Wellington Phoenix recorded only their second away win of their 2024 campaign with a 3-1 win against Perth Glory at a windy Macedonia Park last Friday in their Round 19 Pride Round clash. In doing so they extended Glory’s winless streak at home to seven games and also reignited their push for finals football.
Goals from Alyssa Whinham (24 minutes), Michaela Robertson (56 minutes) and Macey Fraser (78 minutes) were enough to take the three points. Glory scored via a Michaela Foster own goal from a wicked inswinging Hana Lowry free kick in the 42nd minute.
Click here for video highlights of the game!
Counterattacking Football
The win by Phoenix was a master class in counter-attacking football with two of their goals being scored after Glory had lost possession whilst they were attacking.
The opening goal saw Mariana Speckmaier win possession inside the Glory half and quickly drive forward. She had support from Isabel Cox and Alyssa Whinham to create a 3v2 situation, as Glory had committed both fullbacks to forward roles in the lead-up to the loss of possession. The two central defenders were drawn to Cox when she received the ball from Spackmaier which left Whinham completely unmarked in the six-yard box. The cross was perfectly floated in and Whinham gleefully headed the ball home.
The second goal was coast to coast with Hope Breslin winning the ball inside her penalty area before feeding it to Cox on the right touchline in her half. Cox found Whinham who had broken the lines to create a 3v3 about 10 yards inside the Glory half. Her driving run towards the penalty area drew the attention of Liz Anton and Tash Rigby who failed to see Michaela Robertsons run in behind them. Whinham spotted it and rolled a perfectly weighted through ball into her path for her to tuck away. Just 17 seconds had elapsed from winning the ball to scoring the goal.
Before the third goal Glory again lost possession in their attacking third when Foster dispossessed Quinley Quezada. The ball was moved quickly to Cox who was joined in the attack by Speckmaier to create a 2v2. Cox continued her run unopposed to the penalty area before hitting a shot that Morgan Aquino had to claw away to prevent a third goal.
In his post-match comments, Perth Glory coach Alex Epakis spoke about how the turnovers hurt them.
“We just haven’t been good enough at our transition play, not just today, but I’d say for the season, (and) it’s been an area of (the game) which has hurt us. The first two goals that we conceded, we had an attacking opportunity or attacking possession and then it ended up in the back of our net and it’s not something I like, it’s part of the game that we just need to be better at.”
Phoenix coach Paul Temple couldn’t have been happier with the performance and spoke about the counterattacking press after the game.
“Yeah, it’s up there as one of our best attacking performances. We were doing that at the start of the season, attacking with that energy and bodies running forward. We’ve had a few weeks where we haven’t been able to do it, so it’s just so good to see us back to ourselves again tonight. It came from our aggressive pressing in the middle of the pitch, we were turning the ball over and it worked a treat for us.”
Glory’s Finals Hopes Hang By A Thread
The loss has seriously dented the finals hopes of Perth Glory who were sitting at the top of the table at the end of Round 4 following four consecutive wins. Since then they have only won two more games and have now gone without a win in 2024. Instead of having their destiny in their own hands they now have to rely on other results. Glory usually start their seasons slowly and finish strongly but they have bucked that trend this time. Epakis hasn’t yet ruled finals football out but recognises his team need to lift.
“I know today is deflating, but between Monday to Friday the players are up and about and there’s a lot of enthusiasm and energy. The key message for me post-game was about resilience and getting back up when things aren’t going our way, and I’m looking to lean on that with the players and the other staff.”
The odds are stacked against them with four teams pushing for the 6th spot, and just two points separating 6th-placed Newcastle Jets and 9th-placed Wellington Phoenix. Perth Glory occupy 8th spot on equal points with Western Sydney Wanderers FC in 7th and the Jets in 6th. Crucially, Western Sydney has a game in hand that could push them to 6th and three points clear of Glory if they were to win. Phoenix could also overtake Glory as they are just two points behind them after the win on Friday and also have a game in hand.
Glory’s run home sees them play Western Sydney and Brisbane Roar away from home with a final game at Macedonia Park against Melbourne City. Based on the form they have shown since the beginning of the season it’s difficult to see wins in any of those games and it would seem more likely than not that finals football will again elude them.
