Last season’s 6-0 trouncing of Gold Coast United will not give the Phoenix a psychological edge heading into this Friday’s Hyundai A-League clash in Wellington says defender Ben Sigmund.
Gold Coast coach Miron Bleiberg labelled the heavy defeat last October as the ‘Ricki Horror Show’ in reference to his opposite number Ricki Herbert.
Yet despite it being the biggest ever win by the Phoenix, Sigmund said the team were focused purely on the future and getting their delayed 2010/11 campaign off to a positive start.
“We’ve got a good bunch of guys who are just wanting to win,” he said.”We are all pumped up. We missed the first round through a bye and now we are ready to go and we’re at home and we just want to get out there and get started.”
Starting a week later than the rest of the teams in the competition has given the Phoenix an early look at Friday’s opposition, who were outplayed for much of the goalless draw with Brisbane Roar at Skilled Park and had goalkeeper Glen Moss to thank for earning them a point in.
“I guess it’s early doors and you can’t really tell yet (what kind of form a team is in),” Sigmund said.
“If we can do what we did last year to them and keep the pressure on high up, where Vinnie (Lia) and Tim Brown have done a great job in the midfield, then it will just keep pushing them back and hopefully we can get Paul Ifill and Chris Greenacre on the score sheets again.”
Sigmund was also delighted to see his New Zealand international team-mate Moss back in good form after a torrid 12 months that saw him slip down the Melbourne Victory pecking order before making the switch to the Gold Coast.
A four game Fifa suspension also ruined his World Cup hopes with Phoenix shot-stopper Mark Paston performing the heroics against Bahrain that got New Zealand to South Africa and maintaining his No 1 spot in the republic.
“It’s good to see Mossie back. Hopefully he can carry on that form that he’s had over the years. I think he’s a fantastic keeper,” the All Whites defender said.
“With all the things that have happened over the last year or so I felt really sorry for him. I hope he can get back on a roll.”
The Phoenix are on something of roll themselves at Westpac Stadium where they have not lost in two years – a stretch that includes 19 Hyundai A-League matches plus the recent win against Boca Juniors.
“(That record) is always going to go on the line every time we’re here and that’s good pressure to have,” said coach Ricki Herbert.
“We want people to come out and get behind the side as they have done for a number of games now.”
