The Nix Fix: Triumph and Disaster

TRIUMPH

How good was it to see the Phoenix record back to back wins!?!

After what can be described as a rather disappointing start to the season, losing their opening four matches of the season, it was great to see the lads finally open their account and then back it up the following week away from home with a 2-0 victory over Central Coast. The two wins has shifted them off the bottom of the table and into playoff territory at this early stage in the season.

With the All Whites away on international duty it was always going to be tough to get a win on the road even over the Mariners, one of the only teams in the A-League the Nix have a decent record against. Both goals for the Nix came soon after the halftime break through Hamish Watson and Roy Krishna, who thankfully for us wasn’t also away on international duty as Fiji did not have a match this international break.

Special mention must also go to the makeshift backline of Ridenton, Lowry, Rossi and Tratt who rose to the occasion defensively and kept Italiano’s workload to a minimum. It’s useful to know that we have players ready to step up and do the job in the absence of some of our more regular starters.

DISASTER

Early Monday morning New Zealand experience a severe 7.8 magnitude earthquake that was felt over most parts of the country. Five days later and aftershocks are still rocking the ground, keeping most of us on edge.

The aftermath has meant that this weekends match against Melbourne Victory has been postponed. While Westpac Stadium (home of the Nix) managed to avoid any major damage, it sustained a variety of minor superficial problems such as cracked concrete, burst pipes and broken windows. The decision to postpone the match was made after an assessment on the stadium concluded that the damage would take up to two weeks to repair.

No date has been set for the postponed match but it’s likely to occur later in the season as a midweek fixture.

I have seen a lot of posts from Victory fans calling for the Nix to just fly over to Melbourne and play the match this weekend. However having just been through a major seismic event, the best thing for all concerned is to reschedule and allow the players and staff to be at home with their families.

So it’s a weekend off football for the Nix and a bonus week for the New Zealand international players to rest and recover before taking on Victory’s cross town rivals Melbourne City next Sunday.

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