Phoenix sail into playoffs
Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper Oli Sail spent the two days leading up to Thursday’s 2-1 A-League Men win over Western Sydney Wanderers in bed battling a ‘‘chesty cough’’.
But there was no way he was going to miss a chance to help the Phoenix secure a top-six finish.
After crawling out of bed four hours before kickoff, Sail went on to have a massive hand in the Phoenix’s win as they beat the Wanderers to lock up a finals berth with one game to spare.
‘‘I was bedridden for two days before the game and I didn’t get out of bed until 3pm yesterday or train the day before because I’ve been ill,’’ Sail said.
‘‘I got up to eat mid-afternoon but I wasn’t in doubt of playing. There was a lot on the line and from a leadership point of view I felt I had to be there.’’
Sail tipped two shots onto the post during a frantic final 10 minutes as the Phoenix held on for dear life thanks largely to their goalkeeper’s heroics after Reno Piscopo had restored their lead with a spectacular strike.
‘‘The last couple of weeks we’ve ridden our luck a little bit, especially against the Wanderers. They hit the crossbar twice in the previous game as well, one I will add was a save which wasn’t picked on [by the commentary].
‘‘But I just felt we were never going to lose no matter how many shots they had or how many times they hit the post.’’
The Phoenix held a five-point advantage over Sydney FC heading into their
penultimate game and knew they would be guaranteed a top-six finish if they beat the Wanderers.
They made a dream start when Sam Sutton scored three minutes in and despite conceding midway through the first half, they regained the lead when Piscopo let rip from outside the box in the 65th minute.
‘‘He’s a very talented player, Reno. We’ve seen that for three years now and I’m not surprised he can score goals like that because his technical ability is outstanding.’’
Sail said the season had been an ‘‘emotional roller-coaster’’. The Phoenix have spent most of it based in Australia and have had to deal with a long list of injuries and changes to the schedule.
Their form has also been erratic, particularly over the past few months. They have suffered six defeats by four goals or more, leaving them with a goal difference of -14 heading into their final game on Monday.
‘‘If you had told me the types of lineups and formations that we were putting out for the last 10 games or so I would’ve said, yeah that will probably be a struggle to make the finals,’’ Sail conceded.
‘‘But it’s a testament to the character of this group and [coach] Uffie [Talay] and the staff’s leadership, and also the individual performances from within this collective.
‘‘You guys [the media] have touched a lot on David Ball’s commitment to the football club and those sorts of individual contributions carry teams. It’s not an individual sport but contributions like that go a long, long way.’’
By beating the Wanderers the Phoenix have also given themselves a shot at securing a home playoff.
To achieve that they will have to beat leaders Melbourne City in their final game on Monday and hope Adelaide United and Central Coast Mariners lose their final games today.