Nix v Tard-istan Fri 16th 10:00pm

"It's hard to work out how their season has gone so poorly, but we'll be very respectful and wary of their capability. We've got to be more than up for this or else we could end up going down the ladder again, so we'll be up for it, definitely."

"Certainly for two of the Hyundai A-League�s finals contenders, Wellington Phoenix and Perth Glory, theirs is a no frills menu of football that might not satisfy the aficionados but gets the job done.

And for both, the next few weeks will reveal whether they have the ingredients to match it with those at the top table.

Both clubs put in important performances on the weekend.

Ricki Herbert�s team absorbed the pressure from an ambitious but ultimately profligate Melbourne Heart outfit that is trying to shape its brand of football in a similar mould to Ange Postecoglou�s Brisbane Roar.

Heart had the daring and dash of Dugandzic and Behich as well as the guile of Fred, and for long periods of the game Phoenix looked cumbersome and exasperated, like grown men trying to herd butterflies.
They knew better though.

One of Ricki Herbert�s strengths is his belief in the value of continuity in his squad. Leo Bertos, Tim Brown, Vince Lia, Andrew Durrante, Tony Lochead, Mark Paston and Manny Muscat are completing their fourth season together as Wellington players.

They know each other�s strengths and, just as crucially, their limitations, and play accordingly.

They produced one half-chance for striker Paul Ifill and that was enough for the former Millwall, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace to grab a precious point for Wellington as they look to secure a crucial home final.

With Melbourne Victory their next appointment at AAMI Park this Friday night, another successful smash-and=grab would complete a fabulous road trip."

The days of Wellington Phoenix flying under the radar on their trips across the Tasman are long gone.

The recent away form that has helped cement their place in the Hyundai A-League playoff finals has made the Australian media sit up and take notice.

On a recent visit to Australia captain Andrew Durante was a guest on Fox Sports News and SBS channel�s The World Game, along with midfielder Alex Smith.

Today Phoenix head coach Ricki Herbert was invited to appear on ABC�s Breakfast Show where he was interviewed on the couch by the channel�s sports presenter Paul Kennedy.

With the FFA keen to, if possible, introduce a West Sydney club into next season�s Hyundai A-League as a replacement for Gold Coast United, Kennedy wanted to know how Herbert got the Phoenix up and running in such a short time frame after the New Zealand Knights went belly up.

He was also keen to know if the Phoenix coach was taking over from Neil Emblem as coach of the New Zealand under-23 team as it prepares for an Olympic Games qualifying campaign.

�Definitely not,� Herbert said, and went on to explain that should the team qualify for London he would be a technical director to the team and would work alongside Emblem.

Meanwhile five Taranaki-based Wellington Phoenix fans had a day out they won�t forget in a hurry in Melbourne today.

They spent two years raising money for the trip to Melbourne for the Phoenix games against Melbourne Heart and Melbourne Victory.

On Tuesday they bumped into Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert and he invited them to watch training the following day at Epping Stadium which is about an hour�s drive out of the city.

They were there they enjoyed watching the training in near-perfect conditions.
As the team was about to leave Herbert sprung another surprise and invited them to travel back to the city with the players.

It was autographs and photographs all round as the Phoenix players made them welcome.

To say the Taranaki lads enjoyed their day out would be an understatement.

Date: Friday 16 March, 2012
Kick-off: 8.00pm AEDT
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Head-to-head

Played 15: Wins: Victory 7, Phoenix 3, Draws: 5

Previous encounter
Melbourne Victory 3 Wellington Phoenix 1, AAMI Park, December 2011

History:
Melbourne certainly hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Wellington as the Phoenix haven't managed to crack it for a win in the Victorian capital during their Hyundai A-League history.

Indeed, Wellington only have three wins to their name against Victory and have beaten them just once since late 2008. It's certainly not a record that will sit well with Ricki Herbert, while his side will be pumped up to atone for their last performance at AAMI Park, where they were thrashed 3-1 by the Melbourne side.

Form:
Past five matches:

Melbourne Victory: WLDLL

Wellington Phoenix: LLWWD

"I've been pretty happy with my own form, apart from the first half against Heart when I had probably my worst 45 minutes of the season," SigmUnd said.

"For me, it is all about consistency and I pride myself on giving everything I have week in, week out."

Siggy