Phoenix bolstered for crunch match
The return of Wellington Phoenix FC’s five All Whites means coach Ricki Herbert has all but a full-strength squad to pick from for Sunday’s Hyundai A-League 2007/08 crunch match at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
Tim Brown, Jeremy Christie, Tony Lochhead, Mark Paston and Shane Smeltz returned to training with the Phoenix on Friday after taking part in New Zealand’s 2-0 win against Fiji in a World Cup qualifier in Lautoka midweek. The return of the five key players is a welcome boost for the Phoenix as they look to rebound from two consecutive Hyundai A-League losses and get their promising season to date back on track.
Midfield maestro Felipe is the only player in doubt for Sunday’s match, though Herbert will wait till after Saturday’s training session ahead of the match against the Mariners to make a final decision. The Brazilian sustained a hamstring tear against Queensland a fortnight ago and missed last weekend’s match against the Newcastle Jets.
“Felipe’s probably not in the frame at this stage,” Herbert said. “He’s close but maybe not close enough. But we’re reluctant to rule him out completely and he’ll be given every opportunity to prove his fitness for Sunday’s game.”
Herbert is fortunate to have a talented squad to draw on as the Phoenix seek revenge against the Mariners, having lost 3-0 to the Hyundai A-League 2007/08 leaders in round two in Gosford in August.
Marquee player Ahmad Elrich is in line for his run-on debut, the former Fulham and Socceroos midfielder impressing off the bench against the Jets.
“At this stage Ahmad will probably start for us,” Herbert said. “Will he go the distance? Probably not, but his impact initially could be good for us.”
Herbert agreed that making an impact early would be key for the Phoenix as they look to arrest a trend of conceding early goals. But the need for improvement went beyond just the defensive end.
“We’ve focused on what we need to do and what we need to better. You could go from the team at the top to the team at the bottom and they’re all bloody tough, but we can be better.
“The last two weeks we haven’t quite got into the swing of things from an attacking point of view as well as a defensive point of view. We’re a very good attacking side – probably the equal of anyone in the league – and goals for (12) certainly reflect that.
“It has been worrying that we’ve had the tendency to start slowly and we’ve been punished for that. We’ve expressed our concerns about that and the need for players to take a personal responsibility for things, be it picking players up and eliminating those ‘grey’ areas in decision-making. We’ve touched on that and I’m pleased the intensity and desire from the players is there to do what we do well – passing the ball, getting players forward and creating opportunities.”
Scoring opportunities on Sunday will be crucial for the Phoenix, who are yet to put the ball in the back of the Mariners’ net. The Phoenix lost 2-0 in a 2007 Pre-Season Cup match before the Central Coast team stunned the Hyundai A-League newcomers with a three-goal blitz inside 30 minutes in late August.
But with All Whites striker Smeltz in hot goal-scoring form, the heat will be on the Mariners in their first visit to Westpac Stadium. Smeltz has scored four goals in the Hyundai A-League season to date, sharing top spot with Adelaide United’s Bruce Djite and Sydney FC’s Alex Brosque.
Herbert said much would depend on his young marksman against the Mariners.
“Shane’s in very good form; he’s had five shots on target and he’s converted four of them. We’ll certainly need that sort of conversion rate on Sunday.”
Three points will be crucial for the Phoenix, who sit in seventh spot on the Hyundai A-League table but are just three points out of the top four. Sunday’s match will also be the Phoenix’s last at home before a gruelling three-match tour to Adelaide, Perth and Queensland.
Wellington Phoenix squad: 1. Mark PASTON (gk), 2. Jeremy CHRISTIE, 3. Tony LOCHHEAD, 4. CLEBERSON, 5. Karl DODD, 6. Tim BROWN, 7. Ross ALOISI (captain), 8. Vaughan COVENY, 9. Shane SMELTZ, 10. Michael FERRANTE, 11. DANIEL, 12. Richard JOHNSON, 13. Steven OLD, 14. Steven O’DOR, 15. George PALADINI, 17. Vince LIA, 18. Ahmad ELRICH, 20. Glen MOSS (gk), 21. FELIPE, 22. Royce BROWNLIE *five to be omitted
Central Coast Mariners squad: 1. Matthew TROTT (gk), 2. Matt SIMON, 4. Ian McANDREW, 6. Andre GUMPRECHT, 7. John HUTCHINSON, 8. Dean HEFFERNAN, 10. Tom PONDELJAK, 12. Greg OWENS, 13. Tony VIDMAR, 15. Andrew CLARK, 16. Nigel BOOGAARD, 19. Adam KWASNIK, 20. Danny VUKOVIC (gk), 22. Sasho PETROVSKI, 23. Mile JEDINAK
Phoenix v Mariners, Sunday, October 21
Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Kickoff: 5pm
TV: Sky Sport 1 from 4.30pm
Radio: NewstalkZB 1035AM