 2 years | 2 October 2020 | [15] |
20 | MF | Víctor Sánchez | Unattached | Free transfer | 2 years | 27 November 2020 | [16] |
29 | FW | Ayom Majok | Cumberland United | Scholarship | 2 years | 3 December 2020 | [17] |
12 | FW | Stefan Zinni | Avondale | Injury replacement | 2 months | 27 December 2020 | [18] |
34 | MF | Iker Guarrotxena | Unattached | Free transfer | 6 months | 14 January 2021 | [19] |
9 | FW | Kaine Sheppard | Unattached | Free transfer | 4 months | 26 February 2021 | [20] |
17 | MF | Brad Inman | ATK Mohun Bagan | Loan | 4 months | 12 March 2021 | [21] |
12 | DF | Dalibor Markovic | Melbourne Victory | Free transfer | 12 April 2021 | [22] |
Transfers out
[edit]No. | Position | Player | Transferred to | Type/fee | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 | FW | Patrick Antelmi | Sydney United | End of contract | 31 August 2020 | [23][24] |
7 | FW | Valentino Yuel | Unattached | End of contract | 1 September 2020 | [24] |
24 | MF | Thiel Iradukunda | Unattached | End of contract | 1 September 2020 | [24] |
28 | DF | Oskar Dillon | Unattached | End of contract | 1 September 2020 | [24] |
15 | DF | Jonathan Aspropotamitis | Perth Glory | Mutual contract termination | 21 October 2020 | [25][26] |
20 | GK | James Delianov | Adelaide United | Mutual contract termination | 11 November 2020 | [27][28] |
33 | FW | Apostolos Stamatelopoulos | Unattached | Mutual contract termination | 25 January 2021 | [29] |
17 | MF | Joshua Cavallo | Unattached | Mutual contract termination | 10 February 2021 | [30] |
12 | FW | Stefan Zinni | Avondale | End of contract | 27 February 2021 | [18][31] |
Contract extensions
[edit]No. | Name | Position | Duration | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 | Tomoki Imai | Defender | 1 year | 6 October 2020 | [32] |
4 | Andrew Durante | Centre-back | 1 year | 7 October 2020 | [33] |
5 | Dylan Pierias | Right-back | 2 years | 4 May 2021 | [34] |
11 | Connor Pain | Winger | 2 years | 10 May 2021 | [35] |
30 | Ryan Scott | Goalkeeper | 2 years | 20 May 2021 | [36] |
26 | Nicolas Milanovic | Midfielder | 2 years | 1 June 2021 | [37] |
Kits
[edit]Supplier: Kappa / Sponsor: Simonds & Tasman Logistics / Sleeve sponsor: Victoria University
Home
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Away
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Goalkeeper1
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Goalkeeper2
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Goalkeeper3
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Pre-season and friendlies
[edit]Win Draw Loss
28 November 2020 | Melbourne City | 2–1 | Western United | Melbourne |
Report |
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Stadium: City Football Academy Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) |
5 December 2020 | Western United | 9–0 | North Geelong Warriors | Geelong |
15:00 AEDT | Report | Stadium: GMHBA Stadium |
12 December 2020 | Western United | 2–3 | Melbourne City | Ballarat |
15:00 AEDT |
|
Report | Stadium: Morshead Park Stadium |
20 December 2020 | Brisbane Roar | 0–2 | Western United | Gold Coast |
Report | Stadium: Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre |
Competitions
[edit]Win Draw Loss
Overview
[edit]Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
A-League | 28 December 2020 | 5 June 2021 | Matchday 1 | 10th | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 30 | 47 | −17 | 30.77 |
Total | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 30 | 47 | −17 | 30.77 |
Source: Competitions
A-League
[edit]League table
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 45 | 43 | +2 | 35 | |
9 | Perth Glory | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 34 | Qualification for 2021 FFA Cup play-offs[a] |
10 | Western United | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 30 | 47 | −17 | 28 | |
11 | Newcastle Jets | 26 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 24 | 38 | −14 | 21 | |
12 | Melbourne Victory | 26 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 31 | 60 | −29 | 19 | Qualification for 2022 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs and 2021 FFA Cup play-offs[b] |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Least red cards; 5) Least yellow cards; 6) Toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
Notes:
- ^ The top 8 teams qualified for the round of 32, while the bottom four teams participated in a playoff round.[38]
- ^ Qualified as the 2021 FFA Cup winners.
