Soccer: Phoenix are thin on the ground just one match in

Paul Ifill (left) is expected to play against the Jets tomorrow. Photo / APN

Their season is just 90 minutes old but already the Wellington Phoenix stocks are looking thin.

Midfielder Vince Lia has joined Lucas Pantelis and Mirjan Pavlovic on the long-term injury list, forcing coach Ricki Herbert to search for replacements, something he is not finding easy as most half-decent players from Australia's state leagues have already been snapped up.

Herbert's troubles don't end there. While Paul Ifill and Dani Sanchez who, with Lia, limped out of the opening round's 1-1 draw with Gold Coast United, are expected to play the Newcastle Jets tomorrow, goalkeeper Mark Paston is not.

"I don't think I'll play Mark [Paston]," said Herbert yesterday. "He has a slight rib cartilage tear and it's not worth risking him. Tony Warner will probably start. He is keen to play after his one game for us away to Melbourne Heart in pre-season."

But, without a third goalkeeper in the squad, Herbert was forced to frantically search for a backup for tomorrow's game.

Given his injury woes - Lia, like Pavlovic, is likely to be out for 8-10 weeks - Herbert is almost certain to bring in another player as an injury replacement.

"Despite these problems, we have trained well this week with what is now a small squad," said Herbert. "Obviously, we don't have the depth of other teams but it is no use moaning about that, we just have to get on with it."

New signing Alex Smith will go on to the substitutes bench with Daniel Cortes and Jimmy Downey and the backup goalkeeper allowing Herbert to make a straight swap of Nicky Ward for Lia in midfield.

The starting XI will almost certainly be Warner, Manny Muscat, Ben Sigmund, Andrew Durante, Tony Lochhead, Tim Brown, Ward, Leo Bertos, Chris Greenacre, Ifill and Sanchez.

Herbert was happy with the first-up point at Skilled Park.

"Nobody gave us a chance. I was really pleased with how we played once we got over the opening 5 or 10 minutes," said Herbert. "We scored a really good goal and could have had a couple more before halftime. After that Gold Coast came into it more and in the end a draw was probably a fair result."

Herbert picked out defenders Muscat and Sigmund as his best but was also encouraged by what Greenacre showed - and not only in scoring.

"He was certainly more mobile than he was at times last season," said Herbert of his new assistant coach-cum-striker. "I was more than happy with what he did."

Newcastle cross the Tasman as the early Hyundai A-League leader courtesy of their 3-2 home win over Melbourne Heart with Ryan Griffiths the golden boot pacesetter with two.

"They will be pretty buoyant after starting their season with a good win at home," said Herbert. "It is now up to us to show what we can do in our first game back at Westpac Stadium.

"It has been a long six months since we have played there so it will be good to get back on a ground we are familiar with and where we have had a fair degree of success."

In games between the two sides last season, the Jets won first-up 1-0 at home in a game which was not played until round 15. In the two games which followed at home, the Phoenix prevailed 4-0 and 1-0.

The Jets arrive with an impressive record after winning 11 and drawing one of their 12 pre-season matches but Branko Culina, the coach who steered them into the new season with aplomb, is no longer there after he was dramatically sacked just days before the season kicked off.

A-League
Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets
Where: Westpac Stadium
When: Tomorrow 4.30pm (live SS1)
Referee: Matt Gillett