KEY POINTS:
The Wellington Phoenix face testing times ahead as they go on the road for four of their next five A-League soccer matches.
After ending Sydney FC's unbeaten record with a morale boosting win in the sixth round on Sunday, Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert says keeping their eyes on the big picture will be important.
The 2-1 upset of Sydney with goals from Shane Smeltz and Tim Brown was just their first win of the season after two draws and three losses.
It lifted them off the bottom of the table into seventh place with five points.
" There's still a lot of work to be done. We start again this week with our focus on Newcastle," Herbert said.
" We've got four out of five games away now, so we've got some travelling to do.
"The most important thing is to get back on the training pitch and keep working hard. We've got 15 games to go and it's very much step by step at this stage."
After Newcastle, the Phoenix are away to the Central Coast Mariners, home to the Queensland Roar, away to Perth and away to Sydney and then home to Newcastle.
The Phoenix were missing key personnel against Sydney, including keeper Glen Moss, right wing Leo Bertos, skipper Andrew Durante and centreback Jon McKain.
Herbert said some late changes were a test of his squad's depth but he was thrilled by the way the team responded.
"I think it's sent a clear message right throughout the squad that there's depth there and people can step up."
- NZPA
