Sydney FC striker Kosta Barbarouses says Victory out for revenge

Kosta Barbarouses suspects Melbourne Victory are coming for him and Sydney FC.

Sydney FC striker Kosta Barbarouses at the club’s Macquarie Park training ground on Tuesday. Picture: Getty Images

Kosta Barbarouses suspects Melbourne Victory are coming for him and Sydney FC.

The 29-year-old Kiwi feels it because he was in Kevin Muscat’s deathly quiet change room after last May’s 6-1 semi-final humiliation at Jubilee Stadium.

Also because ever since his off-season move north of the border he’s been copping it “non-stop” from Victory fans, mostly harmless banter branding him a snake, but occasionally vitriol so bad he hasn’t shown his family.

And he knows that, even with a depleted travelling squad under a new manager in Marco Kurz, the Sky Blues’ old enemy will still want vengeance on Sunday evening.

Sunday will mark Barbarouses’ first game against his former club as a Sydney FC player, and his first back at the scene of Victory’s slaughter.

“It (6-1) looks horrendous on paper and it’s something everyone who was involved with it has to live with,” Barbarouses said.

“But I would have much rather fought for a spot in the grand final than just laid down and taken a 3-0 defeat.

“It was pretty quiet in the change room. There were no right words to make anybody feel better.

“So that semi-final result, along with the way Victory’s season has started, they’ll be desperate for a result.

“That makes them even more dangerous because they’ll be really hungry to get one over us.”

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This time the New Zealand striker is in the other camp, having done the unthinkable in the eyes of the navy-blue faithful who cheered his name for more than half a decade and two A-League ­titles.

A short stint with Wellington Phoenix was one thing; Sydney is another entirely.

Now the cheers are replaced by social-media jeers, references to “Kosta the Cobra” and snake emojis so copious in number even his own teammates got in on the act.

“Every photo I’ve put on it’s the main emoji or word being used,” Barbarouses said. “The boys have jumped on it too and put the snakes on my photos too. It’s become a bit of a joke in the club.

“A lot of it is banter and just people jumping on what other people are saying. I don’t know how much people actually really mean what they say.

“I understand both sides of it. A lot of people are angry or frustrated that I’ve moved on, but there’s still a lot of people who appreciate what I did for the club for five years. Like anything, you take the good with the bad.

“There’s been a few pretty bad ones, but you just ignore that stuff and move on. You can’t really dwell on it too much.

“I don’t want to share them, there was some personal stuff. I can brush it off. I think maybe if my family read some of it they might be more upset than me, but I’m pretty strong mentally and pretty good at letting things go.”

Barbarouses employed a similar mentality throughout an early season drought in front of goal, a barren spell he finally snapped a fortnight ago with his maiden goal for the Sky Blues, one he hopes will open the floodgates on another prolific season.

Baby daughter Lola was in the Leichhardt Oval stands for that deft finish against Newcastle, and has been labelled dad’s lucky charm by coach Steve Corica.

“She won’t miss a game,” Barbarouses said. “As long as she behaves for mum.”

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH