Teenagers are the tops as Adelaide and Brisbane share the spoils in sweltering encounter
Eighteen year old Adelaide wing back Harry Crawford scored a stupendous goal matched by the equalising strike of Brisbane's teenage winger Jacob Brazete
For years after England won their solitary World Cup in 1966, fans of east London club West Ham were happy to claim the triumph as their own.
After all, it was West ham centre back and England captain Bobby Moore who lifted the trophy after that epic extra time win over West Germany, midfield maestro Martin Peters who had put England 2-1 up in the second half and striker Geoff Hurst who had become the first, and still the only, man to score a hat trick in a World Cup final after he scored a first half equaliser and then two more in the extra thirty minutes after scores were level at full time.
It's early days yet, but we are yet to hear too many Adelaide United fans claiming a similar status for their club following the Young Socceroos penalty shoot out triumph in the Under 20 Asian Cup final against Saudi Arabia last week - even though they have plenty of reasons to do so.
Four of the Reds promising youngsters were in that squad - Jonny Yull, Luka Jovanovic, Fabian Talladira and defender Panagiotis Kikianis - while goalkeeper Steven Hall, now of Premier League Brighton, had been at Hindmarsh until the middle of last season and Mohamed Toure, now at Danish side Randers, had also begun his career in South Australia.
Adelaide's modus operandi is to produce above average young players who they can trade on for a tidy profit if good enough, or retain to provide the backbone of their A-League side in the short and medium term future. It is a philosophy that is certainly paying dividends this season, as they have been one of the front runners all campaign in the Australian charge to overhaul pace setting league new boys Auckland.
Only one of the Reds Asian cup winning heroes was in the starting line up for Saturday afternoon's fixture against Brisbane Roar - centre back Kikianis - but Jovanovic and Yull were on the bench and eventually got some second half minutes as the Reds tried, unavailingly, to get their noses in front a second time in a game in which Brisbane finished the stronger but was eventually destined to end all square at 1-1.
However, it was an even younger player, the latest to roll off the Adelaide assembly line, who really took the eye in what was a game of two halves for the hosts.
Eighteen-year-old Harry Crawford had made headlines last month when he made one of the most unlikely A-League debuts in history, having been called into the Adelaide squad from the stands, where he was watching having already played a full 90 minutes for the Reds South Australian NPL team earlier in the afternoon.
Captain Ryan Kitto had been injured in the pre-match warm up, and in desperation coach Carl Veart has told Crawford to get changed back into his kit and join his senior team-mates on the bench, from where he was called late in the game.
Crawford was in from the start in this match with Dylan Pierias, usually such a marauding right back for Adelaide, amongst the substitutes as the teenager took his place on the flank of the Reds rearguard.
While the more experienced Kikianis was calm and composed, the truth was that in a first half characterised by a midfield stalemate with few chances for either side, he didn't have much to do.
Playing in the wider areas, Crawford saw plenty of the ball, and he proved not only up to the task defensively but produced a stunning goal to put the home side in front on the stroke of half time to showcase his attacking skills.
He did well on several occasions when thwarting Brisbane's Portuguese striker Asumah Abubaker Ankrah, showing pace, strength and tactical discipline to shut down the Roar's new signing's options.
He could have opened the scoring earlier in the first half when he linked up well down the right with Zac Clough only to fire a shot that went just wide of Matt Acton's right hand post.
Crawford then won his team a free kick in a dangerous position when he wriggled free down the right only to be hauled back by Keegan Jelacic.
All that, however, was merely an hors d'ouvres for Crawford's main course, which was served as the seconds ticked down to end the opening half.
After a period of Adelaide pressure, the ball was worked out to Gordon on the right: the youngster took control, rounded two Brisbane opponents and then lashed a curling shot into the top far corner of the goal, leaving Acton with no chance.
It was a delightful piece of skill followed by a wonderful execution: his celebration was full of the exuberance of youth as he ran and backflipped through a somersault before being hailed by his delighted team-mates.
But it wasn't going to be enough on its own, as Roar, who were by no means out of this game, pressed forward in the second half in search of a leveller.
And it was another teenager who brought them level with a goal which was just as spectacular when Jacob Brazete unleashed a thunderous drive from the edge of the penalty area to leave James Delianov with no chance.
Brazete, a 19-year-old who had signed from Sydney FC's NPL team, showed strength and skill - ironically holding off Crawford in the process - to create the space for his stunning strike.
It was no more than the visitors deserved as they had been knocking on the door since the second drinks break on the hour mark and with that goal Roar sniffed an opportunity to post a win on the road.
And they came close in the dying moments of normal time when Rafael Struick struck the post after being set up by Jay O'Shea and then in stoppage time when Brazete danced through the Adelaide defence only to shoot just wide.
Having lost their previous home game to strugglers Newcastle, Veart was incandescent post match. Not even an appreciation of Crawford's excellent goal - ''I'm happy for Harry but I would rather have the three points '' could cool his wrath.
''Unacceptable'' the Reds boss fumed after another missed opportunity at Hindmarsh.
"I think the first 10 minutes of the second half we were OK, after that we were non-existent. Too many players went hiding and weren't prepared to do the work, it's as simple as that.
"We didn't keep the ball, we didn't look to play forward. It was just not good enough for a team that's pushing for a top-two spot - that was unacceptable."
Roar boss Ruben Zadkovich - whose team's preparations for the game were hindered by the extreme weather conditions in Queensland - paid tribute not just to Brazete but the other youngsters who have come into his side during a turbulent period for the club.
"I think we created some really good openings in the second half and I think we probably should've won it, '' he said.