Soccer: Phoenix re-sign Alex Smith

Alexander Smith of the Phoenix heads the ball during the round 15 A-League match between Gold Coast United and the Wellington Phoenix at Skilled Park on January 15 in Gold Coast, Australia. Photo / Getty

Wellington Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert believes the retention of Alex Smith will provide depth in the midfield for the club and represents stability in the ranks.

The American signed a new contract this week that will keep him at the club until the end of the season after his injury-replacement deal expired on Monday.

His re-signing fills the club's import quota to five, but more importantly for the Wellingtonians, gives them variety in the centre of the midfield to complement Vince Lia and Tim Brown.

Smith logged a solid 82 minutes in place of the injured Lia in Sunday's last-gasp 1-0 win over Gold Coast United at Skilled Park.

"He's going to stay with us until the balance of the year, depending on how long that may or may not be," Herbert said of Smith.

"But, yeah, we are really pleased. I think he's done a good job and we've decided to stay with the stability side of things so we are delighted to have him.

"I think he's been good. I think the other night, just his passing range and stuff - he's been good, so yeah, there are options for us and I think that's also another strong part of the reason we have elected to keep him on board."

Smith's best performance of the season came in last month's 3-1 loss to the Melbourne Victory when he stood out in a beaten side and added the Wellington outfit's only goal with a well-taken finish.

The 26-year-old is somewhat of a footballing nomad having spent a year with FC Dallas in Major League Soccer in the United States in 2005-2006, then, after giving away the game for a few seasons, re-emerging for Fraser Park in the NSW Super League in Australia in 2010.

He was contracted to Gold Coast United at the beginning of this season, but when he was hobbled by an ankle injury, the Glitter Strip club bought out his contract and waved him off in to the sunset.

United goalkeeper Glen Moss recommended him to Herbert and he was given the opportunity to trial and after being signed originally in October, the rest - as they say - is history.

Smith is likely to continue his Phoenix career with another start against the Newcastle Jets at Ausgrid Stadium on Friday as Wellington look to build on the momentum of their first away win of the season following the victory over Gold Coast.

Herbert said the squad was on a high following the win, which was secured with Brown's 88th-minute header, heading into the encounter with the ninth-placed Newcastle.

"It's been a good few days and I think it's a hard slog when you're not getting the points away from home for so long and it's just a breath of fresh air. But we've got to keep going, it's only one, we've got to make sure can keep building on that."

With a strong hold on fourth, the Phoenix are pushing the Melbourne Heart for third place on the A-League ladder. If they can finish inside the top four they will have the opportunity to host a playoff game at Westpac Stadium in April.