By Greg Blake
It was round 12 of 1977 in the fledgling National Soccer League and the then Fitzroy United Alexander were hosting Marconi – from the Sydney district, City of Fairfield – for the very first time. The game was played at the now demolished Middle Park ground.
Nearly 8,000 fans turned out to see how the locals would fare against a Marconi team featuring no less than eight past, present or future Socceroos at that time – as well as Italian star, Roberto Vieri – and coached by the late Rale Rasic, who guided Australia to its first World Cup finals appearance in 1974.
A penalty inside the final ten minutes was smoothly converted Alexander’s first year Scottish recruit, midfielder Kenny Taylor. Unfortunately on this day it wasn’t quite enough. Marconi had already rattled off eight goals, four on either side of half time and the 8-1 defeat will remain one of the worst in Alexander history.
One of Marconi’s stars and a goal scorer that day was one Jim Rooney, a 1974 Socceroo who went on to represent Australia some 60-odd times and has since been recognised as one of the game’s enduring champions with the NPL Victoria grand final medal for best-on-ground named after him – and won just a few weeks back by Heidelberg’s own Max Bisetto – and more recently honoured with an Order of Australia (OAM).
Marconi and Heidelberg were both ‘born’ in 1958, both spent the 1960’s working up through their respective leagues, both established themselves at state level in the 1970’s and from the earliest days of the NSL, both spent their time mostly playing second or third fiddle to the endlessly funded Sydney City Hakoah.
At the end of 1978 Heidelberg president, Jim Mangopoulos, convinced his club to take a massive gamble and spend a then record $10,000 on the transfer fee to lure Jimmy Rooney back from Sydney and into the yellow and black.
Alexander had already developed the basis of a superb team, but many will argue that Rooney was the jewel in the crown as Heidelberg United – with Rooney – achieved the improbable in 1980 by smashing Sydney City 4-0 in the grand final
It has been 48 years since Marconi first came to Melbourne to meet Alexander in a newly-created national competition. Until this coming Sunday that is, when the rivalry all starts again in game one of the Australian Championship.
Head to Head
Played: 31 – W: 6 | D: 7 | L: 18
