Three conclusions as Macarthur and Wanderers entertain at Campbelltown

Macarthur FC and the Western Sydney Wanderers have played out an engaging draw in the latest Western Sydney Derby.

Below are our three key conclusions from the 2-2 draw.

Dead-ball disaster

Incredibly, the Wanderers are still yet to concede a goal from open play this season.

They have conceded two penalties, twice from free-kicks, whilst both of Macarthur's goals tonight came from corners.

But is this a statistic to be proud of, or worry about?

On the one hand, it means that their defensive structure has yet to be broken down in open play.

However, no manager wants to concede at all, and when it comes from set-pieces, there is even more reason to be worried.

Carl Robinson now knows that at any given moment his side will leave an opposition player unmarked in such a situation, or give away a stupid penalty.

Meanwhile, the Wanderers have only scored once themselves from an attacking set-piece situation so far.

It is an area that is of real concern and must be addressed as soon as possible.

Please get rid of the cowbells

This topic has been heavily debated already, but I have to say something about the ridiculous cowbells at Macarthur home games.

Migrants found football in Australia, and what has always set us apart from other sports is our diversity.

Think of Italian clubs such as Adelaide City, the old Sydney Croatia, and even Bentleigh Greens, found by the Greek Cypriot community.

Now you might think, what on earth has this got to do with a few fun cowbells?

The cowbells signal a transition from the migrant roots to an atmosphere more recognisable with the AFL.

I'm not saying there is a problem with AFL fan culture, but football in this country has to be more akin to European fan culture.

Active supporter bays, safe standing and flares (within reason), for example, are all features of European fan culture.

However, this culture is one that we are oddly drifting away from in Australia.

The FA consistently refused to bring these changes into effect, and you only hope the new APL will do so.

Also, the cowbells are giving me a mind-numbing headache every single time.

I can't stress enough how much they need to go.

Glass half full

What on earth was said at halftime in the two dressing rooms tonight?

The first half was slow, sluggish and downright dull.

But both sides came out different beasts after the break.

Macarthur took more risks in their game for once, instead of keeping the ball for the sake of it.

Meanwhile, the Wanderers re-found their high intensity and direct style that made them entertaining in the campaign's opening weeks.

I'll quickly recap all that happened in the second half.

We had Graham Dorrans' incredible long-range chip, Adam Federici's stunning save in a hectic goalmouth scramble, and Keanu Baccus' scorpion assist.

My favourite moment was the innovative scorpion by Baccus.

Following Brisbane's seven-goal thriller with the Victory earlier today, this half was another excellent advertisement for the league this season.

Long may it continue.