Ben Sigmund knows he has a challenge on his hands this Friday night trying to contain his New Zealand team-mate and ex-Wellington Phoenix striker Shane Smeltz.
Smeltz, who won last season’s golden boot award, made the switch to expansion Hyundai A-League side Gold Coast for this season and has continued where he left off in Wellington, scoring nine goals already for his new team.
After Friday’s match, Sigmund and Smeltz will be heading for Bahrain for the All Whites’ World Cup qualifier play-off but until then it is business as usual for the Phoenix defender as his side searches for just its second win of the season.
“It will be interesting. It will be exciting,” Sigmund said of locking horns with Smeltz.
“I’ll hopefully leave the emotion out of it because we’ve got to make sure we focus on what we’re there to do.”
“Smeltzy is a good dude and I’m sure we will be kicking each other nice and hard and make it a bit exciting.”
As for containing the season’s leading scorer so far, Sigmund believes getting the basics right will go a long way towards keeping Smeltz, who returns from a one-game suspension, off the score sheet.
“We’ve got to be organised at the back. We’ve just got to be strong. We’ve got to do what we did against Central Coast and put our bodies on the line, be strong and mentally switched on for the whole 90 ,” he said.
Wellington heads into the match at Skilled Park in need of three points after four consecutive draws, three of which the Phoenix could have won had it converted its chances.
Striker Chris Greenacre remains upbeat about turning things around.
“We’re only six points from being right in the mix. We just need to keep plugging away and doing what we’re doing,” he said.
“The back four have been fantastic for us. They’ve kept a great clean sheet [against Central Coast and that will give them a lot of confidence.”
“I think we’ve had a little bit of bad luck along the way but that’s football so hopefully that will turn around and we can make it a little bit easier for the defenders. If we can finish our chances it takes a little bit of pressure off them.”
