Soccer: Brockie happy to be in the goals

Jeremy Brockie, centre, is congratulated on scoring a goal by teammates Stein Huysegems and Tony Lochhead. Photo / AP

Whether it's scoring screamers, using his head or relying on goalkeeping howlers, Jeremy Brockie can't stop finding the back of the net for the Wellington Phoenix.

The 25-year-old has banged home six goals in five games after going goal-less for the first four rounds of the A-League season.

It seems to be feast or famine for the All White, who netted 17 times in the pre-season.

Brockie has played for nearly 10 clubs at senior level, including five in the A-League, but has finally found a home in Wellington after arriving from the Newcastle Jets on a three-year contract.

"From day one when I walked into the club it felt like I had been there for a couple of years," Brockie said.

"There's a good bunch of boys here and my wife's settled well off the pitch with the other players' wives and girlfriends and we are just really happy here and looking forward to the rest of the season and the next two years."

Brockie's goal-scoring feats have sparked the Phoenix in to life in recent weeks and his speculative cross that was helped on its way into the goal by the wind as Ante Covic lost his footing gave the Wellingtonians a vital 1-0 win against the Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend.

The jury is out on Brockie's best position given he has been deployed all over the park at club and international level but he said his place in a front three for the Phoenix with Stein Huysegems and Paul Ifill suited him.

"Between Stein, Iffie and myself we can all sort of play wide out and we can all play up front."

As for his form in front of goal - he's second in the golden boot standings, one behind Central Coast's Daniel McBreen - Brockie said he just needed to open the floodgates.

"I think it was just a matter of trying to get that first one out of the way and obviously it didn't come for the first couple of rounds and after the pre-season everyone was talking about how I'd probably carry it in to the season. But I made it quite clear that the pre-season goals wouldn't count for a lot if I couldn't drag it in to the season so I just kept the belief and didn't get too frustrated and knew if I could get that first one hopefully they'd flow."

Brockie's next chance to add to his goal tally will come tomorrow when then Phoenix host Sydney FC at Westpac Stadium.

Sydney is one of Brockie's many former clubs and he'd dearly love to score again this weekend against the Sky Blues who are without marquee signing Alessandro Del Piero who has been withdrawn due to a hamstring injury.

The Phoenix have their own injury concerns with Ben Sigmund nursing a groin complaint and Louis Fenton battling an ankle niggle.

Both were rated "50/50" chances to be fit for the game by coach Ricki Herbert at Phoenix training yesterday and a final decision was to be made today.

If Sigmund was ruled out Michael Boxall would be called upon to start in the heart of defence with skipper Andrew Durante, while Dani Sanchez would come on to the bench in place of Fenton.