KEY POINTS:
The Wellington Phoenix are at a major crossroads in their A-League season.
A quirk of the draw means today's match at Newcastle is Wellington's second of five away games in six weeks.
It also marks the first of at least two occasions this season when they will be
without their All Whites, although coach Ricki Herbert will join the team today after yesterday's game against Fiji was called off.
"This next period is going to be pretty tough," commentator and former All White Fred de Jong said. "This will be the time they consolidate or fall off the pace."
A point in Newcastle today would be a good outcome, especially with the All Whites unavailable and Felipe (hamstring) also out.
There were fears Ross Aloisi would also be missing after facing a disciplinary hearing in Sydney on Friday. He pleaded guilty to a charge of serious foul play but his suspended one-match ban means he can play today.
The draw makes three points at home to Central Coast next weekend almost essential before targeting at least four points from a possible nine in their following three games against Adelaide, Perth and Queensland, all across the Tasman.
"If they can't achieve that, it could be a momentum killer," de Jong said.
The fact the Phoenix are still being talked of as playoff contenders a third of the way into the season is a significant step forward for a New Zealand-based professional side.
Just as their name suggests, the Phoenix have risen from the ashes of the New Zealand Knights and quickly gained momentum and credibility in what is a tough league.
The crowds from their first four home games have already eclipsed the total the Knights attracted in each of their two seasons.
In the past two years, the top-four cutoff has been 31 and 29 points from 21 games - a little under one-and-a-half points a game.
But the total needed is likely to be significantly less this season because of the competition's closeness and the fact there isn't a team like the Knights where picking up three points was virtually assured.
The Phoenix have made great strides on the back of entertaining football. Not only are they the league's top scorers, they have also conceded the most goals.
De Jong has concerns, though, about their reliance on Brazilians Daniel and Felipe for creativity and their trend of conceding goals early in matches.
The arrival of marquee signing Ahmad Elrich, expected to make his debut today, and the return to fitness of Vince Lia could be crucial in offering more variety going forward.
"I think they will be there or thereabouts," de Jong predicted. "They are good enough to hang in there but it's all about picking up points regularly."
The next five weeks will go a long way to proving whether they can. They just need to choose the right road.