Results summary
[edit]Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
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Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 30 | 47 | −17 | 28 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 30 | −18 |
Source: Ultimate A-League
Results by round
[edit]Matches
[edit]28 December 2020 1 | Western United | 0–0 | Adelaide United | Geelong |
19:05 AEDT | Report | Stadium: GMHBA Stadium Attendance: 5,128 Referee: Shaun Evans |
16 January 2021 4 | Melbourne City | 2–1 | Western United | Melbourne |
18:00 AEST | Report |
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Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 7,068 Referee: Shaun Evans |
23 January 2021 5 | Western United | 5–4 | Perth Glory | Geelong |
17:05 AEDT | Report |
|
Stadium: GMHBA Stadium Attendance: 3,631 Referee: Jonathan Barreiro |
30 January 2021 6 | Western United | 0–0 | Melbourne Victory | Melbourne |
17:05 AEDT | Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 7,016 Referee: Adam Kersey |
7 February 2021 7 | Central Coast Mariners | 3–2 | Western United | Gosford |
18:00 AEDT | Report | Stadium: Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 5,019 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
20 February 2021 9 | Western United | 4–1 | Macarthur FC | Ballarat |
17:05 AEDT |
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Report |
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Stadium: MARS Stadium Attendance: 1,505 Referee: Jonathan Barreiro |
27 February 2021 10 | Melbourne Victory | 3–4 | Western United | Melbourne |
19:10 AEDT |
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Report | Stadium: Marvel Stadium Attendance: 7,190 Referee: Ben Abraham |
7 March 2021 11 | Western United | 0–1 | Western Sydney Wanderers | Ballarat |
18:00 AEDT | Report |
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Stadium: Mars Stadium Attendance: 2,142 Referee: Alex King |
10 March 2021 11 | Sydney FC | 2–0 | Western United | Sydney |
19:05 AEST | Report | Stadium: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Attendance: 5,201 Referee: Daniel Elder |
14 March 2021 12 | Western United | 1–0 | Brisbane Roar | Melbourne |
17:10 AEST |
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Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 1,920 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
20 March 2021 13 | Macarthur FC | 2–1 | Western United | Sydney |
17:05 AEDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Campbelltown Stadium Attendance: 1,872 Referee: Adam Kersey |
1 April 2021 15 | Western United | 2–1 | Melbourne City | Melbourne |
19:40 AEST | Report |
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Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 6,104 Referee: Jonathan Barreiro |
5 April 2021 15 | Newcastle Jets | 0–1 | Western United | Newcastle |
17:00 AEST | Report |
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Stadium: McDonald Jones Stadium Attendance: 4,301 Referee: Ben Abraham |
11 April 2021 16 | Wellington Phoenix | 3–2 | Western United | Wollongong |
19:00 AEST | Report |
|
Stadium: WIN Stadium Attendance: 1,226 Referee: Chris Beath |
17 April 2021 17 | Western United | 1–0 | Central Coast Mariners | Launceston |
17:05 AEST |
|
Report | Stadium: UTAS Stadium Attendance: 3,203 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
22 April 2021 18 | Western United | 1–1 | Wellington Phoenix | Launceston |
19:00 AEDT |
|
Report |
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Stadium: UTAS Stadium Attendance: 2,528 Referee: Alex King |
26 April 2021 18 | Western United | 2–0 | Newcastle Jets | Melbourne |
19:05 AEST |
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Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 990 Referee: Kurt Ams |
30 April 2021 19 | Adelaide United | 0–0 | Western United | Adelaide |
19:05 ACST | Report | Stadium: Coopers Stadium Attendance: 7,699 Referee: Chris Beath |
5 May 2021 19 | Brisbane Roar | 2–1 | Western United | Kippa-Ring |
19:05 AEST |
|
Report |
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Stadium: Dolphin Stadium Attendance: 2,183 Referee: Adam Kersey |
8 May 2021 20 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 5–0 | Western United | Sydney |
19:10 AEST | Report | Stadium: Bankwest Stadium Attendance: 7,539 Referee: Daniel Elder |
12 May 2021 20 | Perth Glory | 3–0 | Western United | Perth |
21:20 AWST |
|
Report | Stadium: HBF Park Attendance: 2,719 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
15 May 2021 21 | Western United | 0–1 | Sydney FC | Ballarat |
14:35 AEST | Report | Stadium: MARS Stadium Attendance: 2,020 Referee: Shaun Evans |
22 May 2021 22 | Wellington Phoenix | 3–0 | Western United | Wellington |
14:05 NZDT | Report | Stadium: Sky Stadium Attendance: 24,105 Referee: Daniel Elder |
28 May 2021 23 | Western United | 1–6 | Melbourne Victory | Melbourne |
19:05 AEST | Report |
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Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors) Referee: Adam Bavcar |
31 May 2021 23 | Western United | 1–2 | Macarthur FC | Sydney |
19:05 AEDT |
|
Report | Stadium: Leichhardt Oval Referee: Adam Kersey |
5 June 2021 24 | Central Coast Mariners | 2–0 | Western United | Gosford |
17:05 AEST | Report | Stadium: Central Coast Stadium Attendance: 6,451 Referee: Jack Morgan |
Statistics
[edit]Appearances and goals
[edit]Players with no appearances not included in the list.
