“They are flying, haven’t conceded a goal, top of the table. What a brilliant time to go up there and give them their first defeat – we have got nothing to lose.
“It’s just a fantastic challenge. You always want to play the best team ... they are top of the table at the moment. We believe we are the best team in the league so we want to go and knock them off their perch. Daunted? Not at all.”
Saturday will be an interesting scenario for Payne, a born-and-bred Aucklander. He attended Sacred Heart College and later played for both Auckland City FC and Waitakere United, before a three-season spell with Eastern Suburbs, when he returned to this country after a stint in England.
The 30-year-old knows what it means to have a professional team here but is adamant there are no mixed emotions.
“It’s fantastic for New Zealand football as a whole and brilliant that Auckland has a team and they are doing so well,” said Payne.
“But the Phoenix gave me that chance back into professional football. I’ve been here five years, truly immersed down here and I want to get the result for them.”
Last month’s derby was noticeable for the intensity of feeling and the physicality, with players flying into challenges, especially in the first half. It felt like there was a genuine dislike between the two squads.
“There is a potential for it to go that way,” agreed Payne. “The fans and the clubs themselves have very much tried to instigate that.
“I definitely felt that edge, felt like it meant more. [But] those are the games you want to be part of ... I loved every minute.
“There were a few great tackles going in and the referee did well to let most of it go, which adds to the game itself. So – bring it on. If a few tackles go in a little bit stronger than normal then so be it, it’s all a good challenge.”
Payne has friends in the Auckland side – with plenty of Kiwis and All Whites spread across both squads – but those relationships, some of which go back many years, will be irrelevant on Saturday.
“It’s a thing called the white line,” explained Payne. “You walk across that and everything gets forgotten. You are going out there to play football, worrying about what you can control, how you can influence the game.
“There is no thought about friendships or anything when you go across that line.”
The Phoenix won’t lack motivation after the 2-0 reverse suffered last time. It was a great occasion for the sport but Wellington struggled to assert themselves, especially by the standards set last season.
“We let ourselves down a bit,” admitted Payne. “We didn’t really play how we would have liked to have played. Maybe we were a little bit safe, maybe the derby atmosphere and everything got inside into our heads a little bit.”
Since then they have rebounded, with an eye-catching 3-0 victory on the Central Coast and a classic smash-and-grab 1-0 win against Melbourne Victory in Sydney.
“There is a lot more to come from our squad,” said Payne. “There’s been spells but we haven’t played anywhere near our potential for 90 minutes.”
Payne, who is one of the team’s key leaders, is confident he will be back on Saturday, after missing the previous two games with a glute injury sustained on All Whites duty.
“Hopefully I’m in contention,” said Payne. “There are one or two boxes to tick but I’m close to being back to 100%.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
