Wellington will be forced to look internationally for a short-term replacement for injured goalkeeper Mark Paston.
Paston suffered badly bruised ribs after a collision with a team-mate in Friday-s 6-1 loss to Adelaide United.
X-rays have revealed no major damage but Paston is likely to miss the Phoenix-s next four games, necessitating the addition of a reserve keeper to the squad as cover.
According to regulations governing the New Zealand domestic competition, coach Ricky Herbert will have to look outside of New Zealand for a replacement.
“We need to move into the market and we can’t go locally because of domestic rulings regarding players, so we’ll need to look overseas. We’ll identify some options with a view to having someone in Wellington and training with the team later in the week,” he said.
The injury to Paston comes as a double blow for the Phoenix, who were comprehensively beaten by Adelaide after going into the match coming off three consecutive wins.
“It always seems to be a tough trip to Hindmarsh,” Herbert said.
“Friday night’s performance was particularly disappointing. We’ve looked and looked and looked at the video and it’s clear we were just a yard short all over the pitch.”
The Phoenix must now put the result behind them and focus on Saturday night’s home match against Perth Glory.
“We turn for home now with one full round to go. We’re in a good position. Some of the recent performances have been the best we’ve had since the club has been formed, so we know we can do it and that’s the belief,” Herbert said.
“The message this week is that we need to find that good form again and that everyone needs to play a part. There are seven games left now and every step we take is important.”
