Wellington coach Ricki Herbert believes his side deserved to get something out of its 2-0 loss to the Glory on Sunday.
However Herbert admitted some crucial errors had proved costly for the Phoenix as Perth’s Nikita Rukavytsya scored on either side of the break, the result consigning Wellington to the bottom of the Hyundai A-League table.
Herbert said his side had controlled the possession and tempo of the contest for a good proportion of the match, but felt the lack of a killer pass to experienced strikers Shane Smeltz and Vaughan Coveny ultimately cost his side as it lost its second clash in Perth this season.
“I think we had a decent share of the game today,” said Herbert. “(We) had a lot of possession but certainly nothing in that front third that we could draw on.”
“It was disappointing for I think they (Perth) offered nothing really at the start.”
“We had a good start … and then to give away a silly goal.”
“We were probably up for it today and we made a couple of poor decisions and it’s cost us,” he said.
Herbert’s opinion was shared by Phoenix forward Leo Bertos, a former Glory player, who was among Wellington’s best as he attempted to take his side forward.
“That final pass, that final cross, them decisions, do I take a shot, or not, we ended up losing it, we didn’t kill the play and finish the move off,” Bertos said.
“And I think both their goals came from that bit of decision making and it cost us. At this level you got to finish your moves off and get back to the team formation and regroup and get ready for the next phase (to defend),” he said.
However despite finishing the round in last position on the Hyundai A-League standings, Herbert was optimistic the result could spur his side on, especially as the club’s last loss to Perth inspired the Phoenix to big wins over Sydney and Central Coast.
“If you can put three or four (good results) back to back, then you’re going to keep yourself in the mix,” Herbert said.
“Nobody’s really been able to establish that I don’t think for a long period in the League this year.”
“But you’ve got to get that little run going. I think we put three together and when you put four or five together, you’re right there again, but we’ve got a little bit of work to do as expected.”
