Striker Paul Ifill is touch and go to be fit for the Wellington Phoenix’s Hyundai A-league match against the Victory in Melbourne on Sunday.
Wellington striker Paul Ifill is touch and go to be fit for the Phoenix’s Hyundai A-league match against the Victory in Melbourne on Sunday.
Ifill was subbed late in the game during the Phoenix’s 2-0 win over Brisbane at Dunedin Stadium on Wednesday night with what appeared to be a groin problem.
But it was not before he had scored his 22nd goal for the club, beating the record held previously by Shane Smeltz, and laid on the second goal, for Nicholas Ward.
“He’s touch and go,” coach Ricki Herbert acknowledged. “It was good to get the three points in the bag tonight, If he doesn’t play in Melbourne, we’ll have to deal with that.
“It would have been tough if we hadn’t got the points tonight. Hopefully he’ll be OK.”
Herbert said that Dani Sanchez, who was a late withdrawal with an adductor strain, should be available to play in Melbourne.
The Phoenix have now moved to equal third place with 15 points and Herbert lavished praise on his players.
“The players were outstanding, top drawer,” he said. “They worked really hard and I thought we got it right.
“We were very effective at what we did and Paul [Ifill] up front gave us that little outlet of pace. They [Brisbane] were vulnerable a number of times.
“I thought it was a very disciplined, professional performance against a very good side. It’s a good benchmark for us.
“We dug deep. Brisbane had a number of chances they could have taken. We counted on our ability to get the ball wide and get in behind them.
“Brisbane were the best team in the league by a mile last year, they had a good stretch this season, and now they’ve probably got one or two things to deal with.”
Herbert said the nil was almost as pleasing as the two in the scoreline and he praised the back four.
“It’s an example of discipline and determination. We’ve got six games now and only lost once. There has been a lot of resilience and character shown.”
Herbert said the priority now was to recover well and get something out of the game in Melbourne.
“They will be desperate and it will be another tough game,” he said.
