Central Coast Mariners played spoilsport in Wellington, ruining the Phoenix’s long-awaited homecoming with a 4-0 rout in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Goals from Beni Nkololo, Jason Cummings, Moresche and Matthew Hatch secured three points at Sky Stadium, where 18,184 fans turned out for New Zealand’s first A-League Men game in 11 months.
The Mariners enjoyed ruining the crowd’s day on Easter Sunday, with Nkololo playing the pantomime villain by putting fingers in his ears after his 26th-minute opener.
The result puts Nick Montgomery’s Mariners firmly in the finals frame, leaving them eighth and two points behind sixth-placed Macarthur FC with four games to play.
Central Coast warmed into the contest and were well worth their win, with Wellington unable to conjure the same sparkle as their return home game last season, when they beat Western United 3-0.
Ufuk Talay’s Phoenix started brightest but were winded by a breakaway goal just 17 seconds after Mark Birighitti — on his 31st birthday — made the game’s best save.
David Ball — who spent all week in a moon boot due to ligament damage in his toe — won the ball back in midfield and raced forward, drawing the fine save from Birighitti.
The Mariners surged forward down the left flank, with Nkololo running onto a throughball from Nicolai Muller and striking home at the far post.
After 62 minutes, Cummings made it two, reacting quickest when Moresche’s header hit the crossbar, arriving to head home.
Three minutes later, Brazilian Moresche joined his fellow forward on the scoresheet, half-volleying a cross from Kiwi Storm Roux to seal the points.
Central Coast rang the changes, and substitute Hatch netted in the 96th minute to seal their fine day out.
Wellington’s loss keeps them fifth, though with the league’s second worst goal difference of -14.
They have a second chance for a home win next week when they host Western Sydney Wanderers at Auckland’s Eden Park, with another big crowd expected.
