Wellington Round-Up : Week 1 February

Monday Night Blues, Return of the Burns, and the Flying Fijians.

After a month-long break for an Asian Cup that spelt success for Australian football, the return of the A-League has been anticipated by many, including fans of the Phoenix, who with only one competing in the Cup, had an otherwise relatively busy few weeks on the training pitch. The Phoenix went into the break with a seven-game unbeaten streak and are looking to mark their return to the A-League with two wins from two on a trip to Brisbane and Penrith, continuing the stellar run of form that had them sitting pretty at second on the ladder after 14 rounds.

Round 15 Review

The first game back for the Phoenix was against the Roar in Brisbane, a place where they’ve never won in their history. There was plenty of reason for confidence going into this game – the last game against the Roar was an emphatic 3-0 win at Westpac Stadium, so maybe the men in yellow were finally due for the win at Suncorp Stadium. But with the extended break halting momentum and a Roar side looking to revive their season, it was always going to be tough, and in the end the Roar broke the hearts of a strong travelling Yellow Fever group with a 92nd minute goal from Jean Carlos Solorzano snatching the three points in a dramatic affair. Goals from strikers Roy Krishna and Kenny Cunningham gave the Nix some hope, and the return of fellow striker Nathan Burns from Socceroos duty was welcomed, but poor marking in the box and a lost midfield battle undid the good work done up front, and the loss has pushed the Nix down to 4th spot on the ladder. Not to worry though Nix fans – the boys are one point off 2nd-placed Adelaide, and six points ahead of Sydney FC, who are 5th.

 

Team News

While there hasn’t been much gametime for the Phoenix for the past month, the club has been pretty busy on the organisational front. There were no signings for the club in January, but Jeremy Brockie left Kiwi shores to play in South Africa, and the return of Nathan Burns after the Asian Cup has sparked speculation of a departure at the end of the season, talks that have been promptly shut down by Phoenix manager Ernie Merrick. With Australia and New Zealand hosting the Cricket World Cup this month, the Phoenix have had to move three home games away from Westpac Stadium, and this has resulted in the building of a temporary stadium at the Hutt Recreation Ground. The installation of temporary stands is almost complete, and ticket sales are looking good for the three games to be played, so expect a bumper crowd when the first game is played there – a Valentine’s Day special against Melbourne City.

 

The Week Ahead…

The Phoenix are off to Penrith this Sunday for a clash with the Wanderers, a change of venue that we like to think is due to 3-1 happening at Pirtek Stadium last time the boys played there. The sides have already met twice this season, ending in shirts off at Westpac Stadium as the Nix won 1-0 on both occasions, so the boys will be keen on getting a season sweep over the Wanderers, and not being the team to give them their first win of the season. The Nix are near full-strength after the return of Krishna and Burns, so the form of the team and this result will come down to regaining that rhythm and form that saw them soar up the ladder in the first half of the season. We can expect a tough affair with both teams wanting to get back to winning ways after coming off losses, but with the Phoenix having more to lose, another 1-0 scoreline wouldn’t be surprising.

 

So in conclusion…

There is nothing to worry about. Maybe some of us have forgotten what it’s like to lose and have lost our heads a little over Brisbane, so I could almost say that in a way, that loss was probably necessary. But no way are the Phoenix letting up here, we won’t give up our season that easily. We’ll find our feet again, and when we do, watch out. Game on, Wanderers.

By Nicki Mangu – Twitter: @itsnickibrooooo

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