A stand-alone midweek fixture saw Wellington Phoenix take on Newcastle. The match was a catch-up game, as the two teams didn’ t play in round 10 when New Zealand was playing a World Cup Qualifier. Not only did the Kiwis wrap up their place in South Africa during that October game, but several of their players backed up for the Phoenix, who put in a dominant performance to take out a 3-0 win. The Phoenix had been the better side from the start, and it was no surprise when they broke through for the opening goal. Fabian Barbarousses went long from the edge of the area, and Newcastle keeper Ben Kennedy deflected the shot but was unable to hang onto the ball, making an easy tap-in for Tim Brown. Barbarousses had been in sensational form. His first starting appearance for the Phoenix saw plenty of chances, with Ben Kennedy forced into another couple of acrobatic saves late in the first half. And ten minutes after the restart, he set up Chris Greenacre, who slammed home the Phoenix’s second goal. The Jets had struggled all night, with few scoring chances and the midfield looking sluggish all night. The Phoenix, on the other hand, were full of energy and as the game progressed their confidence grew. In the dying minutes, the Phoenix got their third; with Leo Bertos sliding the ball forward, with Ben Kennedy off his line and out of position, setting up the easiest of tap-ins for Paul Ifill. With the 3-0 win, the Phoenix move into the top six; while keeping the Jets languishing at the bottom of the ladder. Wellington Phoenix 3 (T Brown 27, C Greenacre 55, P Ifill 90+1) Newcastle Jets 0. Phoenix – R Crowther, M Muscat, T Lochhead, T Brown, P Ifill, C Greenacre (T Hearfield 86), Daniel (L Bertos 76), V Lia, B Sigmund, A Durante, F Barbarousses (A Caceres 87). Sub not used – J Gould. Jets – B Kennedy, A Costanzo (J Hoffman 60), N Topor-Stanley, L Milicevic, J-H Song, M Thompson, T Elrich, J Wheelhouse, M Bridges (S Petrovski 73), K Patafta (A Abbas 55), L Haliti. Sub not used – N Young. Yellow Cards : Phoenix – V Lia 52. Jets – A Costanzo 21, J Wheelhouse 90+2. Red Cards – Nil. Referee – B Williams. Crowd – 4,115 at Westpac Stadium. |
ROUND 14 Friday 6th November Adelaide v Brisbane (8:00pm) Saturday 7th November Melbourne v Central Coast (7:00pm) Gold Coast v Sydney FC (9:00pm) Sunday 8th November Wellington v Perth (3:00pm) Newcastle v North Queensland (5:00pm) All times shown are Sydney time. |
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ROUND 15 Friday 20th November Adelaide v Gold Coast (8:00pm) Saturday 21st November Brisbane v Melbourne (7:00pm) Nth Queensland v Central Coast (9:00pm) Sunday 22nd November Newcastle v Wellington (5:00pm) Perth v Sydney (7:00pm) |