Soccer: Phoenix face demon again in Adelaide

The Phoenix meet Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium this Saturday. Photo / Getty Images

A week after their second biggest win, the Wellington Phoenix are back on the road this week fully aware that their miserable away record will again come under scrutiny.

The 5-2 win over Newcastle Jets at Westpac Stadium on Friday has been bettered only by their 6-0 romp over Gold Coast in October 2009.

Across the Tasman it is a vastly different story for New Zealand's only team in the Hyundai A-League.

In 56 games in Australia, the Phoenix have won only 10, with their best effort on New Year's Eve two years ago when they beat current league leaders Central Coast Mariners 2-0. All other victories - and there have been none this season - have been by just the odd goal.

Two years on for another December 31 game on the road, the Phoenix meet Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Under new coach John Kosmina, Adelaide kickstarted his reign with a 2-2 draw away to Sydney FC - the club Kosmina last coached before his sensational sacking.

Central Coast made light of the trans-Australia journey to beat Perth Glory 3-1 while Melbourne Heart claimed that city's bragging rights with their 3-2 win over Melbourne Victory. Those points are enough, temporarily at least, to take the Heart into second place.

The out-of-sorts Brisbane Roar met bottom-of-the-table Gold Coast United last night in the last of the 12th round games, needing at least a draw to climb back into second place.

Not surprisingly, Jets coach Gary van Egmond was smarting from his team's loss in Wellington long after they returned home.

"It wouldn't have mattered if we'd had [Barcelona maestro] Lionel Messi out there, we would have been on the wrong side of the ledger," said a frustrated van Egmond. "I thought we were extremely poor in the first half. In the second half we showed some signs of looking like the team that we can be.

"But in the first half we gifted three goals. If you do that with any side you're going to be on the wrong side of the ledger by the end of the game."

Wellington has not been a happy hunting ground for the Jets, who lost for the eighth consecutive time at Westpac Stadium, where they have scored just three goals while conceding 23.

"I don't think it was Wellington," said van Egmond. "We could have played anywhere and the result would have been the same, unfortunately."

The 10 teams face a hectic holiday schedule. On Thursday, Sydney FC are at home to Melbourne Heart, the Phoenix trip to Adelaide a day later with the remaining three 13th round games, highlighted by the Victory's away game with Brisbane Roar, on Saturday. There is a full round of five games next Wednesday, led off by the Phoenix at home to Sydney.

The teams will have another short break before a full weekend round on January 7-8 with the Phoenix at home to Perth Glory on Sunday afternoon.