Wellington Phoenix live commentary blog

BY SCOTT PRESTON - STUFF.CO.NZ

We're coming to you live from the Ring of Fire for the Wellington Phoenix-Perth Glory A-League Semi Final, the third match of the 2009-10 playoffs.

So check back here throughout the game for commentary and comment as the Phoenix look to keep their season alive in their first A-League playoffs appearance. Drop us a question or comment via twitter at www.twitter.com/prestonjscott and we may use it.

Kick-off 5pm NZ time, 12pm for those tuning in from the Left Coast of Australia.

7.53pm: The last of the Phoenix players walk off the field as they get a standing ovation from the still-packed Yellow Fever sections.

What drama, what tension, what a heart-stopper. The Wellington Phoenix are through to the last four in the A-League.

Now the task of talking my bosses into letting me do this for the next playoff game in two weeks.

Until next time, it's goodbye from the Ring of Fire.

7.49pm:  The Phoenix do a lap of honour as U2 plays.

They will be back here at the Ring of Fire. Against the Newcastle Jets on March 6 or 7 in the second week of the A-League playoffs.

7.48pm: Adrian Caceres on the spot for the Phoenix to end it. Caceres FOR THE WIN .... IT'S IN. The Ring of Fire explodes and the Phoenix players swarm on keeper Liam Reddy as Caceres runs to the Yellow Fever section to celebrate.

7.47pm: McBreen up and extends the shootout by sending Reddy the wrong way, 3-2.

7.45pm: Reddy SAVES again for the Phoenix as Scott Bulloch misses ... now up steps Tim Brown for the Phoenix and bangs it home, it's now 3-1 Phoenix. One more save or one more goal and they're through.

7.42pm: Paul Ifill makes his, it's 1-1 ... Naum Sevulovski up now for Perth ... and Reddy SAVES. Get his left hand to the ball and parries it away. Andrew Durante puts it in, 2-1 Phoenix.

7.40pm: Shooting to the Yellow Fever goal, It's loud. Perth step up for the first shot and Steven McGarry calmly slots it.

7.37pm: And for the second A-League semifinal in a row, it's headed to a penalty shootout. This is unbelievable drama. My first penalty shootout in person. You can't script drama like this. Only live sport can deliver this.

According to Dominion Post football reporter Fred Woodcock it will likely be Paul Ifill, Tim Brown, Eugene Dadi, Adrian Caceres and Vince Lia in some order.

7.34pm: One minute time added one before a shootout.

7.31pm: Delovski is not doing himself any favours with this crowd but probably fair as he give Eugene Dadi a yellow card. The Phoenix are scrapping and doing everything they can to hold out.

7.28pm: Everybody back in the box for the Phoenix as Perth step up for a corner with six minutes remaining in the second extra period ... cleared away.

7.25pm: Much like the All Whites-Bahrain playoff, now staring down the clock like a rapidly escalating taxi fare. Wondering why it seems to be going so slow. The Phoenix and Yellow Fever just want that thing to hit 30:00 to get to a shootout.

7.22pm:  The Phoenix in desperation mode now. Almost managed a quick break-out to catch the Glory out but Paul Ifill's cross-field pass to Troy Hearfield just too far in front.

7.19pm: Big ask for the Phoenix now, down a man and down a defender after Jon McKain was sent off. Ben Sigmund now on for Chris Greenacre to shore up that defence for the second extra period. Can they do it?

7.17pm: Disaster for the Phoenix, defender Jon McKain picks up his second yellow card and WEllington are down to 10 men.

7.15pm: The crowd rises to their feet as the Phoenix have a corner with less than three minutes remaining in the first extra period. Jon McKain rises to it and gets a head to it but puts it over the bar.

7.10pm: The Phoenix miss a golden chance to take the lead when Manny Muscat found room into the box on the left and had Chris Greenacre and Eugene Dadi in the area but managed to chip his cross just over Dadi's head. They may rue that sequence.

7.07pm: Perth open the first extra period with the better period of attack, forcing some nice defensive work from Andrew Durante and Manny Muscat.

7.04pm: And we're into extra-time. This crowd doesn't know whether to cheers or whether to clasp their hands and bounce up and down nervously. There tightly wound and then there's still crowd right now.

7.02pm: Do the Wellington Phoenix have a goal in them? Will it be Eugene Dadi or Paul Ifill or Chris Greenacre or Tim Brown? Or somebody unlikely like captain Andrew Durante or Jon McKain?

7.00pm: Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert looks nervous as he talks to his team during the break.

6.58pm: And the whistle blows. We go to extra-time. Two fifteen minute halves. Still tied, then we're headed to a shootout.

