Phoenix midfielder plays waiting game
In an ideal world, Matthew Ridenton would have already penned his signature at the bottom of a new Wellington Phoenix contract.
As one of 14 players off-contract - a list that does not include on loan forward Monty Patterson - Ridenton is still patiently waiting for the club to hire a new coach so he can sort out his own future.
For most of those off-contract players, Saturday’s game against Melbourne City at QBE Stadium provides one final chance to push their case for a new deal.
But Ridenton’s future will not be dictated by what he does or does not do on the North Shore, having already proven he is capable of footing it in the A-League during a breakout season.
The midfielder has accumulated more minutes during this campaign than any of his previous four combined and his 25 appearances are the highest of any Phoenix player. Still just 22, Ridenton’s best years are ahead of him too, another reason to stick by the New Zealand international.
There is also the fact that he is keen to stay. Although he has not ruled out looking elsewhere as he wants to keep his options open, Ridenton’s preference is to remain in Wellington beyond this season.
‘‘It’s up to the club now. They’ve got to make a decision on a lot of players and we’ll just be waiting and seeing what the club decides to do,’’ he said after a chilly training at the club’s base at Martin Luckie Park yesterday. ‘‘Obviously with the new coach they have to make a decision on that and as players it’s just part of the game where contracts are coming down to the end and you just have to wait and see.
‘‘But I’m obviously keen to stay at the Phoenix. It’s been good for my development playing in the A-League but also you have to look elsewhere in case something doesn’t come up,’’
Looking back on Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Melbourne Victory, Ridenton was still pretty gutted by what transpired at AAMI Park. And, after watching multiple replays he is adamant that he was fouled in the lead-up to Kenny Athiu’s match-winner, which came in the 87th minute.
‘‘That’s why I thought the referee was going to blow the whistle but in football these things happen all the time so we just had to play on and stop the goal and it didn’t happen,’’ he said.
‘‘The first half was very good for us. We really dominated them and created a lot of opportunities but probably needed that two goal lead because we didn’t come out with the same intensity, they got a bit of momentum and unfortunately they got those two goals right at the end.’’
Despite spending 21 weeks at the bottom of the table, the Phoenix are still a chance to overtake the Central Coast Mariners in the final round. However, to achieve that they must beat City and hope the Mariners lose to Newcastle Jets.
‘‘We’ll try get a win for the fans who have been loyal to us all season,’’ Ridenton said. ‘‘Obviously it’s been disappointing but there’s still one more game and we’ll go out there and give it our all.’’