Alyssa Whinham With A Masterclass Display
With a goal, an assist, plus a stunning dribble and strike, Whinham was best on ground on Friday. Her close control and eye for a pass made her a constant threat and her coach was full of pride and praise for her after the game.
“She’s always been technically good,” Temple said. “(She) dribbles and has the ball close to her feet.
“But what she’s added this season is mentality, hunger, desire and physicality. She’s making tackles, she’s getting back, she’s been able to, mobility-wise, get up and down much better. I think this is just a new and better version of her. The confidence is starting to flow now.
“She’s got all the ability,” Temple added, “and she’s now starting to add the other elements that you need to be a top professional. She’s still only 20. It’s exciting,” he said.
For the 20-year-old NZ youth international the last few games have been an upward trajectory after struggling with the demands of the game, having only played around 230 minutes of A-League Football since mid-December 2022. She was handed a start for the loss against Western United in their Round 16 game and has retained her starting spot since then.
She admitted the season had been a struggle at times and spoke to stuff.co.nz about when she felt the turning point had occurred and what she needed to do to gain more playing time.
“I definitely did struggle with getting into the team, but I think Auckland (where the Phoenix first played Perth this season, winning 2-1 on November 25), was a turning point for me. I went home early. I was struggling a bit mentally and I got a group around me and was sort of at breaking point.
“I was like OK, I either just grind and work through this, or I don’t and just give up. Thankfully I chose to grind and that has really paid off. I’m putting in a lot of hard work on top of another job (working the phones for a ventilation company) so it’s been pretty hard for me.
“Your confidence does sometimes decrease when you’re not getting those minutes and that’s something I’ve really worked on. I’ve taken the feedback that Paul has given me and have just been trying to work with that and do the best I can.”
Playing In The Wind
This is the third season that Perth Glory have played their home games at Macedonia Park, and a constant issue in the first two seasons was the strength of the Fremantle Doctor. This season kick-off times have been moved to 7pm or later in an attempt to lessen heat concerns. This has meant the wind hasn’t been as much of a factor but on Friday the Doctor made a late call and winds were gusting to 50km/hr throughout the game. This made playing conditions difficult, to say the least, with the team playing against the wind struggling to make effective clearances, whilst the team with the wind had to ensure they didn’t overhit the ball.
Given they were the home team, it was hardly a surprise when Glory decided to play with the wind in the first half and were probably hoping for a goal or two advantage to take into the second half. Instead, they had to be content with a 1-1 halftime score as Lowry took advantage of the wind and whipped in a perfectly executed inswinging free kick that resulted in an own goal.
Both coaches spoke about the wind and its impact on the game afterwards.
“I think (the wind) was probably worth a couple of goals to be fair, and that third goal was a fantastic strike, but it just took so much more zip from the wind from the distance where she struck it,” said Epakis.
Temple had this to say:
“We became aware of how strong that wind was when Riley (Foster) was kicking as you could see it really holding up and almost sticking in the air.
“I wasn’t happy with the goal that we conceded but equally I thought the delivery was amazing, she used the wind to perfection and put it in the right spot, but I would have taken one all at halftime knowing that we had that (wind) in the second half, and we used it to our advantage in the second half.”
Jet Lag Was Defeated
Perth and Wellington are separated by a distance of just over 5250 km and the game between the two teams is now known as the Distance Derby for good reason. With a time difference of 5 hours between the two cities, jet lag is a real issue when these two teams meet and trying to find a way to combat it can potentially lead to an edge in the games. In round 18 Phoenix played in Melbourne on Sunday, and rather than flying home and returning to Perth they stayed in Melbourne and flew into Perth on Monday.
This not only gave them a chance to overcome jet lag and acclimatise to Perth conditions but also an opportunity to regroup after a bruising loss to Victory and Temple felt this decision was enormously beneficial.
“Coming early could change our season. I think it was a really good decision and we’re thankful to the club for meeting the costs of putting us up. We’ve had some time in Perth, adjusted to the time zone and trained in the heat. We didn’t probably need it because it wasn’t that hot tonight, but it’s been great to be here. It’s a beautiful place and we’ve enjoyed having time together.
“After Sunday we were pretty sore, and the defeat was a hard one to take. We were humiliated a little bit in the first half so to spend time together as a team was really valuable.”
