‘Classic six-pointer’ awaits Phoenix women
If the Wellington Phoenix are to make the A-League Women top six – a prospect that is looking increasingly unlikely – this is the week in which something has to give.
Lose, and even if they maintain their sixmatch unbeaten run in New Zealand, they are likely to find themselves on the outside looking in as the finals series unfolds in April and May.
Heading into round 19, Perth sit seventh on the A-League Women ladder, with 24 points from 18 matches, three places above the Phoenix, who have 19 points from 17 matches.
A win for the home team will move them up to sixth and stretch the gap between them and Wellington from five points to eight. Even though the Phoenix will still have a game in hand, it will be a difficult deficit for them to close.
Boosting the visitors – who have spent the week in Perth preparing – is the fact that the Glory haven’t won any of their last eight matches, a run that sets the stage for a must-watch clash, even if it is kicking off at midnight tonight (NZ time).
“It does feel that way – a classic six-pointer, as they say,” was how Phoenix coach Paul Temple summed it up yesterday.
“I don’t think there’s any real need to sort of try and work around the truth of the matter here. If we don’t win tomorrow night, we’re going to leave ourselves a really big mountain to climb in those last four weeks.
“It’s obviously still possible, but to keep it in our own hands, and to keep our destiny where we want it, we have to win.’’
The Phoenix have played just two of their last 10 matches in New Zealand, winning both, while losing the other eight.
The loss of a home match during the Unite Round, where all the matches in the A-Leagues were played in Sydney in mid-January, hasn’t helped, nor has the postponement of a home match in February that clashed with the Football Ferns’ successful Olympic qualifying campaign.
Temple was rightly frustrated by the fixture list, but at the same time, he acknowledged it wasn’t the reason his team had earned 16 of a possible 21 points on the eastern side of the Tasman and just three of a possible 30 on the western side.
Venezuelan striker Mariana Speckmaier is set to be available to start after coming off the bench against Victory.
A decision on Ferns midfielder Annalie Longo’s involvement was set to be made today following her recovery from a calf strain.
Another Ferns midfielder, Kate Taylor, isn’t with the team, but could be back next Sunday when they host Sydney FC.