KEY POINTS:
Ricki Herbert is quick to point out that for the first time in A-League history a New Zealand team will not end the season with the wooden spoon.
Sunday's 3-0 home win over the defending champion Newcastle Jets guaranteed the Wellington Phoenix will, no matter what, not finish last.
For the first two league seasons the New Zealand Knights finished last. In year one they took just one win and three draws in accumulating six miserable points, finishing 20 behind seventh-placed Melbourne.
The following season (2006-07) the Knights had five wins and four draws (19 points) but still finished last - a point behind Perth.
Last season the Phoenix also managed five wins (and five draws) for 20 points, again finishing last (on goal difference) behind Perth.
But with the Jets now 10 points adrift of the Phoenix with three games to play, Gary van Egmond's Newcastle cannot close the gap and trail seventh-placed Perth Glory by four points and Sydney FC, in sixth, by five.
While Herbert still chases a place in the top four - the Phoenix now sit a point outside the play-offs - he admits anything could happen in the remaining rounds.
He is hoping leaders Adelaide United continue winning, thus keeping Melbourne Victory, Central Coast Mariners and Queensland Roar within their sights.
Realistically, third might be the best Herbert can hope for but even that will need the Phoenix to probably win two of their three remaining games.
In a key catch-up game tonight, Melbourne are at home to Adelaide with both teams coming off weekend wins.
Adelaide scored late goals in each half to beat now-doomed Sydney FC 2-0 while Melbourne scored in the 56th and 68th minutes to lead Queensland 2-0 in front of 23,447 fans at the Telstra Dome before winning 2-1.
Sydney's loss also cost them young fullback Matt Jurman, who was sent off deep into stoppage time for a second yellow card. He will miss Sunday's home game against the Phoenix.
Adelaide face a testing week. They have to back up from tonight's game with a home clash with the Jets on Friday.
In other weekend action, Central Coast (in third place) play fourth-placed Queensland on Saturday and Perth are at home to Melbourne in Sunday's late game.
With his double-strike against the Jets, Phoenix striker Shane Smeltz took his tally to 12 - three goals clear of Danny Allsopp (Melbourne) and Matt Simon (Central Coast) with Perth's Eugene Dadi and Nikita Rukavytsya equal fourth on eight in the race for the golden boot.
Smeltz needs just one more goal to claim the regular season record and three to equal Archie Thompson's record of 15 for a season (including play-offs).
