Football: Merrick needs to reshuffle attacking third

Roy Krishna of the Phoenix. Photo / Getty.

Wellington Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick will have to revamp his in-form front three this week.

With Roy Krishna (hamstring) and Nathan Burns (international duty) unavailable for the away trip to Adelaide on Wednesday, Merrick will call upon some seldom-used bodies to join Michael McGlinchey in the side's attacking trio.

The departing Jeremy Brockie, Costa Rican international Kenny Cunningham and All White Tyler Boyd will all be vying for a starting spot against Adelaide in South Australia.
"I think we've got enough firepower up front and they're just desperate to get a run," Merrick said.

Krishna, who has scored five goals in his past six games, suffered a minor hamstring tear during last night's 1-0 victory over the Western Sydney Wanderers at Westpac Stadium.

The injury could also put the Fijian international out of Sunday's home encounter against the Brisbane Roar, a game that Burns, the A-League's leading scorer, will definitely miss as the Socceroos continue their build-up for the Asian Cup.

After the game with Brisbane the Phoenix have a three-week break as the A-League goes on hold due to the Asian Cup, so Merrick may risk Krishna if he was to recover well during the next few days.

The main talking point from last night's encounter with the Wanderers was Krishna's goal, which gave Wellington the lead in the 14th minute and ultimately decided the game.

Referee Peter O'Leary deemed that Wanderers defender Daniel Alessi flicked the heels of Krishna which caused him to tumble over in the box. Krishna had his penalty attempt saved by Ante Covic but he hammered the rebound home.

"He clipped his heels, which pushed his leg on to his other leg, which tripped him; it was no doubt a penalty," Merrick said.

Wanderers manager Tony Popovic had another view.

"No-one can tell me that that was a penalty," he said. "But the referee gave it and we moved on and I think you saw the reaction of the players was excellent. It's a real kick in the guts that one, to concede that penalty in that manner, but for the rest of the half they did very well and in the second half they kept pushing and created opportunities and in the end we walked away with nothing."

Despite the decision not being clear-cut, Popovic was more concerned that his winless side were unable to convert any of the chances they created during the game as they remained rooted to the foot of the ladder.

"We are not blaming the call on the result."

The result left the Phoenix in fourth place on the A-League table and they have a five-point buffer over the fifth-placed Sydney FC, while they're only one point behind Adelaide.

Wellington midfielder Alex Rodriguez missed last night's game with a broken hand that he suffered at training during the weekend but he should be available to meet Adelaide and will likely play with a soft cast on his hand. Suspended defender Manny Muscat will also return at the expense of Tom Doyle or Louis Fenton.

Meanwhile, Popovic has been linked with the vacant manager's position at English Premier League side Crystal Palace but he didn't want to discuss if there was any substance to the rumours.

"I'm not here to speak about any speculation," Popovic said. "If you've got questions on the game I'm more than happy to answer them."

Wellington Phoenix 1 (Roy Krishna 14) Western Sydney Wanderers 0 halftime: 1-0