It was very much in keeping with the whole vibe of the season to watch Wellington Phoenix run out to a rapturous homecoming reception before promptly being smashed by the Central Coast Mariners.
Kudos to Nick Montgomery and his Mariners side for spoiling the party and dishing out a 4-0 thrashing to the Phoenix in front of 18,184 fans at Sky Stadium in the Kiwi capital on Sunday.
Having belted the Phoenix 5-0 in Gosford barely a fortnight ago, the Mariners made it two big wins from two within a couple of weeks thanks to a clinical display across the Tasman.
But it could have all been so different had Englishman David Ball managed to shoot either side of the inspirational Mark Birighitti in the Mariners goal midway through the first half.
Ball instead stung Birighitti’s palms with a blistering strike on goal, allowing the Mariners to immediately race up-field and open the scoring through Beni N’Kololo on the counter.
It was a goal that clearly took the wind out of Wellington sails and silenced the parochial home crowd, and while the Phoenix only went into the half-time break one goal down, the second from Jason Cummings was another genuine coach killer.
(Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
But given that it was Central Coast coach Montgomery who actively pursued Cummings – who has now scored seven goals in 16 A-League Men games after leaving Scottish side Dundee in contentious circumstances – perhaps it’s the Mariners tactician who deserves the credit.
Cummings has made a huge difference since arriving from the rough and tumble world of Scottish football and he was once again in a thick of things in the Kiwi capital, even if it was the equally impressive Moresche and substitute Matt Hatch who finished off the scoring.
Wellington have now conceded 17 goals in their past five games and boast the worst defensive record in the entire league – despite lying fifth in the standings.
Yet with another blockbuster to come against Western Sydney Wanderers at Eden Park in Auckland next Sunday, their fate is still very much in coach Ufuk Talay’s hands.
And the Phoenix deserve credit not just for the entertaining manner in which they play their football, but simply for having survived the past two COVID-riddled seasons.
General Manager David Dome runs a tight-run ship across the ditch, but he’d be the first to admit the Kiwi side have done it very tough over the past couple of seasons.
The sight of more than 18,000 fans filing through the gates at Sky Stadium is a timely reminder of everything the A-League Men can accomplish if it simply employs some common sense.
The Phoenix will draw another big crowd in Auckland next weekend and if the APL is serious about providing a level playing field, they should let the Phoenix host a marquee fixture in Round 1 next season as payback for basing the club out of Australia for the past two campaigns.
The league would be better off with an Auckland-based side in it anyway, and quite why we keep the Kiwis at arm’s length is another of football’s enduring mysteries.
The Socceroos will mark the centenary of their first-ever fixture on June 17 this year – a 3-1 defeat to New Zealand in Dunedin back in 1922 – with Football Australia chief executive James Johnson telling the recent Football Writers’ Festival the anniversary will be commemorated with a couple of friendlies against the All Whites in September.
And since New Zealand face Costa Rica in a one-off playoff in Doha in June for a place in the World Cup, the Kiwis might be the closest we come to cheering on a local side in Qatar.
It’s a bit of a shame the Mariners dished out such a comprehensive thrashing at the Cake Tin, even if the unpredictable nature of football is what makes the game so thrilling.
But it was fantastic to see the Phoenix back on home soil. After 300 days in exile, Wellington’s return was the feel-good story the A-League Men desperately needed.
NoMates
Roar Rookie
Sucks we lost but it just goes to show once again Wellington are prompting up the A league as usual. When u see the big club like SFC getting 5k kinda makes you sick.
Garry
Roar Rookie
not quite..hence my suggestion.. both NZ & Australia playing 13th or 14th.. “However, the team’s dream of securing Australia a place at a fifth consecutive FIFA World Cup™ remains alive, with Australia scheduled to play a one-off match against United Arab Emirates in Qatar on June 7. A win over the UAE would secure Australia a place in the Intercontinental Play-off 1 against Peru, which will be played on either 13 or 14 June. “ btw both teams could probably share a charter to NZ
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
World Cup playoffs in Qatar, both of which the Socceroos and New Zealand hope to be involved in, take place in mid-June.
Garry
Roar Rookie
what I dont get is why TV continues to show the empty side of the ground..do the clever thing & face cameras AT the crowd.
Garry
Roar Rookie
Why not celebrate with a game on or near June 17th in Dunedin? The squad will be on its way back from Qatar and at least the A league members would be available..with others who could be given a look in.
