Fenton fit to fly for Phoenix
Wellington Phoenix have received a big boost ahead of the A-League restart, with injuryplagued defender Louis Fenton declaring himself fit and available for selection.
Fenton underwent seasonending surgery after dislocating his shoulder against Melbourne City in November, but the delay through by Covid-19 has allowed the All Whites international to make a surprise comeback ahead of the campaign climax.
‘‘I’m fully fit now. I’ve been running the last few months and since the team’s gone back to training I’ve been able to join in and put my hand up, and hopefully contribute to the team,’’ he said.
With incumbent right-back Tim Payne suspended for the next four games, starting with Sydney FC on July 17, Fenton’s return to full fitness is timely, especially with such a short turnaround between fixtures.
‘‘I don’t know if I’ve benefited so much from coronavirus but to be able to play this season is something that I never thought was possible, and to be able to contribute at the end of the season is something that I’m looking to do.
‘‘I want to play, I want to play every game and even if Tim was still available I think I’d be trying to push him and trying to get my spot back in the starting 11.’’
The Phoenix’s New Zealandbased players and staff flew out of the capital on a charter plane on a gloomy Saturday afternoon, one day after receiving approval to enter Australia. The bulk of the squad will spend the next fortnight in quarantine at the Valentine Sports Park facility in Sydney, while star imports Ulises Davila and Gary Hooper will serve their 14-day stint in a hotel after arriving from Mexico and the United Kingdom.
‘‘It’s exciting, we’re finally leaving,’’ Fenton said. ‘‘It’s been a bit of an unknown for the last few weeks but to finally be hopping on the plane with games to look forward is what all of us players want, and I just can’t wait to get over there.
‘‘We’ve had a bit of experience [with isolation] and I know it’s not the funnest of times but it has to be done, and I’m sure we’ll do it right and try to make it as enjoyable as possible.’’
Fenton has endured a horror run with injuries throughout his eight-year professional career. He said his latest setback occurred just 10 minutes into the round four match against Melbourne City, and he revealed there were some ‘‘dark’’ times in the subsequent weeks when he even contemplated retirement.
‘‘I dislocated my shoulder maybe in the 10th minute or something and sort of played on but knew that something had to be done, and I ended up having both shoulders reconstructed six weeks apart. The surgeon’s done a good job and hopefully they should stay in place.
‘‘I always go to a dark place and consider things but I love the game, I’m still pretty young and still believe there’s a lot of football in front of me, so I want to continue playing.’’
Later in that match Fenton was wrongly penalised for a handball, and he let his feelings known in a foul-mouthed postmatch interview.
The 27-year-old was sorry for swearing on live TV, but admitted his emotions got the better of him, knowing he was set for another long stint on the sidelines, having already missed a good chunk of the 2018-19 campaign.
‘‘I shouldn’t have sworn on TV and I’m sorry for that but I guess there was frustration with the handball and probably more frustration knowing I was going to be out for a long time.’’