Wellington Phoenix
talisman Paul Ifill will return to the squad for tomorrow�s Hyundai A-League
game against Sydney FC at Westpac Stadium but whether he will be in the starting
line up is still undecided.
Ifill, who has been
out of action with a groin injury, came through training this morning but coach
Ricki Herbert said he was still unsure whether the striker will be on the field
or the bench come kick off time.
�Paul feels okay at
the moment but I will wait and see how he is tomorrow,� Herbert
said.
�We are only halfway
through the season so we will be erring on the side of caution so far as Paul is
concerned.
�He is an important
player for us and I won�t be taking any
risks.�
With another home
game, against Perth Glory, coming up on Sunday Ifill said he was keen to play a
good part in both games, whether starting or coming off the
bench.
�I�d probably be
happier coming off the bench, but if Ricki decides to start me then that is fine
by me,� he said.
�I�m just glad to be
back in the mix because it was disappointing to get a recurrence of the injury
when I was going well
�The boys have been
doing okay without me but not being a part of it makes you feel
helpless.�
The groin problem has
been troubling Ifill for some time and his last return from the injury was
against Sydney at Westpac Stadium on November
27.
That day he scored in
a 2-1 win and also scored in the 2-0 win over Brisbane Roar in Dunedin, as well
as setting up Nicky Ward for his goal, before again succumbing to the
injury.
Ifill has missed the
last three games and can�t wait to get back into the
action.
�I would .like the
same result this time (scoring in a win over Sydney) but I will just be glad to
be part of it again,� he said.
Alex Smith, who was
left out of the squad that travelled to Adelaide last week, is reinstated at the
expense of Nicky Ward, while Jimmy Downey, on the comeback trail following a
knee operation, makes way for Ifill.
Herbert expects a
stern test for his team against a Sydney side that will be smarting after a 4-0
home loss to Melbourne Heart last week.
Another factor he is
wary of is that, in contrast to the Phoenix, Sydney�s away record is better than
its home form with only one loss on the road this season (2-1 to the Phoenix at
Westpac).
�They will be
desperate after that (the 4-0 loss) but we have to be confident at home where I
think we have only lost four games in four and a half years,� Herbert
said.
�We�ve done much
better against them at home than over there but we�ve always had some good
battles with them here.�
