Soccer: Phoenix taking their game to new town

Nick Ward of the Phoenix passes. Photo / Getty Images

First it was Auckland, now it's Morwell - the road-tripping Wellington Phoenix are playing at yet another new venue.

The Nix drew with Adelaide at Eden Park last month, and on Sunday take on Melbourne Heart in a tiny South Victorian town named after a woolly possum.

More than 20,000 punters showed up to watch the Phoenix in Auckland but it's unlikely such an impressive crowd figure will eventuate this weekend. Almost the entire population of Morwell will have to turn out just to fill the 12,000 seater LaTrobe City Stadium.

The town, two hours east of Melbourne, may not naturally be associated with football but the Gippsland Falcons of the old NSL called Morwell their home, with prominent old boys including Archie Thompson, Eugene Galekovic and Scott McDonald.

Phoenix skipper Andrew Durante will be making his first trip to the heart of Victoria's energy centre - the Falcons folded the year before Durante debuted for Sydney Olympic in 2001 - and hopes the change in venue will aid his team's chances against the Heart.

"It'll probably be a bit better for us that we play outside of their natural home ground, it'll probably be a bit of an advantage.

"They lost last week and now they've moved away from their home ground. It's not going to be easy but I definitely think we can pick up some points there."

If the Phoenix manage to come away with a result, it will continue a mini-resurgence for the team. After losing three straight, Wellington are now unbeaten in three, turning a club in crisis into one with renewed confidence.

Coming on the back of last-weekend's morale-boosting home win over Sydney, Durante emphasised the importance of going on a run and continuing to accrue points.

"If you don't lose in three or four games, you can turn yourself around and get up the top of the ladder," he said. "That's the beauty of this league.

"There are some teams that have struggled throughout the early stages, then they've gotten a couple wins on the trot and they're back up the other end of the table."

The Phoenix could soon be one of those teams. Just a point off the top six, a victory over the Heart could take them as high as third place in a league where only defending champions Brisbane have separated themselves from the chasing pack.

"So far, some results haven't gone our way, but I think we've played some decent football this year," Durante said. "I think if we can get some points on the road this weekend then it will have been a pretty positive start to the year."

Of course, returning home to Wellington with points in the bag is easier said than done for the Phoenix. They've picked up two in three games this year, and haven't won in Australia since February.

That's where Durante sees the Morwell factor coming into play. In an unfamiliar venue with an unknown crowd, the Heart may prove vulnerable. There will also be some support for the away side, with Manny Muscat and Vince Lia both born and raised in rural Victoria.

"It will be nice to see a good crowd. It's good for the A-League when teams go elsewhere rather than their natural home ground," Durante said. "They've been in a similar situation to us - a bit up and down. So they'll be desperate for the three points, as will we."

Influential midfielder Dani Sanchez will return for the Phoenix, taking the place of utility Alex Smith who picked up a knock in training.