Waz
Roar Rookie
I don’t recall Roar being on FTA yet, I think at the beginning of the season we only had one game scheduled which I think got postponed. APL pretty much abandoned none NSW/VIC teams in preseason - the draw was redone to protect NSW/VIC sides from having to travel (there was a COVID scenario where that made sense but didn’t eventuate) so we have a bit of a “death spiral” with the AL in QLD at how moment. Mid week games kicking off at stupid-o-clock times supposedly for TV reasons, no home games for nearly two months and then 4 home games in 13 days …. the usual stuff. This season was meant to be the great reset, let’s hope that occurs next season now.
pau
Guest
There's life in the old bird, but sheesh some decisions need to made better. Currently in Queensland visiting the in-laws and from what I've been told by my wife's sport-loving uncle (correct me if I'm wrong Waz) Brisbane Roar have not featured in any of the FTA slots this season. How do you promote the game in Queensland if their sole professional club is only viewable on the worst streaming platform out there?
NSD + Transfer Fees
Guest
A few 20k attendance this season in a Covid area shows that the A League is far from being on its death bed.
chris
Guest
Haha very true Para. Sort of like when will SFC and WSW both have good competitive teams in the same season.
Tekkers
Roar Rookie
The only reason Dan hall is so good is because of Rowles. Arguably the best in the team on form. That Sydney game you can take with a grain of salt, a one off. there where more players off that night including dan hall. Without Kye this CCM team goes no where. Key blocks and tackles every miunte of the game.
chris
Guest
This game showed what massive support there is that is just waiting to be tapped into. It won't take much to get crowds back to decent levels. SFC playing out of their proper home, covid disrupting everything, a few marquees. It also shows what happens when you starve people of a product. When it becomes available they clamour for it.
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
Only in Australian Football, we see fairy tale home coming stories diminished by results that should have gone the other way. Congratulations to the NZ fans, that keep on, keeping the faith.
Grem
Roar Rookie
That was a great crowd and as much as I want to see the Mariners do well I was hoping for a home win for Wellington. Hopefully there's another big crowd for their next home game. The difference to the viewing that such a crowd makes is quite amazing. We know that Wellington would normally only get 5-6000 for their home games so this shows that there is a larger interest in football than presently seen. Each club in the A League has previously been able to and can still get thousands more to our games. There are many more spectators all over Australia and NZ with an interest in football. We need the APL, FA and each individual club to entice these people to their games regularly.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
that should be barrel
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Cummins his work rate has been massive? The only person the Mariners have who work rate is massive is Nisbet. Overrated and Hatch has him over a barrek in finishing
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
This match could have easily gone the other way, first two goals from Central Coast followed the the save from Birghitti then even worse the fluffed header from Ball , a free header a few meters out. It was sort of a carbon copy of the Sydney Central Coast match, both side get chances one side gets the first two goals, then while the home side keep attacking, they give up a bit in defence and concede even more. It was actually a lot better than a lot of these other blow outs like the strange City Phoenix match at Cronulla where the pitch was super rough and Phoenix kept playing out from the back and then gave up totally. The so called home advantage business well , actually being in NSW closer to all games is better for away games, we see Perth now they returned home are now completely useless away from home, what made them go to Tasmania if that was a home match that is close to insane. Remember when Arnie was top of the world consecutive wins, but for some reason thought his team would perform better with 40 hours of flight time. Arnie seems a champion when it comes to getting journos here to print stories, by playing home games in the Middle East the away game following was usually in the same location. This is what happened to Perth on a smaller scale. If Arnie has influence in the media, who can forget he the hysterical move the earth, bring in a huge net as well to play home crowds in front of a crowd articles was it one a day of, what has happened to the A-league, rugby league gets 50% of the sporting section, even the NBL has a half page article . The A-league not even mentioned in a Sunday paper. Perth Glory young players brought into the squad seem to start off half fit, now they are a bit zombie like. The coach Zadkovich would cover more ground than anyone else. Another note Rowles I would put him as fourth ranked central defender at CCM. He made a lot of mistakes against Sydney particularly the first goal. Why is Arnie picking him, Dan Hall I rate possibly the best in the comp. What about Hatch I think he has an incredible goal to minutes ratio its more than 1 a game, and he plays as winger instead of a striker. The Mariners strikers have actually been poor,
Brendan
Roar Pro
The counter-strike after Birighitti’s save was phenomenal. It summed up the Mariner’s recent resilience and foresight. The amount of Central Coast goals are only second to Melbourne City. Looking at the table, they deserve to be higher up. Credit to Monty. Cummings has been a revelation. His work rate is massive, and Arnie is missing the boat for not including him in the Socceroos. 18,000+ fans turning out was the highlight. Phoenix have an incredible amount of support. Their community engagement must be working very well. A few A-League teams could learn from that.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Agree, definitely the feel good story of the season. Shame about the scoreline.