Trial players Matt Thurtell and Dani Sanchez will have two more games to impress Wellington Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert after he confirmed the pair would travel to Dunedin for their pre-season fixture against Brisbane Roar.
The Phoenix will play a select Wellington XI this weekend before taking on last year’s Hyundai A-League champions in their first real pre-season hit-out at the new Forsyth Barr Stadium on August 20.
Brisbane Strikers front man, Thurtell, has been in Wellington since the end of last month.
“(Thurtell) will go all the way down to Dunedin and we’ll have a look. He’s been good. He’s fitted in well,” said Herbert.
Sanchez chose to stay in the New Zealand capital to push for a contract after his initial trial period was hampered by a thigh injury.
He has now recovered and can expect to get a minimum of 45 minutes this weekend.
“He’ll play at least half the game on Sunday. He should play at least that again down in Dunedin,” confirmed Herbert who is still searching for two goalkeepers, a striker and attacking midfielder, plus a couple of under-21 recruits to complete his roster for the upcoming season.
“We’re progressing. I would think we’re not too far away now from getting a couple of players over the line. Probably around the goalkeeping area and possibly a front player.”
Whether one of those goalkeepers will be former Liverpool stopper Dean Bouzanis is unclear. When asked if the 20-year-old Australian was still a target Herbert replied: “Er, I can’t say really at the moment.”
Herbert doesn’t expect to fill his under-21 slots until some time next month and did not seem overly enthused by what he had seen from the New Zealand under-20s during their recent Junior World Cup in Colombia.
While impressed by former Phoenix midfielder Marco Rojas and striker Tim Payne, who is going to trial at English Premiership club Blackburn Rovers, he has yet to decide if any of their Junior All Whites team-mates would fit into the Phoenix mix.
“I haven’t made any call on it,” said Herbert at the launch of the Phoenix’s new Adidas strip.
“We’ll wait and see. We’ve got two under-21 spots to go. I would suggest they won’t be filled until probably well into September.”
“I think we’ve got a keeper to sign, somebody to play up front and another attacking midfield player. That’s where the priority is. We’re pretty pleased with who we are talking to and where we’re getting to.”