No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | A-League | Total | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
1 | GK | Filip Kurto | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
2 | DF | Aaron Calver | 15(3) | 0 | 15(3) | 0 | |
3 | DF | Brendan Hamill | 9(6) | 0 | 9(6) | 0 | |
4 | DF | Andrew Durante | 17(2) | 0 | 17(2) | 0 | |
5 | DF | Dylan Pierias | 20(6) | 6 | 20(6) | 6 | |
6 | DF | Tomoki Imai | 26 | 1 | 26 | 1 | |
7 | FW | Besart Berisha | 20(3) | 7 | 20(3) | 7 | |
8 | FW | Lachlan Wales | 14(10) | 4 | 14(10) | 4 | |
9 | FW | Kaine Sheppard | 0(7) | 0 | 0(7) | 0 | |
10 | MF | Steven Lustica | 14(6) | 1 | 14(6) | 1 | |
11 | FW | Connor Pain | 25(1) | 1 | 25(1) | 1 | |
12 | DF | Dalibor Markovic | 1(2) | 0 | 1(2) | 0 | |
13 | DF | Ivan Vujica | 5(7) | 1 | 5(7) | 1 | |
14 | MF | Max Burgess | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | |
17 | MF | Brad Inman | 0(5) | 0 | 0(5) | 0 | |
19 | DF | Josh Risdon | 2(1) | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | |
20 | MF | Víctor Sánchez | 18 | 3 | 18 | 3 | |
21 | MF | Sebastian Pasquali | 2(4) | 0 | 2(4) | 0 | |
22 | DF | Tomislav Uskok | 23 | 1 | 23 | 1 | |
23 | MF | Alessandro Diamanti | 20(4) | 1 | 20(4) | 1 | |
25 | MF | Luke Duzel | 8(5) | 0 | 8(5) | 0 | |
26 | MF | Nicolas Milanovic | 0(10) | 0 | 0(10) | 0 | |
27 | MF | Jerry Skotadis | 3(7) | 0 | 3(7) | 0 | |
29 | MF | Ayom Majok | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | |
30 | GK | Ryan Scott | 18(1) | 0 | 18(1) | 0 | |
31 | MF | Adisu Bayew | 1(3) | 0 | 1(3) | 0 | |
32 | FW | Manyluak Aguek | 0(2) | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | |
34 | FW | Iker Guarrotxena | 17(5) | 3 | 17(5) | 3 |
Goalscorers
[edit]Rank | No. | Pos | Nat | Name | A-League | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | FW | Besart Berisha | 7 | 7 | |
2 | 5 | DF | Dylan Pierias | 6 | 6 | |
3 | 8 | FW | Lachlan Wales | 4 | 4 | |
4 | 20 | MF | Víctor Sánchez | 3 | 3 | |
34 | FW | Iker Guarrotxena | 3 | 3 | ||
6 | 6 | DF | Tomoki Imai | 1 | 1 | |
10 | MF | Steven Lustica | 1 | 1 | ||
11 | FW | Connor Pain | 1 | 1 | ||
13 | FW | Ivan Vujica | 1 | 1 | ||
22 | DF | Tomislav Uskok | 1 | 1 | ||
23 | MF | Alessandro Diamanti | 1 | 1 | ||
Own Goals | 1 | 1 | ||||
Totals | 1 | 1 |
Disciplinary record
[edit]The list is sorted by squad number when total cards are equal. Players with no cards not included in the list.