6.55pm: Ball played into the Phoenix box, Eugene Dadi competes for it and looks like a Glory handball but nothing called. The Phoenix appeal long and loud to Strebre Delovski but he's put his whistle away for much of this game, especially the last 10 minutes.

Three minutes added time.

6.53pm: Troy Hearfield makes a run to the box and is pushed off the ball. Debatable whether it was in the area, it was close. But would be a monster call to make that now.

6.52pm: A break in play for an injury Glory player, which only heightens the building tension at the Ring of Fire. We're inside five minutes now.

6.50pm: Tim Brown is running himself to a stand-still for the Phoenix, while Eugene Dadi is finding himself around the ball on every attack.

6.47pm: Both sides get shots on goal, the first to the Phoenix's Tim Brown, then Sterjovski. We could be in for a frenetic final stretch.

6.45pm: 10 minutes to play ... it's nail-biting time. I just started.

6.43pm: The crowd has just gone a little quiet. Don't get nervous now crowd. Then they flash the official crowd figure on the big board and they go nuts. Hopefully that lifts them for the last 10 minutes.

6.40pm: Who's Your Dadi, Who's Your Dadi, Who's Your Dadi' rings out in the crowd. That can only mean one thing. Yes, Eugene Dadi is on the field, replacing Tony Lochhead.

6.37pm: Perth defender Andy Todd cuts down Caceres and after a little argy-bargy amongst a few players, he is shown yellow by Delovski.

6.33pm: Ricki Herbert goes to his bench for the first time, unleashing Adrian Caceres for Leo Bertos.

6.31pm: GOAL! And it's greeted by deafly silence. Jacob Burns delivers a free-kick from just outside the box and Scott Neville finds himself all alone in the six-yard box to head home. Wellington Phoenix 1 Perth Glory 1.

Live stats earlier had Scott Neville being subbed off. But that obviously wasn't right. Either that or the Glory have 12 men on the pitch.

6.27pm: Comment from @GasheadNZ via twitter: "Glory looking more up for it in the second half. I'm getting worried!"

6.25pm: Official crowd number in - 24, 278. Once again, great job Wellington!

6.24pm: Perth go to the bench early in the second half with Scott Bulloch and Mile Sterjovski getting the green light for Scott Neville and Wayne Srhoj.

6.21pm: Troy Hearfield heads a Jamie Coyne header destined for the back of the net off the line as Perth threaten to level this game.

6.17pm: The Glory have the ball in the back of the net and the crowd groans but the goal is called back and 25,000 people simultaneously exhale.

6.16pm: Back on the field for only seconds, Bertos takes the ball and heads goal-ward, delivering to Paul Ifill, who chips a cross that the Glory clear. From the ensuing corner, the ball falls to goalscorer Greenacre, who rolls a ball to Lia for a shot, bringing out a great reflex save from Velaphi.

6.14pm: Phoenix midfielder Leo Bertos takes the ball and sprints 50m before falling/being clipped by a Glory defender and stays down. Play stops as Bertos is being treated. He appears to be in some pain but walks gingerly to the eastern side of the pitch.

6.10pm: Phoenix pace back out on the field ... second-half kick-off riiiiiiiiight. Now. Let's do this.

6.08pm: With some Wolfmother cranking from the speakers, the Glory stroll back onto the field. Just awaiting the Phoenix and then we're ready for the second 45 minutes.

6.02pm: Pre-match talk in the press box was about the finish to the Gold Coast United-Newcastle Jets match last night, with the Jets living to see another week 6-5 on penalties. That resulit means if the Phoenix win today, they will host the Jets in Wellington on March 6/7.

Former Phoenix striker and A-League golden boot Shane Smeltz looked anything but a golden boot as he mis-played a couple a great scoring chances for Gold Coast. He did step up and make the crucial fifth penalty to extend the shootout but eventually Gold Coast went out.

5.54pm: Halftime here at Westpac Stadium. Wellington Phoenix 1 Perth Glory 0. Chris Greenacre with the goal, his sixth of the season and first since before Christmas.

Can the Phoenix hold on?

5.52pm: Nearing halftime, with two minutes added time, Leo Bertos delivers a corner, which finds Paul Ifill on the edge of the box. He swivels and fires to the top right corner, forcing a great save from Velaphi.

5.48pm: Glory captain Jacob Burns cuts down Leo Bertos with an effective tackle. Vince Lia and Manny Muscat are quick to come to their team-mates aid, shoving Burns, who receives a yellow card, the second Glory player to be booked after Wayne Srhoj saw yellow earlier.

5.46pm: The Phoenix pour onto attack again, looking to go two up. Ifill sends a shot over the bar. The crowd in full voice now in anticipation of a second before the half.

5.44pm: GOAL! Chris Greenacre puts the Phoenix up 1-0 in the 35th minute.

After Perth turned the ball over in their own half, Paul Ifill provided a sweet back-heel to Manny Muscat, who delivered a sharp cross in front of Velaphi for Greenacre to knock in, bringing this big crowd to life at the Ring of Fire.

5.40pm: Perth get a free header in the box from a Scott Neville cross but send it wide. Another quality chance in front of goal for the Australian side. Phoenix defence bending but not breaking at this stage.

5.38pm: We're at the 30-minute mark of the first half and very few chances on goal as both defences shut down any attacking threats.

The Glory had the best chance fall to Scott Neville during a fragile period for the Phoenix defence. Wellington have controlled much of the game but unable to connect with their final passes into the box.

5.33pm: Phoenix striker Chris Greenacre collides with Glory keeper Tando Velaphi chasing a long-ball and hits the ground immediately. Play carries on before referee Delovski blows his whistle.

Greenacre is taken from the field with blood coming from his nose.

5.31pm: Estimating the crowd at the Ring of Fire, would have to be close to 25,000. Official number to come later. But good job Wellington.

5.29pm: The Perth Glory break-out, catching the Phoenix short at the back, with Scott Neville forcing a save out of Reece Crowther. Neville follows up just seconds later when he breaks in on goal, crushing a shot from short-range and getting a brilliant save from Crowther.

5.24pm:  An end-to-end game at this stage, with neither team forming much of a midfield. Leo Bertos just ripped a shot wide right on the Glory goal.

5.22pm: Referee Strebre Delovski is letting a lot of off- and on-the-ball contact go early in the match. The Phoenix faithful feel like they're on the wrong end of it at this point.

5.20pm: After a long clearing kick, Paul Ifill ends up with the ball and gets a weak shot on Glory keeper Tando Velaphi for the first save of the game.

5.18pm: Phoenix with a free-kick from 25m on the angle. Leo Bertos takes it and bangs it hard straight into the wall.

5.15pm:  Leo Bertos and his bright yellow boots make a nice run on the left, ball delivered by Tony Lochhead but after a delay the linesman pulls him up for offside. Looked on-side from here. Crowd agrees.

5.12pm: Phoenix defender Tim Brown clashes with a Glory player in the air and goes down. Receives a cut to the head and has to leave the field for treatment.

5.10pm: Perth Glory swing onto attack from the kick-off and earn a free-kick from 30m out. The kick is cleared by Manny Muscat for a Glory corner, which is cleared by the Phoenix.

5.08pm: Kick-off and immediately a 'Yellow Army' chant starts.

5.05pm: Crowd and players observe a moment silence for murdered ex Socceroos and Marconi Stallions legend Ian Gray.

Almost ready for kick-off. Noise starting to build from the Yellow Fever corner.

5.00pm: The Phoenix gave away thousands of yellow hand towels to fans as they walked into the ground, which will look spectacular if the Phoenix can score. They look a little too much like the Pittsburgh Steelers' Terrible Towels for my liking. No word yet if the media will be permitted to waves theirs if a goal is scored.

4.55pm:  Starting line-ups:

Wellington Phoenix: Liam Reddy, Tony Lochhead, Jon McKain, Andrew Durante, Troy Hearfield, Manny Muscat, Vince Lia, Tim Brown, Leo Bertos, Paul Ifill, Chris Greenacre. Reserves: Daniel, Adrian Caceres, Eugene Dadi, Ben Sigmund, Reece Crowther.

Perth Glory: Tando Velaphi, Daniel McBreen, Jamie Coyne, Andy Todd, Chris Coyne, Jacob Burns, Wayne Srhoj, Scott Neville, Steven McGarry, Todd Howarth, Naum Sekulovski. Reserves: Jamie Harnwell, Scott Bulloch, Adriano Pellegrino, Aleks Vrteski, Mile Sterjovski.

4.50pm: Phoenix get a massive cheers as they leave the field. Striker Eugene Dadi the last to leave as he take a few extra corner balls. The Glory walk from the field to a resounding "WHO ARE YA?" from the Yellow Fever.

Nice crowd building up now. The Phoenix were hoping for a crowd in excess of 20,000 and they should get it. The word in the press box is the 17,000 tickets were pre-sold, so the walk-up crowd should get them there. Chances this crowd will be better than the Hurricanes last night? 100 percent.

4.45pm: Glorious day for the Phoenix's first playoff game. Teams warming up on the pitch currently as the crwod streams in early.

Large amounts of Phoenix shirts and t-shirts on the walk to Westpac Stadium this afternoon. People started congregating in central Wellington from 1pm. The Backbencher and Thistle Inn were packed on the outskirts of the Stadium. Wellington has Yellow Fever.