THE eagerly-awaited return to Wellington of Shane Smeltz is the major feature of Sunday’s game against Gold Coast United.
Even given the slight negativity around his departure from the club, I hope he receives the warm welcome he deserves from the supporters who idolised him in Phoenix's first two seasons.
I was lucky enough to spend last weekend on the Gold Coast and watched GCU beat Perth 2-1 on Sunday. For some reason, the old adage that crowds will always turn up to watch winning teams just doesn't hold true with GCU. Successive home crowds of 4500 are astonishingly low for a side that tops the A-League and contains two of the competition's best players in Smeltz and Jason Culina.
They play attractive football, Skilled Park is a nice ground which is easily accessible through public transport and the balmy weather means you can watch the game in your shirt sleeves, something not usually possible in Wellington! The only conclusion you can draw is the club simply hasn't connected with the local community.
Perth were unlucky not to get a share of the points as they created the same number of chances as their hosts, and even had a perfectly good goal incorrectly ruled out by the assistant referee's flag. Meantime, Gold Coast's two goals were both the result of defensive errors by Perth, the second in particular a catastrophic mix-up which left two Perth players pole-axed on the ground after a mid-air collision.
Having said that, GCU are definitely a good side. Culina pulls the strings in midfield and always wants the ball. His passing game (both short and long) is excellent and he's got a terrific engine, evidenced by the fact he was still making forward runs deep into the second half. Joel Porter looks a good foil for Smeltz and I was also impressed with the composure of Michael Thwaite.
If there's a weak link in GCU's side, it could ironically be another Phoenix old-boy, centre-back Kristian Rees. He looked uncertain on Sunday, played Todd Howarth onside for Perth's goal and hauled down Branko Jelic for what many thought was a penalty. His lack of pace could well be exploited by the fleet feet of Leo Bertos in particular.
They're certainly not invincible as Phoenix showed on their visit there three weeks back when they had the better of a goal-less draw. Porter remarked in Sunday's programme that Phoenix were the stiffest defence he'd come up against this season and Durante, Sigmund and co certainly kept he and Smeltz quiet that night. If they can repeat the dose on Sunday, the defensive end will be OK; it's the other end that continues to be Phoenix's problem.
Nine goals in ten games, and just five in the last eight is not the stuff of a playoff side. Most worryingly, Chris Greenacre has now gone seven games without scoring. I don't think any Phoenix fan would dispute he's worthy of his place in the side because he works extremely hard, holds the ball up well and provides an outlet for his team-mates. But strikers need goals, not only for their side to make progress, but also for their own confidence.
Greenacre has a quiet self-assuredness gained from a successful career in England's lower leagues, but he wouldn't be human if he wasn't a little worried about his current barren spell. All strikers go through them though; even Smeltz went five games without scoring in Phoenix's first season, but then netted four in three games. Greenacre will be hoping for his dam to burst shortly too, hopefully starting on Sunday.
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