AS I reflect on the Phoenix season, there are matches, and moments within matches, that stand out as season-defining. So here are the seven season-defining moments of Phoenix's 2008-09 campaign.
Tim Brown's goal v Sydney
Going into this round six match, things weren't going well. The first five games of the season has yielded just two points and three goals, the most recent of which had come three games previously. Phoenix were off the back of a 1-0 loss to Perth and to make matters worse, were missing skipper Andrew Durante, who woke up ill on the morning of the game and Jon McKain who was on personal leave. Sydney, on the other hand, were unbeaten and top of the table. When Phoenix fell behind to an early Alex Brosque goal, home fans feared the worst, but Shane Smeltz drew them level just before half-time.
Tim Brown clashed heads with a Sydney player early in the second period and played the remainder of the game with his head swathed in bandages. With 15 minutes to go, the ball fell to him on the edge of the area; Brown took a touch and fired the ball towards goal. It wasn't the most sweetly struck of shots, but it eluded Clint Bolton and found its way into the net. Phoenix hung on for their first win of the season and regained some much needed confidence.
Manny Muscat's return to the side
Signed pre-season as cover for the injured Vince Lia and absent Tony Lochhead, most observers expected Manny Muscat to feature infrequently for Phoenix. After a miserable night against Melbourne which saw the visitors exploit him mercilessly in their 4-2 win in round two, it seemed he'd only reappear in an absolute emergency.
But, with Phoenix bottom of the league midway through the campaign with just two wins from ten games, Muscat was reintroduced to the side and started every one of the remaining 11 matches, of which Phoenix won five, drew two and solidified defensively. He may not have been the most fashionable of players and offered little in an attacking sense, but he was a specialist fullback and gave stability to the troublesome right-back position. With Lochhead failing to fire on many occasions this season, Manny Muscat can rightly claim to be the club's best fullback in 2008-09.
The win over Melbourne
Many consider this to be Phoenix's greatest night. The club had never beaten Melbourne, but went into this round 13 match on the back of consecutive wins and with confidence high. That confidence was shaken by a Danny Allsopp goal after 20 minutes, but Phoenix hit back straight away through Tim Brown.
With 13 minutes gone in the second period, Shane Smeltz scored a goal that will go down as the one of the greatest in the club's history, receiving a pass 40 yards from goal, jinking away from a defender and lashing a curling shot into the top corner to send Westpac Stadium collectively bonkers. It was a goal that deserved to win any football match, and it did win this one - a famous victory for Phoenix on a Friday night few fans will ever forget.
Fred comes...and goes
The announcement that Fred would join the club on a six-match guest stint was met with great excitement amongst Phoenix fans. Here was a player who could provide attacking impetus from midfield, linking with the front men, creating chances and scoring goals himself. Unfortunately the likeable Brazilian only played three matches, returning home after the death of his father in mid-December.
Fred never set Phoenix alight as he did for Melbourne during their championship-winning season, but he was obviously a very classy player who surely would have grown more potent with each game in a Phoenix shirt. Fred's radio commercials with countryman Daniel will also be long remembered.
Tando Velaphi's save from Leo Bertos
It seemed that every game in the last third of the season was dubbed a "must-win". Certainly when Perth came to Wellington in the lead-up to Christmas, it was a match Phoenix needed to emerge from with all three points if they were to keep pace with the top four. Strangely though, Phoenix were lethargic for much of the game, creating little on attack and showing a distinct lack of intensity. It was no surprise when Eugene Dadi fired Perth into the lead with 15 minutes to go, but thankfully that was the catalyst for the home side to spring to life. They equalised shortly afterwards and then laid siege to the Perth goal as if they'd only just worked out where it was.
With time running out, Leo Bertos picked up the ball outside the penalty area and unleashed a superb goal-bound shot. Just as Phoenix fans were rising from their seats in celebration of the winning goal, Tando Velaphi flung himself full length to his left and pulled off an astonishing fingertip save. If ever two points were denied by a single player, this was it. It was a result which would come back to haunt Phoenix in the final push for playoff spots.
Troy Hearfield's red card
With three regular season games remaining, Phoenix were fifth on the table and within striking distance of both Queensland and Central Coast. They travelled to Sydney to take on a side they'd beaten in both of their previous encounters, and had lost to just once in five A-League matches.
In a fairly uninspiring game, Troy Hearfield was the best player on the park, constantly buzzing around and looking to set something up for his side. Then, with 25 minutes still remaining and the sides locked at 0-0, Hearfield was goaded by Alex Brosque and inexplicably butted him in the head right in front of the referee. Inevitably, the red card was flourished in his direction, and Hearfield trudged off, leaving his now outnumbered team-mates to search for victory. To make matters worse, Kofi Danning scored a late winner for Sydney, putting a massive dent in Phoenix's eventually unsuccessful playoff aspirations. To complete his misery, Hearfield's two-match suspension spelt the end of his season.
Tim Brown misses the last match
A clumsy challenge in round twenty against Adelaide earned Tim Brown a second yellow card and an early end to his season. Up to that point, the gutsy midfielder had started fourteen consecutive matches, forming an extremely effective partnership with Jon McKain and screening the back four to great effect.
His absence from the final win-at-all-costs match in Melbourne cannot be underestimated; Tim Brown was the player Phoenix needed most against Melbourne's potent midfield. Without him, McKain struggled to contain Celeski, Pondeljak and Hernandez and as a result, Phoenix couldn't compete with the eventual Premiers. How different things might have been if the man in the #6 jersey had been available that night.
