Wellington 1
Central Coast 0
KEY POINTS:
One Karl Dodd goal, scored from their only corner of the match, earned the Wellington Phoenix a gritty 1-0 win over the Central Coast Mariners in testing conditions in Gosford yesterday.
Dodd's goal, his first in 37 league outings, came 51 minutes into the game at Bluetongue Stadium. It stunned the 9000 who turned up to watch the home side go down to Ricki Herbert's team for the first time.
It was another battling effort from the visitors who, for the third time in their short history, have gone three matches unbeaten but without yet being able to win two in a row. That chance will come at home on Sunday when they play Queensland Roar, who have to bounce back from a 1-0 home loss to Adelaide. With Newcastle upsetting Melbourne 1-0, the Phoenix walked away from yesterday's game still in seventh place but now just a point behind the Mariners, who hold fourth on goal difference from Newcastle.
The Mariners made the early play against the largely unchanged Phoenix but fluffed early chances for Adrian Caceres, Matt Simon, Mile Jedinak and John Hutchinson. Vaughan Coveny had the early chance for the Phoenix but returning goalkeeper Danny Vukovic was untroubled in palming clear.
The half chances continued at both ends but the Phoenix again gave up too much turnover ball to ever have the home side under constant pressure.
Too often overlapping left back Tony Lochhead was left stranded with a preference to play through the centre of midfield, giving the Mariners' defence an armchair ride.
That lack of width was frustrating for the wide players.
The early minutes of the second half were more of the same with possession surrendered in midfield, handing break-away opportunities to the Mariners.
Again, though, a solid defensive effort led by Dodd and captain Andrew Durante, and well supported by Lochhead and right back Ben Sigmund, denied the home team attackers.
In goal Mark Paston was rarely threatened.
The breakthrough came when Shane Smeltz carved through but had his shot deflected by the hand of Vukovic for a corner.
From the left Leilei Gao, who, if he stopped showboating and gave 100 per cent would be more value to the Phoenix, fired his corner kick towards the near post. Charging to the six-yard line, Dodd deftly deflected his header away from Vukovic and inside the unprotected far post.
As the sapping conditions took their toll, the Phoenix dropped back and defended manfully against the Coasters, who had a far greater share of possession but lacked the clinical finish needed to claw back a point.
It was not pretty but another gutsy performance from a team now in sight of the top four.
They have deservedly become a feared opponent.
