Spread the Fever this Friday and help get Wellington back to winning ways at Westpac!
Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners
Friday 4th November, 7.30pm
Spread the Fever this Friday and help get Wellington back to winning ways at Westpac!
Fever Zone, it’s time to turn Westpac into a fortress once more. After last week’s disappointing loss to Melbourne Victory, Phoenix need to bounce back straight away, and have the opportunity to do so with their second consecutive home match. So get a ticket today and get ready to make Westpac a cauldron of noise for the visit of Central Coast Mariners.
Defeat to Victory was tough to swallow, especially considering the visitors hadn’t previously won this season, but the two-goal and one man deficit Wellington found themselves facing was too high a mountain to climb and, despite a goal from Dani Sanchez and a late onslaught, they came away on the end of a surprise home loss.
The performance in general though, showed signs that, with a little more luck, they can turn things around this weekend. They dominated at times and attacked strongly, especially down the left, while the battling qualities they showed when hunting for an equaliser can leave nobody in any doubt as to their passion and commitment to the cause.
It was hard to believe that they were a man down as they forced Victory onto the back foot in the closing stages.
With Paul Ifill still in the treatment room, Wellington will also be without Ben Sigmund for the visit of Mariners, after his red card which led to the decisive Victory penalty. But then, Ricki Herbert must be growing accustomed to such selection headaches by now.
Central Coast Mariners hop over the ditch with a new-found spring in their step having picked up their first win of the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season with a thrilling comeback against Perth Glory, who previously held a 100 percent record.
Teenage striker Bernie Ibini-Isei was the hero at Bluetongue Stadium last Saturday, grabbing the winner on the stroke of half-time after Matt Simon had equalised Travis Dodd’s early header.
At the other end, the Mariners’ back-line performed excellently in the second-half to repel Glory’s many attacks and maintain the slender advantage. With three points being jubilantly celebrated by the Yellow Army, they will see the fine win as a springboard for their team to push on up the ladder.
Graham Arnold will be looking for his players to keep the momentum going with a similarly fine performance this Friday.
Of their twelve previous meetings, honours are dead even, with both sides recording five wins and two games ending all-square. Mariners don’t have a bad record in Wellington, having only lost three of their seven games there.
However, The Fever Zone will be sure to remind the Yellow Army that their last visit ended in a 2-0 loss, with Leo Bertos and Paul Ifill doing the damage.
It’s set to be a fantastic Friday night as Wellington and Central Coast go to-toe-to. Both sides will be looking at this game as an opportunity to push on up the ladder, but which will emerge victorious?
One thing is certain, there will be no shortage of commitment and passion on the pitch, but the question is, can you match it in the stands?
Pull on your colours and ready your singing voices. Let’s kick off Week 5 of the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season with a cracker. Be a part of the drama!
