Ball full of praise for team-mate Hooper
Wellington Phoenix striker David Ball started sprinting from the halfway line as soon as Cameron Devlin passed through to Gary Hooper.
He pointed to where he wanted to receive the cross and did not stop running until he had put the ball in the back of the net.
In a game of few chances, it was a single sequence in the second half that decided last Saturday night’s A-League clash with Melbourne City at Eden Park in Auckland.
Devlin kicked ahead to Hooper on the right. The former Celtic star dribbled behind the City defence and then put in a pinpoint cross to the tireless Ball.
Timing his run to perfection, Ball calmly slotted past Tom Glover to secure a valuable 1-0 win over the second-placed City despite the team putting up a season-low six shots, one of which was cleared off the line.
‘‘I’ve seen the build-up and Cammy’s put in a good ball down the side to Hoops. I’ve started from the halfway line and that’s what you’ve got to do – bust a gut to get into the box,’’ Ball said.
‘‘I’ve put my finger down and Gary’s put it exactly where I wanted it, and it’s great to see it go into the back of the net because I think we deserved it.’’
Although he failed to fire a single a shot across the 90 minutes, Hooper provided another glimpse of his matchwinning qualities by setting up Ball’s fourth goal of the season.
It was Hooper’s third assist, having also netted four times since his much-hyped arrival.
‘‘You can tell he’s played at a high level, the way he does things and makes things look simple at times. For me he makes my life a lot easier,’’ Ball said.
‘‘We know each other’s strengths and I think we play to them. He’s a great player to play off, he brings people into game like I do and we work really well together.’’
Having scored twice off the bench against Perth Glory the week prior, Hooper is starting to live up to his marquee billing as he edges towards full fitness following an injury disrupted past 18 months.
But the Phoenix will be looking to squeeze more out of the 32-year-old – a player Ball believes could be the difference-maker during their run towards the playoffs.
‘‘If you ask Gary himself he’s working to a level of fitness where he wants to be and you see his work on the training ground, he’s getting up to where he wants to be in terms of fitness.
‘‘That was another 90 minutes for him and I’m sure the more 90 minutes we get out of Gary the more moments you’ll see, it’s just about getting that pure match fitness.
‘‘He can be a real focal point of our game.’’
Last weekend’s result saw the Phoenix open up a six-point gap on seventh-placed Western United. They can stretch that buffer to nine points with a win over former coach Mark Rudan’s faltering side at Sky Stadium on Friday.