Sydney FC coach Steve Corica turned to mentor and Socceroos boss Graham Arnold for advice as he navigated mounting pressure and speculation over his job security.
The Sky Blues relieved some pressure on Corica and piled it further on to Tony Popovic's Melbourne Victory with a 2-1 win over their A-League Men rivals on Thursday night.
Adam Le Fondre's composed winner from a lovely Joe Lolley assist in the 52nd minute at AAMI Park snapped Sydney's three-game winless run and lifted the Sky Blues to seventh on goal difference behind sixth-placed Macarthur.
Corica, who has won two championships and a premiership at Sydney, had faced speculation he could be replaced with departed Macarthur coach Dwight Yorke after Saturday's 1-0 loss to Western United, and admitted it had taken its toll.
He has leaned on Arnold, who faced mounting scrutiny as the Socceroos battled their way through World Cup qualifying.
"He was in a very similar situation just before the World Cup," Corica told reporters.
"So yeah, I've spoken to him and he has said it's similar - family takes the brunt of it. They're more sensitive to it.
"When you're the coach you do obviously take the criticism on board, and it's been tough. Let's face it, it hasn't been easy.
"But I'm pretty strong and I believe in what I'm doing and what the players are doing and we're on the right track.
"We're probably into seventh now, so as bad as the season everyone says that we've had, we're not far away."
Corica admitted the speculation over his future had taken its toll on his family.
"It's more I would say it's hard on my family because social media and stuff like that, it's never nice," he said.
"I've got three kids as well, so they probably take it a little bit harder, and my wife as well.
"But as a football coach you understand what football's all about. It's about results and getting good results for the club, and I've done that in the past and I'm sure I'm going to continue to do it."
Corica hailed his players' grit and resilience in the "important" win and said he'd had ongoing conversations with his leadership group about turning things around.
"End of the day, I take responsibility. I'm the head coach so I get blamed for it as well, so it's nice to get three points today," he said.
"But the players obviously feel the pressure as well when the pressure's on the coach, and they were fantastic tonight."
Victory took the lead when Jake Brimmer curled a wonderful long-range free kick inside the near post in the 26th minute, before Max Burgess equalised six minutes later.
Le Fondre's goal seven minutes into the second half proved the difference, with Victory's misfiring attack unable to conjure an equaliser.
Bottom-of-the-table Victory are winless in six-and-a-half weeks since beating Macarthur on December 11, with one draw and five losses, excluding the abandoned Melbourne derby.
"We're getting punished for mistakes and we're not capitalising on our moments and our opportunities and that's where it is," Popovic told reporters.
"We've got to to face that reality. We know we've got to do a little bit more than just work hard."
