The Nix Fix: Burns the hat-trick hero
What a weekend it was for the Wellington Phoenix!
The Nix put on their best performance of the season to destroy Melbourne City 5-1 and break a two match losing streak. The attacking trio of Nathan Burns, Michael McGlinchey and the newly promoted Roy Krishna ran riot up front and the defence was just as sharp with the only Melbourne goal coming from the penalty spot in the second half.
The win keeps the Nix in fifth spot on the ladder, four points off Sydney who are in fourth and five points above the sixth placed Brisbane Roar.
Three of the best
Hat-trick hero: Finally the Wellington Phoenix have a hat-trick to their name. On Sunday Nathan Burns became the first player in the clubs history to score three times in a match, with one coming from the penalty spot in the 85th minute after a shirt pull by Rob Wielaert. Burns had already come agonisingly close to a hat-trick this season after picking up two goals before halftime in round three against Newcastle but couldn’t find the back of the net in the second half. The former Socceroo now leads the A-League golden boot race and must surely be in the frame for a recall to the national side for the Asian Cup early next year.
Roy Krishna: The Fijian flyer is now playing the sort of football that made him such a force in the NZ domestic championship with Waitakere and Auckland. On Sunday he created all sorts of problems for City on the left edge and was duly rewarded with a goal in the 50th minute after a terrific ball from Tom Doyle.
Five on the board: Prior to this weekend’s match the Nix had only managed to score three goals in their last four matches. So it goes without saying that it was a real treat to see the team scoring so freely on Sunday. The five goal haul on Sunday included a 16 minute period where four were put into the back of the net.
The bad news
Brockie set to leave: The Phoenix have today confirmed the departure of Jeremy Brockie to South African side SuperSport United. The 27 year old striker will head to Africa during the January transfer window. Brockie had been on the out this season as new signings Burns and McGlinchey took the attacking reigns on the field and Krishna forced Brockie to a bench roll. It’s a shame to lose a great club man like Brockie, however his troubles in front of goal cannot be ignored and the time is right for him and the club to part ways.
The crowd: A performance like that deserved a crowd of much more than the 7410 that turned up at Westpac Stadium. The Nix are holding their next home match at Eden Park in Auckland which should attract a significantly larger crowd but hopefully the next Wellington game can gather closer to 10,000 on the back of some more solid performances.
This week….
The Nix head back across the Tasman to take on a struggling Newcastle Jets side who sit ninth on the A-League ladder. The Jets are yet to register a win in season 2014/15 and the Nix have the advantage of having beat them 4-1 back in round three, which should have the Jets nervous ahead of their arrival. The way the Nix are playing at the moment I’m expecting them to win this match by at least two goals.
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