The Nix Fix: Distance Derby
Not the best of starts. For the third season in a row the Nix lost their opening match 2-1. The difficult part is this was against a Newcastle team that are widely tipped for the wooden spoon and really should have been beaten comfortably.
The good news is that the Nix were ahead in all statistics apart from the one that matter most, goals. Roly Bonevacia became the first player to score for the season while Roy Krishna carried on the team’s horrible run of penalty kicks with a miss not long after halftime. Concern was shown when captain Durante was forced off due to injury although initial assessments are that he should be fine by round two.
New Signing
On Monday the Nix announced the signing of 21-year-old Dylan Fox. The young Australian arrives from New South Wales premier league side Bonnyrigg White Eagles where he plays as a central defender. Merrick signed him after a ten day trial with the Nix and from what we’ve heard he’ll act as a back up to the established centre back pairing of Durante and Sigmund.
Licence Extention
As it currently stands, this season is Wellington’s final season in the A-League. Football Federation Australia and Phoenix management are still in negotiations over the club’s licence extension which is becoming ridiculous. There was talk earlier this year of the club being offered a 5 year deal, that was understandably turned down. The Nix need a longer deal that gives the club stability. Apparantly the sticking point falls around crowd numbers and TV deals with Sky Sport NZ, which is worth a lot less than the Australian TV deal that the FFA negotiated. Plus the fact that the Nix fit in the Oceania Football category, instead of Asia which Australia does, can’t be helping. Considering the amount of trouble the FFA are having with clubs like Brisbane and Central Coast, surely locking in a stable club like the Nix is a no brainer.
Distance Derby
This week the lads have to make the long journey to Perth to take on the Glory. The fixture has gained the title of “Distance Derby” due to the fact the 5255 kilometre trek is one of the longest distances a team has to travel in world football for a league match. This year the two clubs will play off for a new trophy dubbed the Long Distance Derby Cup which will be awarded to the team that earns the most points over the three regular season matches between the sides. Until we get another team in New Zealand, which may never happen, this will be the closest (or farthest) we get to a proper derby.
Possible starting line-up…
. Moss
. Fenton Sigmund Durante Muscat
. Bonevacia Riera Lia
. McGlinchey Powell Krishna
Prediction
Our record in Perth currently stands at four wins, with eight losses and one draw. Last season all three matches ended with a 2-1 scoreline with two of those being in Perth’s favour. Based on last weeks performance it’s difficult to confidently pick the Nix to win so I’m going to tip a draw with a 1-1 scoreline and Krishna to make up for last week’s miss with a goal.
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