Matt Osman saw an effort pushed away by Phoenix keeper Mark Paston while Daniel rattled the crossbar for the visitors.

In truth there was little to entertain  a paltry crowd of just over 4,200. Miron Bleiberg's table-toppers rarely threatened and Shane Smeltz was kept extremely quiet against his former club.

The game endured a tepid start, with neither goalkeeper overly troubled in the opening half of the match.

Jason Culina's measured cross forced Mark Paston to punch clear with Shane Smeltz closing in, while at the other end, Wellington Phoenix striker Chris Greenacre will be disappointed that he failed to hit the target with a free header in the 13th minute.

Wellington gave United a scare just before the half hour mark when the lively Leo Bertos fired in a free-kick after Anderson had felled Paul Ifill on the edge of the box.

Jess Vanstrattan dropped quickly to parry Bertos's stinging drive, then reacted swiftly to bravely smother the loose ball at the feet of the onrushing Ifill.

Bertos was at it again moments later, shooting just wide of Vanstrattan's post after cutting in from the right flank during a good spell for the Kiwis.

United continued to probe without finding the killer pass, typified by a nice edge-of-the-box combination between Porter and Culina that was inches away from bearing fruit.

With the half-time break approaching, Matt Osman stung the palms of Paston with a left-footed drive from 18 metres, the closest United came to scoring in the opening period.

Both sides had early opportunities in the second half. First, Ifill was inches away from connecting with a fine cross from Bertos, then Culina almost benefitted from some excellent work on the left flank from Adama Traore.

On the hour, two corners in quick succession almost yielded for Wellington. Daniel hit the crossbar with a fine header, then moments later Anderson was United's saviour, clearing another Phoenix effort off the line.

Bleiberg looked to his bench for inspiration and introduced youngster James Brown for his A-League debut and Brazilian striker Milson with a quarter of the game remaining.

But the pair could not ignite the match and although both sides continued to make forays forward, chances were few and far between with a draw always the likely outcome.

In the closing minutes, Brazilian midfielder Robson hobbled off after a heavy challenge from Vince Lia, but Bleiberg allayed any fears that the 22-year-old had aggravated his troublesome knee injury, confirming a shin injury as the reasons for the substitution. 

Phoenix will feel they deserved more than a fifth successive draw. As for Gold Coast, their failure to earn all three points could well see them toppled as league leaders once the round is completed.