THE HAPPY WANDERER: Sitting on top of the world

THERE is a special feeling in western Sydney today - It is a feeling that has been building slowly, but inexorably.

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THERE is a special feeling in western Sydney today. It is a feeling that has been building slowly, but inexorably.

It is the feeling of satisfaction, mixed with excitement. Satisfaction that our lads have set a new A-League record for the most consecutive wins – nine on the trot – and now sit five points clear at the top of the ladder.

Excitement at what has been the most energising sporting ride in Australian football history.

Nearly 16,000 fans sang and chanted Parramatta red-and-back in a display of support worthy of the hardest-working team in the A-League.

It wasn't a pretty win, but we got the three points and that's what counts.

This Wanderers Family is growing, unleashing sporting passion in a cacophony of voices and sea of colour, making sure that everyone knows – We Are Football.

We are the West. We are the Wanderers!

The game started slowly. The RBB staged a silent protest against some of the treatment meted out to supporters for the first 20 minutes of the game.

It was the longest, slowest 20 minutes of my life. There was muted celebration when Shinji Ono slotted home a penalty to open the scoring, but the majority of the fans present remained calm in solidarity with the Red and Black Bloc.

Just before the 20th minute arrived, the East and West Terraces, knowing what was coming, began the chant.

"RBB. RBB. RBB.: Right on cue, as the clock ticked over, normal service was restored at Wanderland as a sold-out active support end launched into a fury of chanting, singing and movement.

So immersed were the supporters in vocalising their support that few – aside from a handful of dedicated Wellington Phoenix fans – even noticed that the Kiwis had scored an equaliser.

To be honest, few really cared. We have faith in our team that goes far beyond most other supporters.

We know that we not only have quality players, but also arguably one of the best head coaches in the country.

In Popa we trust. It's not just a t-shirt slogan. We trust Tony Popovic to know what he is doing and to communicate that to our magnificent squad of players.

They play for the team, they fight for the club, they live for the magnificent atmosphere.

Just a few days previously, these same payers (and staff) had been cooking up a storm at a special thank you barbecue for the club's tireless match-day volunteers.

It was just a small token of their thanks to the women, men, girls and boys who turn up to every game and help others.

From the ball-boys and girls to the big bloke who always hands out the match-day programmes, to the coordinators of the half-time entertainment, they were personally thanked by the stars of the team, barbecue tongs in one hand and a bread roll in the other.

Just hours before the game, on the training park behind Wanderland, a skills clinic for aspiring coaches and referees from migrant communities was being held.

Some of those present are pretty impressive players in their own right. A bloke in slip-on Windsor Smith shoes playing keepy-uppy with another bloke wearing thongs. I couldn't do that well – even in football boots – if my life depended on it.

And during the game itself? There were some very special guests at the game.

Not the big-wigs in the corporate boxes, but some equally important people down in the general admission section.

Families. Newly arrived, underprivileged, socially disadvantaged. They were there because of the Wanderers Family. They were there because of football.

You see, those "hooligans: from the RBB, oft-maligned as anti-social or worse, showed their true colours.

Despite being very working-class themselves, they'd passed around an empty coffee tin and raised a few thousand dollars(!) to go towards purchasing ticket for those not able to afford them.

It doesn't make as good a headline as some of their other activities, but for me this is a true demonstration of the love of game, club and community that the Wanderers active supporters have in their hearts.

This is not some look-good marketing campaign. This is football fans doing what they do – sharing the passion for football that is such a large part of their life.

The RBB won't big themselves up for doing this. That's not their style. But I will.

The Red and Back Bloc have shown the sporting community what active support is all about, warts and all.

But they have also shown the community at large that football is one of the greatest uniting forces on the planet.

We've all come from somewhere else, we are all different – but we are all Wanderers.