'Wanderers still not at Sydney's level' - Fox Sports

Still the one ... Tony Pignata still thinks Sydney FC are No.1. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

Last season's A-League will be remembered for the fairytale debut of Western Sydney Wanderers, but Sydney FC boss Tony Pignata says it was Alessandro Del Piero's arrival that really put the league in the spotlight.

The Sky Blues played second fiddle for much of the season, but Pignata believes the Wanderers still have some catching up to do.

"I think they (Wanderers) had a very good season and that helped drive people through the gates to watch them play," Pignata said.

"But on our side we gained supporters as well. We went from 11,500 average attendance to nearly 19,000 and from a television point of view we were the No.1 club.

"They need to keep up with us, to be honest. Their average crowd was 12,000 and we were 19,000, so the onus is on them to catch up."

Pignata wasn't surprised by the huge amount of support the Wanderers garnered in their first season, but said Del Piero helped attract larger crowds to Sydney FC games and drew an international audience.

"I think who really raised the bar was Alessandro Del Piero and him coming to the A-League," Pignata said.

"What he did put the spotlight on the League and with him arriving it really thrust not only the local media, but outside as well and that really helped the growth of the A-League this season."

The Wanderers won the Premier's Plate and reached the grand final, while the Sky Blues, even with Del Piero, failed to finish in the top six.

Pignata admitted the club has under-performed over the past few years but he, along with the rest of the board, has promised to give coach Frank Farina whatever he needs to succeed next season.

Meanwhile, the club has taken its first step towards bolstering the squad by signing former Brisbane Roar player Matt Jurman.

The 23-year-old was released by Brisbane, triggering the Sky Blues to step in with an offer to bring Jurman back to Sydney, where his A-League career started.

Jurman came through the youth ranks at Sydney FC and spent three seasons at the club before signing with Brisbane Roar in 2011, where he won one A-League title.