This Sunday’s match will provide the perfect opportunity for one of the two sides to get their seasons back on track after recent unlucky runs both on and off the field, but it could also be a match that foreshadows a season of struggle for the losing team after a mixed opening to the 2015/16 A-League season.
Both franchises come into this match on the back of tough defeats against the two teams expected to be fighting for the A-League title this season. The embattled Wellington Phoenix team were outclassed by the Victory at the Etihad, and they were lucky to lose only 3-0. Central Coast fared little better, going down 1-3 at home to early table-toppers Sydney FC.
The Phoenix have shown that they are a capable side this season, but perhaps the off-field antics of the FFA license refusal had snapped their concentration and stolen their focus, as they were played off the park by a smooth Victory side. From the first minute to the last the Nix were outplayed, outfought and out passed, and the 3-0 scoreline could have easily ballooned out to five or six as the Victory ran rampant, with Kosta Barbarouses, Oliver Bozanic and Besart Berisha epitomising the class of the champions. Berisha scored a double, and was a menace throughout the contest, and in tandem with the effervescent Barbarouses, the Phoenix were constantly scrambling and under pressure.
The defeat for the Mariners was even tougher to take, as it was a former Mariner and local hero in Matt Simon that did the damage for the sky blues against his former club and fans, and his late brace ensured the points went Sydney’s way. With two yellows dished out to forward Nick Fitzgerald in quick succession, seeing him depart in the 42nd minute and receive a suspension, the men in yellow were always up against it in the second half. That sending off also means Fitzgerald will, of course, be absent for this crucial trans-Tasman clash.
Central Coast is struggling so far this season, and three straight losses means that they are second-bottom of the table. They could still overtake their opponents this coming Sunday however, as the Phoenix have showed patchy form in their opening four games, winning two, losing two and they currently have a -2 goal difference to the Mariners -4. The Nix are also having to deal with the hugely worrying prospect of not being in the league next season while Central Coast have off-field issues of their own.
The A-League licence saga continues for the Phoenix, as the FFA’s four-year offer remains on the table, with the Welnix owners group still yet to make a decision after their ten-year extension application was publicly rejected. The outcry from Australia and New Zealand is being heard far and wide, and this on-going feud provides a most unwelcome distraction for fans of the Wellington club and the A-League in general.
The Mariners major off-field issue is the current status of goalkeeper Liam Reddy (who was also once with Wellington). Reports are circulating that he has completely fallen out with the club’s coaching staff and looks set to be released by the Mariners in the next few weeks. The veteran, 34-year-old, custodian Reddy has a string of alleged ‘misbehaviours’ that have meant he is currently on the outer at Central Coast. The Mariners have made 20-year-old Paul Izzo their starting keeper for the last two A-League matches and will remain in that position until the situation is resolved.
Following another week of on-field and off-field disappointment, as well as difficult defeats for both clubs, this fixture offers respite through victory. The question is, will it be Ernie Merrick’s Phoenix or Tony Walmsley’s Mariners that seize the opportunity and make progress up the A-League ladder? For the winner, the spoils will be a break from the gloom, and a chance to gather some poise and spirit through an on-field triumph. The unfortunate loser will suffer a further descent into the mire of uncertainty, as on-field failure compounds the turmoil away from the pitch for the players, staff and fans.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
