Phoenix in pursuit of elusive win
Winless Wellington Phoenix remain in good spirits, despite recording the club’s worst start to an A-League season.
The Phoenix are the only team without a win this season, with Newcastle Jets and Saturday’s opponents Brisbane Roar opening up a four-point gap with victories over Western United and Melbourne City last weekend.
But midfielder Cameron Devlin, who made his first A-League appearance for the Phoenix against Melbourne Victory a fortnight ago, said the players were confident their first win was just around the corner, buoyed by their most recent 1-1 draw.
‘‘There probably is a bit of pressure on us to get a win but the boys aren’t feeling it, the squad is really positive, the coaching staff are really positive,’’ he said.
While the Robbie Fowler-coached Roar broke their own drought by mounting an impressive second-half comeback to upset City 4-3 last weekend, Saturday’s clash in Wellington presents the Phoenix their best chance to pick up three points after a tough run of matches.
‘‘That’s obviously what we play for – we play to win. We go into every game, no matter what anyone else says, expecting to win.
‘‘We know we’ve got the quality and the right tools and the right preparation to win every game. Of course we want to win this weekend but we know we’re going to go into it prepared, ready and I’m sure we will get the win this weekend.’’
Wellington’s five All Whites, including Devlin’s flatmate Alex Rufer, have arrived back from Europe following New Zealand’s international friendlies against Ireland and Lithuania. However, they were given an extra day to recover and did not attend yesterday’s training session when where a depleted squad was bolstered by the presence of Tasman United goalkeeper Pierce Clark.
Also absent was Reno Piscopo, who scored a spectacular free-kick during the Olyroos’ 4-0 win over North Korea during the international window.
Eligible for selection, Devlin said he was hoping to join Piscopo in the Australian squad ahead of the AFC Under-23 Championship in January.
However, the 21-year-old will need to be playing more regularly in order to stake his claim for selection, something the player himself acknowledged, having featured just twice for the first team; once in the FFA Cup and once in the A-League, since moving from Sydney FC.
‘‘It’s awesome for Reno to get a call-up to go there but for me personally, 100 per cent that is a big goal of mine that I’ve set for myself to get into the camp for the under-23s. I’ll be doing all in my power, everything that I can every single day to make that possible,’’ he said.
‘‘For players like myself, Reno and all the Australians here, our aspirations don’t change, we still want to be part of that national team setup in Australia and that’s definitely a goal of mine.’’