Soccer: Phoenix clinch A-League playoff berth

Chris Greenacre (C) of the Phoenix celebrates his goal with team mates Dylan Macallister and Marco Rojas. Photo / Getty Images

The Wellington Phoenix secured their second A-League soccer play-off berth with a 3-1 win over North Queensland Fury at Westpac Stadium today.

The Phoenix needed at least one point from the final round-robin match to lock up the sixth qualifying spot in the finals series and didn't waste any time in making their intentions clear with two goals in the opening 11 minutes.

Given that Wellington have lost two of their last 34 matches at home, and that Queensland are mired at the bottom of the table, the result should have been clear cut.

And although they secured the necessary points with relative ease in the end, there were a few worrying moments along the way.

Chris Greenacre gave the Phoenix the perfect start seven minutes into the first half, timing his run to lock onto a well-weighted Marco Rojas through ball.

The off-side trap sprung, all Greenacre needed was a calm finish, which he executed with deceptive ease in slotting the ball past Fury keeper Sebastian Usai.

Target-man Dylan Macallister made it 2-0 four minutes later, as the Fury defence were again caught flat-footed and Macallister maintained composure to chip an on-rushing Usai for the Phoenix's second.

Although the Fury managed to regroup and reorganise their leaky midfield defence, the Phoenix looked in control with Macallister continuing his recent good run of form up front, Greenacre tucked in behind and Rojas and Nicky Ward ranging out wide.

The Phoenix defence was boosted by the return of Ben Sigmund and Manny Muscat, under two-match suspensions after clocking up eight yellow cards, although they still missed the cool head of captain Andrew Durante at the back.

Up 2-0 at halftime, the Phoenix were perhaps guilty of easing off as the second half progressed and were punished in the 66th minute when central defender Brett Studman pulled one back to sow a tiny seed of doubt.

However, the visitors never really threatened again, as the Phoenix controlled the final 25 minutes.

Phoenix keeper Danny Vukovic made an unlikely late addition to the score sheet in the 94th minute, after Studman was redcarded for holding back Mirjan Pavlovic as he looked certain to score.

Vukovic's penalty was fair reward for a superb season, and he drilled the ball high and to the left of Usai to complete the win.

Wellington Phoenix 3 (Chris Greenacre, Dylan Macallister, Danny Vukovic) North Queensland Fury 1 (Brett Studman). Halftime: 2-0.

- NZPA