Paul Izzo stood at the other end of the pitch but the disturbing sight of the pitch invasion during last December's Melbourne derby remains vivid in the Victory goalkeeper's memory.
Just over a year on from the darkest night in Australian football history, Victory and City meet in another derby on Saturday evening at the salubrious venue – AAMI Park.
Last season's corresponding match lasted just 20 minutes before it was abandoned as Victory fans stormed the pitch in a shocking incident, including the attack on City goalkeeper Tom Glover and referee Alex King.
Tensions had been high in the lead-up to the match, with groups of A-League fans from across the league planning walkouts during matches in protest at the Australian Professional League's decision to hand the hosting rights for the grand final to the NSW government to sell.
Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Paul Izzo hopes there will be no crowd violence this time
Melbourne City's Thomas Glover clears away a flare thrown onto the pitch during last year's A-League chaos at AAMI Park
However, nothing could prepare anyone for what would happen that evening after Glover threw a flare – which had been hurled at him – back into the stands behind his goal.
“It's a very dark memory,” said Izzo, who also had flares thrown at him by City fans.
'I was in shock when I saw everything happening.'
He was not alone, with furious administrators acting quickly to impose a raft of sanctions on the fans responsible – including some life bans – and the Victory, who have yet to fully recover from the disaster.
“We hope something like this never happens again,” Izzo said.
'You can't deny the impact it had on us… (but) the club is going in the right direction at the moment.
'(Saturday night) I really hope it's going to be a spectacle to put the derby back on the pedestal it should be because it's one of the best games in the league, and I think we're on our way to doing that doing.'
Glover is escorted off the ground after being attacked during the pitch invasion at AAMI Park in December last year
The crowd pushed their way past police and security to reach the field and the players
Victory coach Tony Popovic has avoided recounting the events of 12 months ago to his players this week.
“There's really nothing to say about that,” said Popovic, whose look of disbelief from the sideline as he watched the Victory fans invade the field that night is a haunting memory of the incident.
'We acknowledge what happened. It's been a year now. We've all moved on.'
Popovic wants a contrasting occasion on Saturday evening – when more than 25,000 spectators are expected to attend – to become a benchmark in the A-League.
“We want a full house, we want the passion in the stands, we want the excitement of the fans… it can only be good for our code,” he said.
“It's something the league can be proud of, this match coming up. Let's make it a great spectacle, let's fill the stands, let's show our product for what it is and let's help Melbourne Victory get three points.”
Aside from the desire for a win, City skipper Jamie Maclaren echoed Popovic's sentiments.
“I was on the field that night and it wasn't great, but we all moved on,” Maclaren said.
“Both clubs have moved on and really want to focus on having fans who want to be there and support both teams on the pitch and make it a safe environment for families.
'We are in a good place here in Melbourne. It will be a safe environment for all our fans and both teams to come out.
'We just want a clean game. As players we will compete on the field. Leave that to us and we look forward to playing ninety minutes of good football.'
Sensing the tension, police and security formed a barricade just before the pitch invasion took place
Several A-League fans were arrested and given life bans for their role in the mob violence
Football Australia CEO James Johnson said the sport's national governing body is “committed to maintaining football as a safe and welcoming environment for all involved.”
“Twelve months ago we were confronted with an incident that sharply contradicted our values and expectations in Australian football,” Johnson said.
“It was a situation that we want to prevent from happening again. At Football Australia, our immediate response to this incident was swift and unequivocal, reflecting our strong stance against such behavior in sport.
'Our approach was rigorous, aimed not only at tackling the incident in question, but also at deterring similar future behaviour.'
A-League commissioner Nick Garcia said the “significance” of Saturday's derby was well recognized by the APL.
“We have worked with all stakeholders, including clubs, the venue and police, to ensure the best possible experience for fans and those working at the venue,” said Garcia, who predicted a “fantastic atmosphere” at AAMI Park.