Rudan eager to add to squad

SYDNEY: Wellington Phoenix coach Mark Rudan plans to bring in more talent to supplement his rising ALeague club’s squad and its list of shrewd overseas signings and quirky characters.

Phoenix moved up to fifth on Tuesday night after equalling its club record unbeaten run of seven games with a 32 away win over Western Sydney.

Rudan felt the team had not played well and was miffed at allowing two goals from corners.

Wellington twice conceded a lead, the second time in the 84th minute, but Rudan praised his players for not allowing their heads to drop, and striker Roy Krishna secured a dramatic win with his second goal just before the end.

Rudan was not fussed about the unbeaten streak which would be a record if Phoenix scored a home win over winless lastplaced Central Coast next Saturday.

‘‘Records, that sort of stuff, it really doesn’t bother us. It’s not a focus for us.

‘‘For us it’s about building, but it’s a long way to go in terms of where we can get to.’’

Asked if the club would look for more players in the January transfer window after signing Republic of Ireland inter national forward Cillian Sheridan, Rudan said: ‘‘We have not stopped looking for players and we will add.’’

Sheridan made an impact in his Phoenix debut off the bench on Tuesday, helping to set up Krishna’s secondhalf goals.

Rudan was impressed Sheridan had taken himself out of his comfort zone by playing in Poland, Cyprus, and Bulgaria.

‘‘Not many people from the UK decide to do that. That tells me enough about the character,’’ Rudan said.

‘‘This guy is willing to go through some tough times in order to find success for himself, that’s really important.’’

Rudan has already had one big import success story this season, with Polish goalkeeper and acrobatic showman Filip Kurto, who pulled off a crucial oneonone save late in Tuesday’s game.

‘‘I like characters, I really do, I think we’ve gone way too far down the other way about players not being able to express themselves and being who they are,’’ Rudan said of Kurto.

‘‘Cillian, there’s a lot of talk about what he does on social media. He’s got a podcast and all that sort of stuff.

‘‘So long as it doesn’t affect their performance that’s the most important thing.’’

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES Legwork . . Roy Krishna, of the Phoenix, and Jordan O’Doherty, of the Western Sydney Wanderers, compete for the ball during the round 12 ALeague match at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Tuesday night.