Ernie Merrick’s Wellington Phoenix secured their first ever win in the Westfield FFA Cup, advancing to the round of 16 with a 1-0 win at Central Coast Stadium.
The Phoenix took the lead after 17 minutes, when Kwabena Appiah forced goalkeeper Paul Izzo into an error when trying to play out of defence. The Mariners were presented with a golden opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot in the 84th minute after Jake McGing was fouled in the box. However, Roy O’Donovan could not convert from twelve yards, sending his shot crashing into the crossbar.
Wellington will now prepare themselves for another away trip in the round of 16, while the Mariners have two months of preparation until their next competitive fixture against Perth Glory in round one of the A-League.
Experience the difference for Wellington
The Central Coast squad is very much in transition, with Paul Izzo and the two starting central defenders making their competitive debuts for the club. Along with fullbacks Storm Roux and Michael Neill, the five defensive positions had an average age of 20.4, compared to Wellington’s 30.2.
Initially the rookie Mariners started with composure, but as Wellington increased their pressure after the opening minutes, disaster struck for the home side. Paul Izzo received a pass from Harry Ascroft, but a heavy first touch from the young goalkeeper allowed the chasing Kwabena Appiah to sneak in and give his side the lead.
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It was an unfortunate lack of composure from the young Mariners, contrasted with the Wellington defence. Excluding the penalty, caused in a frantic closing of the match, the likes of Ben Sigmund and Andrew Durante were at ease in defence, making it a rather simple shift for Glen Moss in goal. Excluding a good save to deny Fabio Ferreira early on, the veteran goalkeeper was rarely tested by the home side.
Striker dilemmas persist for both sides
Ernie Merrick has confessed that the club are still in the market for striking reinforcements after the departures of Tyler Boyd, Kenny Cunningham and last season’s top scorer, Nathan Burns. Thus far, Merrick has only been able to secure the signature of Blake Powell from APIA Leichardt in the NSW Premier League. However, Powell was cup-tied and as such the scoring responsibilities fell to Krishna, Appiah Kubi and McGlinchey. However, despite Appiah finding the back of the net, he and McGlinchey are more creators than goal threats. Considering Krishna’s regular involvement with the Fijian national team, and the lack of international breaks for the A-League, a third striker to fill out Merrick’s attacking options is a must.
As for the Mariners, while they have added some attackers to their squad already in the off-season with the arrivals of Mitch Austin and Roy O’Donovan, Tony Walmsley is still tinkering with the set-up. In addition, the club is looking to secure the services of Daniel Heffernan from Heidelberg United as another option up front after impressing while on trial with the club. The challenge for Walmsley will be to set up the team in a way that gets these players plenty of opportunities while they find their feet in the A-League. O’Donovan did miss a penalty, but aside from that chance he was not supplied with enough high-quality passes from the midfield.
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