In Brisbane
There was good news and bad news as the Wellington Phoenix’s unbeaten run ended on Saturday.
The biggest bit of bad news was that the nature of their 1-0 loss to Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium didn’t come as a surprise.
They have struggled in second halves throughout their ninematch unbeaten streak, with the wins away at Adelaide United and Western United at either end of December two notable exceptions.
The Phoenix were holding on at the end of their 2-1 win over the Central Coast Mariners at the start of January and were well below their best in beating Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend, with most of their shots coming in the opening half hour.
Those second-half struggles continued on Saturday, as they came out flat after the break despite being on top in the first half, then allowed Brisbane to take the lead, thanks to a nice bit of skill from Dylan Wenzel-Halls.
The good news is that the Phoenix’s patchy performances this month came while forward David Ball was absent injured – he went off early in the second half against the Mariners, missed the Wanderers match, and returned with half an hour to play against the Roar.
His introduction – and the fact that they were behind – sparked the Phoenix into life in Brisbane, and they went close to finding the equaliser that would have extended their unbeaten run to a club record 10 matches.
In his absence, Ball’s value to the Phoenix has become clear and he should slot straight back into the starting XI for the Newcastle
Jets’ visit to Sky
Friday night.
Though Jaushua Sotirio and Steven Taylor each hit the woodwork in the first half, the Phoenix struggled to create clear-cut chances for most of Saturday’s match, and questions remain about the ideal makeup of their front four.
Ball and Ulises Da´vila are guaranteed to be there, but Gary Hooper is yet to convince he has the fitness to be a starter and though Sotirio has plenty of pace, his ability on the ball leaves a lot to be desired.
Their most comprehensive attacking performance came against Western United at the end of December when Callum McCowatt and Reno Piscopo – two players who like to combine with others – were involved, and that quartet might be worth returning to once the Australian returns from international duty.
Coach Ufuk Talay was in a positive mood after the match, quipping that ‘‘God was on God’s side,’’ a reference to Roar coach Robbie Fowler’s nickname.
‘‘It was one of those games. ‘‘If we score one, I think it’s going to be a two, three-nil game for us, but that’s football sometimes, a good performance doesn’t always give you the result.
‘‘We create, which I’m very pleased with, and we just continue on, we’ll continue to reach our goal and that’s to make the top six by the end of the season.’’
The other bit of bad news for the Phoenix was that midfielder Matti Steinmann picked up a fifth yellow card during the first half and will be suspended for Friday’s match.
The Phoenix remained in fourth on the A-League ladder despite their loss, and will be hoping to bounce back immediately on Friday.
Stadium on