Wellington Phoenix winded by bad call

WARWICK SMITH/ Manawatu Standard

WHO'S GOT HIM?: Wellington Phoenix players, from left, Andrew Durante and Tony Lochhead surround Sydney FC striker Chris Payne at FMG Stadium on Saturday night.

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Wellington Phoenix captain Andrew Durante said it didn't decide the game but Sydney FC skipper Steve Corica said it controlled the match.

They were talking about the wind in Palmerston North on Saturday night which consisted of strong swirling gusts that wreaked havoc with throw-ins, passes and shots.

For the record, Sydney FC beat the Phoenix 1-0 at FMG Stadium in the round-18 A-League clash after a dodgy penalty call saw Corica hammer the ball past goalie Reece Crowther in the 16th minute.

Durante, who played after missing training all week with the flu, said Manawatu's conditions didn't help proceedings.

"It definitely didn't decide the match," he reflected, referring to the wind. "But it was difficult conditions to play with judging the ball and even passes really. They were going too long or short ... I don't think it [the wind] played a part but it was difficult out there."

Corica, who marked 200 games in Australian soccer leagues with a win and a goal on Saturday, said the wind was hard to read.

"It was very difficult to play actually, very difficult," he said. "It was just a swirling wind. It was very hard to get the ball down and play football so it probably wasn't the best of games to watch."

Referee Michael Hester didn't help the spectacle either as he dished out bookings as though they were Christmas cards.

Six yellow cards and a red were shown; Sydney FC defender Simon Colosimo was the unlucky recipient of the red for a challenge on Vince Lia and while there were studs up, it was hardly malicious.

Then there was the penalty, which sadly decided the game. Sydney striker Alex Brosque had broken free and Phoenix defender Jon McKain was judged to have pulled him down. Brosque would have been more likely to be blown over by the wind than go down under the minimal attention he received from McKain.

The Phoenix, though, were their own worst enemies and had a string of chances to equalise or even snatch an unlikely win in the second half.

Midfielder Tim Brown had a shot in the first half cleared off the line after he couldn't get the power required with Sydney FC keeper Clint Bolton nowhere to be seen.

Brown also put two headers over the bar and a volley into row Z in the second spell as the Phoenix pressed forward to give the travelling Yellow Fever fans something to crow about.

The crowd of 6494 was a reasonable size but fewer than the 10,000 officials had hoped for.

They saw Paul Ifill and Lia have first-half efforts on goal smartly saved by the impressive Bolton.

Phoenix stand-in keeper Crowther also showed why the club plucked him from English club Queens Park Rangers with the young stopper making some fine saves.

For the Phoenix wide players, Daniel and Leo Bertos threatened but they sorely missed injured striker Chris Greenacre as Ifill struggled to play as a lone striker.

Sydney FC's marquee player John Aloisi was a late scratching as he picked up a calf injury in the final minutes of the warmup.

But Chris Payne slotted in and gave good support to Brosque who was the most dangerous attacking player on the park.

- © Fairfax NZ News