KEY POINTS:
Ricki Herbert is not happy. Far from it, in fact, after his Wellington Phoenix team tumbled to the bottom of the Hyundai A-League with that unflattering 1-0 loss to fellow strugglers Perth Glory on Sunday night.
"We had a couple of half chances that we should have done
a hell of a lot better with," said Herbert after Eugene Dadi's 79th-minute penalty earned the Glory's first points in four matches against the Phoenix. "But we didn't have the volume of opportunities we would have liked.
"We had to make a step up from last year and whether that's a league improving or we haven't been able to quite do that [step up] yet, it's disappointing that we haven't because I think that we can.
"From our point of view, I think we can match anybody in the league anywhere, home or away. But we haven't showed that in five games."
It does not get any easier.
On Sunday at home they go up against co-leaders Sydney FC who have yet to lose in five games this season and go into their sixth match after handing third-placed Adelaide United a 3-0 wake-up in front of 12,462 fans at the Sydney Football Stadium. Ahead after two minutes when Terry McFlynn scored, the home side stretched that to 2-0 before the break with Alex Brosque's goal. Brendan Santalab completed the job in the 80th minute.
After three draws in their first four games, Newcastle Jets broke through for their first win getting up 1-0 away to Queensland Roar.
The only goal of the match came less than 10 minutes from time when Joel Griffiths stunned the 12,000-plus turnout at Suncorp Stadium.
The drama came at Gosford's Bluetongue Stadium where home team Central Coast twice took the lead only to have league-leaders Melbourne Victory hit back and eventually snatch a point with just 20 seconds to play.
After Matt Simon had given the Mariners their 12th-minute lead and Archie Thompson had cancelled that out for the visitors, the Victory had goalkeeper Michael Theoklitis sent off in the 54th minute following an altercation with Mariners' striker Sasho Petrovski at a corner. Coach Ernie Merrick took off Carlos Hernandez for replacement goalkeeper Michael Langerak. Simon netted his second in the 83rd minute but just as the 9,010-strong crowd prepared to celebrate a win over the league favourites, Thompson spoiled their party with his second of the match.