Rank | No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | A-League | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | DF | Andrew Durante | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
2 | 20 | MF | Víctor Sánchez | 9 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | |
22 | DF | Tomislav Uskok | 9 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | ||
4 | 3 | DF | Brendan Hamill | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | |
5 | 10 | MF | Steven Lustica | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
6 | 6 | DF | Tomoki Imai | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
7 | FW | Besart Berisha | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
25 | MF | Luke Duzel | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
34 | FW | Iker Guarrotxena | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
10 | 2 | DF | Aaron Calver | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
5 | DF | Dylan Pierias | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
8 | FW | Lachlan Wales | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
11 | FW | Connor Pain | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
13 | DF | Ivan Vujica | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
23 | MF | Alessandro Diamanti | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
30 | GK | Ryan Scott | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
17 | 12 | DF | Dalibor Markovic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
14 | MF | Max Burgess | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
26 | FW | Nicolas Milanovic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
27 | MF | Jerry Skotadis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
29 | MF | Ayom Majok | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Clean sheets
[edit]Rank | No. | Pos | Nat | Name | A-League | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 30 | GK | Ryan Scott | 6 | 6 | |
2 | 1 | GK | Filip Kurto | 2 | 2 | |
Total | 8 | 8 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled". The World Game. SBS. 7 July 2020.
- ^ Rayson, Zac (26 August 2020). "City cruelly end underdogs' dream debut season in brutal semi-final". Fox Sports.
- ^ "Western United squad update". Western United. 31 August 2020.
- ^ "Western United sign Olyroo Lachie Wales". Western United. 2 October 2020.
- ^ "Tomoki Imai re-signs with Western United". Western United. 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Andrew Durante signs on for Western United". Western United. 7 October 2020.
- ^ "Aspropotamitis departs Western United FC". Western United. 21 October 2020.
- ^ "Western United and Strapit rise up for next two A-League seasons". Western United. 28 October 2020.
- ^ "James Delianov departs Western United". Western United. 11 November 2020.
- ^ "Reds sign Delianov to two-year deal". Adelaide United. 11 November 2020.
- ^ "Western United's kits revealed for 2020/21 A-League season". Western United. 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Western United sign experienced midfielder Víctor Sánchez". Western United. 27 November 2020.
- ^ "A-League Pre-Season Report: Melbourne City 2-1 Western United". Melbourne City. 29 November 2020.
- ^ "Report: Western United draw with Adelaide United in season opener". Western United. Football Federation Australia. 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Western United sign Olyroo Lachie Wales". Western United. 2 October 2020.
- ^ "Western United sign ex-La Liga midfielder". The World Game. SBS. 27 November 2020.
- ^ "Western United sign young striker Ayom Majok". Western United. 3 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Western United sign Stefan Zinni". Western United. 27 December 2020.
- ^ Monteverde, Marco (14 January 2021). "A-League: New Western United signing Iker Guarrotxena keen to make an early impression". news.com.au.
- ^ "Western United sign Kaine Sheppard". Western United. 26 February 2020.
- ^ "Western United sign experienced midfielder Bradden Inman". Western United. 12 March 2021.
- ^ "Western United sign talented full-back Dalibor Markovic". Western United. 10 April 2021.
- ^ Sydney United [@SydUtd58FC] (31 August 2020). "WELCOME BACK Just in case you missed the game yesterday, Patrick ANTELMI and Yianni PERKATIS re-joined Sydney United from Western United and Perth Glory, respectively. Welcome back lads!!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d "Western United squad update". Western United. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ "Aspropotamitis departs Western United FC". Western United. 21 October 2020.
- ^ Morgan, Gareth (21 October 2020). "Glory swoop for talented young duo". Perth Glory.
- ^ "James Delianov departs Western United". Western United. 11 November 2020.
- ^ "Reds sign Delianov to two-year deal". Adelaide United. 11 November 2020.
- ^ "Apostolos Stamatelopoulos departs". Western United. 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Josh Cavallo Departs". Western United. 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Avondale vs. Oakleigh Cannons". Soccerway. 27 February 2021.
- ^ "Tomoki Imai re-signs with Western United". Western United. 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Andrew Durante signs on for Western United". Western United. 7 October 2020.
- ^ "Dylan Pierias re-signs with Western United for two years". Western United. 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Connor Pain re-signs with the Green and Black". Western United. 10 May 2021.
- ^ "Western United FC extend contract of goalkeeper Ryan Scott". Western United. 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Western United re-sign young talent Nicolas Milanovic for two more seasons". Western United. 1 June 2021.
- ^ "FFA Cup to introduce Hyundai A-League play-off process from 2020". Football Federation Australia. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2021.