Goodbye Alfie, Thanks for the Memories

Back in August 2018, Sydney FC managed to work their magic and secure the signing of Adam Le Fondre from Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer.

Alfie as he’s affectionately known had been a goalscoring behemoth in England firstly with Rotherham United and then in the Premier League with Reading. However, his goal-laden years primarily came some five years before making the move down under, and the Allianz Stadium faithful didn’t exactly know which version of Le Fondre they would be getting.

Fast forward five years and the former Stockport County youngster will go down in history as one of the club’s greatest-ever players. He has cemented his legacy as the Sky Blues’ all-time top scorer after netting 73 goals in 126 games, picking up two A-League titles in the process. He even managed to fit in a season-long long deal in the Indian Super League with Mumbai City, and he would win the league there as well, top scoring with 11 goals in 23 games.

But all good things do indeed come to an end. At the age of 36 and after five years in the Emerald City, Le Fondre’s A-League career is now over. He has opted to return to the British Isles, securing a free transfer to Scottish Premiership side Hibernian, and he is hoping that he can fire in some crucial goals and see the Hibbies climb up the table, closing the gap on the Old Firm pairing of Rangers and Celtic.

Alfie’s contract isn’t the only thing expiring at Sydney FC this winter, however, and their long-term deal with a highly reputable online casino is also coming to an end. The establishment provided fans of the club with an engaging betting experience, providing access to a number of trending Bitcoin pokies found on similar websites such as Joe Fortune. However, with the contract now coming to an end, the club will be looking for a new partner, and finding adequate funding to replace their all-time top scorer for the coming campaign is essential.

With Le Fondre leaving Australia however, we decided that now would be the perfect time to pay tribute to one of the country’s greatest-ever imports.

Alfie’s Early Exploits

Prior to his arrival in Australia, Le Fondre had made a name for himself as one of English football’s finest poachers. He netted 20 goals in 72 games with his boyhood club Stockport County, before moving on to locale rivals Rochdale and bagging a further 40 goals in 112 games. However, it wasn’t until he left Dale for fellow League Two side Rotherham United in until he really started to make headlines.

The Millers had just been reborn under new owner Tony Stewart, who had immediately begun work on a new stadium and began his five-year plan to take the club back to the Championship, the second tier of English football. The man who was charged with the task of firing the goals necessary to complete that feat was Le Fondre, and Rotherham forked out £150,000 to secure his services. While Alfie kept up his end of the bargain, netting 58 goals in 105 games, he was unable to fire the club to promotion.

With his contract expiring in 12 months, the club decided to cash in on their prize asset. League Two’s top scorer made the move to Championship side Reading, where his goals would secure the title for Reading and promotion to the Premier League. In his first and only campaign in the English top flight, Le Fondre netted 12 goals including five goals in just 69 minutes in January, exploits that would win him the Player of the Month award.

Le Fondre remains inside the top ten for his all-time goals per-minute record in the Premier League however, his Royals side would suffer relegation that year. Subsequent spells would follow with the likes of Cardiff City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Bolton Wanderers, with differing levels of success. But it wasn’t until he made the move down under that his goalscoring heroics would finally return.

Sydney FC’s Greatest Ever Goal scorer

The former Rotherham hitman would hit the ground running immediately once he made the move to Sydney. He netted six goals in his first six games with the club, and that was just the beginning. Throughout the course of his maiden campaign, he bagged 23 goals in all competitions, helping his side to a second-place finish in the A-League regular season.

It was in the playoffs that both he and his side would shine though. He scored twice in a 6-1 drubbing of Melbourne Victory in the semifinals, before netting a penalty in the shootout victory against Perth Glory in the Grand Final. The following campaign, he scored 21 goals in all competitions as the Emerald City outfit successfully retained their crown, making it three titles in four seasons.

In the 2020/21 season, Alfie very nearly picked up two league titles. He helped Mumbai City win the ISL, before returning to Sydney for the culmination of the campaign. He would score the decisive goal in the semifinals of the playoffs before narrowly losing out to Melbourne City in the Grand Final. While no more trophies have been added to his collection, plenty of goals have been, and Le Fondre will leave the club as an icon, and he will be hoping to do the same when he leaves Easter Road at the twilight of his career.

Feature image credit: Jaime Castaneda