Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold admits it's a relief to escape Allianz Stadium's dreadful pitch for a fortnight but implored fans to show his A-League table-toppers the support their blistering form deserves when they return home.
A paltry crowd of 8,380 -- the lowest in five seasons -- turned out for the hard-to-sell Thursday-night fixture to watch the Sky Blues run riot over the Wellington Phoenix in their 14th win and 19th undefeated outing.
That the 3-1 win featured spells of exquisite team play came in spite of a sub-standard surface torn up by the weekend's Sydney Sevens rugby tournament.
Rain this week would have further deteriorated its state, which was panned on social media as equal to what the Brisbane Roar endured at Suncorp Stadium after December's Coldplay concert.
One viewer reminded Sydney chief executive Tony Pignata he'd previously tweeted about the Suncorp situation suggesting Brisbane demand a reduced stadium fee because "our game deserves better."
"You making that phone call tonight to the SCG Trust bruh?" the fan asked Pignata, to which he replied, "Already done. Don't worry about that. All sorted."
Arnold conceded the conditions at Allianz were poor but wasn't keen to make excuses for what perhaps should have been a far heavier scoreline against the struggling Phoenix.
But he was looking forward to next weekend's third Sydney derby at ANZ Stadium, where Sydney thumped the Western Sydney Wanderers 4-0 in October.
"The field is what it is, but we know we've got two away games now against the Wanderers and Melbourne City," Arnold said.
"We've got a different challenge next week at ANZ.
"We like ANZ ... with the field the way it is here at the moment we look forward to playing there."
The next three weeks are big for the Sky Blues, who will put their unbeaten record on the line against the Wanderers and City before returning home to host second-placed Melbourne Victory.
Arnold pleaded for fans to show more support at the turnstiles for the final Big Blue, which could decide the Premiers' Plate.
While average crowd figures are marginally up on 2015-16, there's a strong feeling the numbers aren't even close to reflecting what's on the way to being the most successful campaign in A-League history.
"When we get back to play Victory the field will be in good nick, and I'm really hoping -- or asking -- for the fans to come," Arnold said.
"We're putting in wonderful displays ... I totally realise it's the first week of school and there were pretty much no kids here under the age of 15.
"But against Melbourne, our interstate rival, we need our fans here in numbers because they can make a huge difference.
"The boys deserve that with the performances they've been putting in."