The Nix Fix: Wellington Phoenix grab rare away win against Central Coast

For the first time since round 9 of the 2012/13 season the Phoenix occupy a top five spot on the A-League ladder. Yes it may only be round two of the regular season but shouldn’t be a reason to knock the teams position on the table following a fantastic away win over the Central Coast Mariners, which was the first time in the clubs history that they have managed to win their first away game of the season.

Heading into the match as massive underdogs the team showed great character to come away with a 2-1 victory despite conceding first through an own-goal to defender Tom Doyle.

Ernie Merrick kept his faith in the team that started the first round loss to Perth by making no changes to the run on team and for the most part they repaid his good will with a much improved team performance. The new midfield combinations again looked good, especially the interplay between McGlinchey and Burns, and it was pleasing to see the Nix continue to place an emphasis on ball retention while creating chances for the front three to attack.

Three of the best

Winning on the road: A-League fans will be well aware of the troubles the Phoenix have to take home points from Australia. Last season the Nix only managed four wins from a total of 14 away matches and didn’t manage to pick up a win until round 11. So to get a win in round two is already a huge improvement from last years season start and the fact that it’s on the road makes it even sweeter.

WeeMac scores: There was no doubt in the lead up to game day that the Mariners wanted to make this match about Michael McGlinchey and his much publicised move to Wellington. All week the Mariners social media accounts were posting bait for their fans in an apparent attempt to make it an unhappy homecoming for the once fan favourite of the Mariners. Imagine how they felt when he not only scored the equaliser but then also played a key part in the match winner with a cheeky back-heel to Doyle who sent a stellar cross into the box for Burns to score.

Andrew Durante: The hard work of the Phoenix captain can often go unnoticed at times but his defensive efforts were rewarded this week with a place in the A-League team of the week. With the team under the pump at times from a desperate Mariners attack, Durante held firm and was a rock in the central defence.

The bad news

Jeremy Brockie: For two weeks in a row Jeremy Brockie has made the bad news list. I don’t doubt that Brockie is desperately trying to play himself into form but unfortunately at this stage it’s just not coming. This was evidenced by his missed penalty that he would’ve been very relieved to see McGlinchey head back into the goal once it rebounded off the crossbar (can we call that an assist?). To be fair he did improve in the second half but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the bench next week.

Own goal: Something that I unfortunately know quite a bit about (I scored 3 this past season). After a great start to the game where it felt like the Nix had the advantage it was disappointing to see Tom Doyle send the ball into his own net. It was a silly mistake from the inexperienced defender who probably should’ve just turned and belted the ball into row 20.

Closing out: Like most Nix fans I was very nervous during the final ten minutes of the game. With a one goal lead the team appeared to go into their shell and sit very deep refusing to send players forward. It was as if Ricki Herbert had been subbed on in place of Merrick to coach the last segment of the game! Obviously the boys managed to hold on and get the result but there is definitely some work needed on closing out matches when leading.

Round three will see the Nix head back home to take on Newcastle in Wellington on Sunday afternoon. The trip across the Tasman will be the Jets third away game in a row following an opening round loss to the Mariners and a 1-1 draw with Melbourne City this past weekend.

With their first win under their belt the Phoenix will be hoping to see a larger crowd in attendance this week at the Cake Tin following a disappointing opening round figure of 7,767. The club has launched a promotion which will allow members to take mates to the match with a twenty percent discount off their tickets which could prove helpful when trying to convince your mates to get down to the ground on Sunday.

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