Manny Muscat tries to get out of this puzzle as Jets' Samuel Gallaway (front) and Jacob Pepper try to sandwich him in. Photo / Paul Taylor
They came in droves, a sea of yellow and black rolling into McLean Park yesterday, drawing curious glances from motorists and onlookers.
The soccer spectators queued up patiently, well after the 5pm kick off to what was historically the first Wellington Phoenix A-League soccer match played in Hawke's Bay.
Chanting,
singing, dancing, waving flags and unfurling banners at the Bay's home of rugby and cricket, the 9020 Phoenix fans soaked up the balmy weather and electric atmosphere but were perhaps disappointed it was yet another stalemate for the host.
The Newcastle Jets are also still chasing an elusive victory.
"It was fantastic crowd, great venue and we were well looked after by all the people here," Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick told the media after the nil-all draw.
"I love Wellington but after two or three years there I'm coming to coach a local side here," Merrick confessed amid laughter.
"I brought my wife up as well and the boys enjoyed it [too]."
Asked if the Phoenix would come back, the Scotsman replied: "Absolutely. It was a great atmosphere.
"Honestly I expected the old country stadiums, open stands, people all the way around and cars parked all the way up the hills.
"I mean this is a quality stadium, great crowd and people love their football, waving and cheering in a sea of yellow with some of the Yellow Fever coming up from Wellington.
"In fact if it wasn't for the great support I don't think we would have come up with a draw," said the former PE teacher who didn't want to go as far as predicting the beautiful game would eclipse rugby and cricket but instead preached "co-existence among all codes".
It was deja vu as the Nix started the game in Ricki Herbert-era fashion, sitting deep and allowing the Gary van Egmond-coached coalminers to infiltrate almost at will.
"We didn't start playing until the 42nd minute," Merrick lamented but lauded centrebacks Ben Sigmund and skipper Andrew Durante for absorbing the heat.
The Phoenix did rattle the woodwork - midfielder Carlos Hernandez in the 5th minute - striker Stein Huysegems came close to breaking the deadlock with a deft header in the 42nd but the crux of the matter was Wellington's inability to convert ball fed out wide to wingers into attacking moves.
The wingers, instead of using the line to stretch the Newcastle defence, too often turned the ball back rather than threading it to the centre-mids for one-twos before curling them back from near the goal line or cornerflags into the prime real estate for goals.
The Jets should have gone 1-0 up in the 17th minute when midfielder Vince Lia fouled Andrew Hoole.
The ensuing oblique, 30m freekick from Newcastle captain Rueben Zadkovich clipped the top right-hand corner before deflecting into play.
Beaten Phoenix goalkeeper Glenn Moss than parried the deflection shot from Scott Neville.
Not done, Neville reloaded as the Yellow Fever broke into rapturous applause when Phoenix rightback Leo Bertos cleared the third attempt off the goal line to deny the visitors as Moss picked himself up from the ground.
Jets striker Adam Taggart had another chance in the 22nd minute from a gimme area of the goal box but lost control as Moss gathered.
Hernandez was guilty of making flower arrangements in the box in the 44th minute as the Jets defence nullified his attempted drive.
In the 61st minute, Durante came close to scoring when he came from behind replacement captain/defender Kew Jaliens to push the ball into the goalmouth following a Hernandez freekick but the defence prevailed.
A minute later, a cross across the face of the goalmouth gave Hernandez an attempt, albeit from an acute angle, with Jaliens covering and Zadkovich charging out, but the ensuing shot shaved past the right-hand upright to the parochial crowd's dismay after keeper Brighitti failed to intercept a cross.
Merrick brought off Huysegems in the 79th minute but it should have been done much earlier as the Belgian struggled to fit into the mould, often finding himself out of position in the first half and desperately needing to forage more.
The Scotsman said their start was a carbon copy of the away 1-1 draw against West Sydney Wanderers 1-1 the previous Sunday.
"We struggled to hold possession and kept playing almost in our back third," he said, adding the Jets kept Hernandez in check.
he felt injecting Albert Riera in the engine room made a big difference.
Pulling out Ifill, he said, was a strategic move to stoke the fire in a tepid midfield but he had learned his lesson yesterday although he didn't go as far as saying Riera would be a starter this weekend against the Melbourne Victory.
"There's no point having strikers up front when you can't get the ball through so that's why I had to bring in a midfielder."
He had also impressed at halftime even on his centrebacks to press forward.
Van Egmond said anytime they returned from New Zealand they were happy with a point but this time also felt they deserved to take three.
"We weren't playing too good ourselves so we had a point to prove," he said of the Jets who have yet to find the net.
In venturing forward, Van Egmond said, they had to ensure their defence was spot on.
The Jets are expecting ex-English Premier League striker Emile Heskey to return this weekend.