Editor
It might be ninth up against tenth when Wellington Phoenix host Perth Glory this afternoon but with the A-League’s top six within touching distance there will still be plenty to play for. We’ll have live scores and commentary from 3.00pm AEDT.
Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert might have been right when he said his team threw two points away against Newcastle last Sunday.
Against a Jets side with a horrid record across the Tasman, the Phoenix were able to turn the contest into a dour, physically demanding contest and with a one-goal and one-man advantage they should have closed the game out.
While the draw earned the Phoenix their first point in five matches, the mini-capitulation was indicative of a side who had forgotten how to win.
They might only trail the sixth-placed Jets by five points but with only nine matches to play the Phoenix’s finals ambitions are looking increasingly forlorn.
But if ever there is an occasion to turn things around it is this afternoon.
Ian Ferguson’s Perth side have performed horribly after starting the season as one of the title favourites, but they too come into this one in a tailspin, having lost three consecutive matches.
They boast the worst attacking record in the A-League with 18 goals from 18 matches and things won’t get any easier this afternoon with Shane Smeltz not named to travel with the team due to a hip injury.
Let’s be realistic – neither of these sides are going to be compared to Barcelona any time soon.
But that’s not to say we won’t see a gripping contest between two sides desperate for a result to spark their season.
The first match of an appetising A-League Saturday triple-header, which concludes with the Melbourne derby this evening, begins at 3.00pm AEDT.