Wellington looked the livelier side for most of the game, especially after they equalised within a minute of Danny Allsopp’s opener in the first half. With both sides on a goal, the Phoenix always looked the more likely to break the deadlock. And they did, courtesy of Shane Smeltz.

After Allsopp’s goal, I don’t recall any Victory players managing a shot on target until the final twenty minutes. Thompson had a poor, frustrating game, while the midfield comprised of Celeski, Pondeljak and Brebner failed to control the play. Fred, in his second game for the Phoenix, gave Wellington the spark it needed.

Ernie Merrick’s half-time substitution, Nick Ward for Grant Brebner, failed to give Melbourne the spark it needed. That spark didn’t come until Carlos Hernández was eventually given a run halfway through the second half. Hernández didn’t solve all of Melbourne’s problems, but he had an obvious impact, exercising control and providing stronger support for the attackers.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr-PuzJbmiY[/youtube]

It was a disappointing loss, but the other results on the weekend (three draws) mean that Melbourne has retained its lead, albeit shortened to just two points. Wellington is now in fifth place, tied on points with the Central Coast Mariners. The Perth Glory, next week’s opponent, gave up a lead in the last minute against the Mariners, turning this Saturday’s game into a must-win for the Glory.

I can’t wait.

Here we have the Victory, with a solid three point lead at the top of the table, playing the Phoenix, who scored back-to-back wins for the first time in their history. Granted, they won the second against a 9-man Newcastle Jets side, but the wins have brought them to 15 points, just two behind fourth-placed Central Coast Mariners. A win tomorrow night and some lucky results in the other fixtures this weekend, and the Phoenix may be in the top 4. Another first?

What’s more, they have Fred to do it with. Fred, the little Brazilian who was so sorely missed after he left the Melbourne for greener pastures in the MLS, has signed on with Wellington for a six-week stint. If he can ignite the Phoenix the way he did the Victory in season 2, a finals spot is well within grasp of the New Zealanders.

Melbourne, meanwhile, has a commanding lead at the top of the table but has three matches away from home, against the current numbers 6, 7 and 8 on the table. The Victory has already proved itself to be a class above two of its upcoming opponents (5-0 against the Newcastle Jets and 4-0 against the Perth Glory), and I believe that if they perform as well as they have been, they will be able to pick up wins against all three.

But tomorrow night is shaping up to be a very interesting match. How much will Fred invigorate his new A-League side? Will the Victory defence be able to contain his threat, as well as the ever-dangerous Shane Smeltz?

My tips for the weekend:

• Melbourne Victory to thump the Wellington Phoenix. I’m tipping a two goal win, but expect goals from both teams.
• Sydney FC to lose to Queensland Roar. Sydney appear to be in all sorts of trouble at the moment, and if Queensland can echo last week’s second half performance against the Glory, they’ll take home three points.
• Perth Glory to beat Central Coast Mariners. Perhaps not the wisest tip, but it’s coming down to the wire for the Glory. They’ve put in a few good games this season, and I’m hoping they have one this weekend again.
• Newcastle Jets to draw with Adelaide United. Last year’s Grand Final winners are propping up the table with Perth and need a win, but I don’t see it happening this weekend.

ps. Any fellow Victory fans in Wellington to see the game, let me know. I’ll buy you a beer.

It wasn’t the prettiest football match ever, with heavy rain soaking the pitch and players. But for Melbourne fans, there was plenty to enjoy.

Danny Allsopp had a fine match, netting Melbourne’s first two and coming within inches of a third. He also set up Fabiano’s strike, the Brazilian’s first in the A-League. Kevin Muscat also got on the scoreboard, putting away a penalty to destroy the Phoenix hope of getting anything out of the match.

Perhaps the greatest concern was seeing Roddy Vargas hobble off the pitch in the first half, but he managed to get through the entire game. Fingers crossed that’s the last we hear of it.

The Phoenix didn’t look nearly as composed in the back as they did a few weeks ago in the Pre-Season Cup final. From most reports I’ve heard, they looked poor last week as well, and it’s disappointing to see their crowd numbers drop to the low 6,000 mark. I still think they’ve got potential to finish further up the table, but things just aren’t clicking for them at the moment.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVH3JAxZc6o[/youtube]

***

Round 1 only delivered five goals, so it was nice to see this weekend’s matches deliver plenty of action. A 3-3 draw between the Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory – Newcastle again scoring a late goal to win a point – and a 2-3 away win for Sydney FC over the Central Coast Mariners preceded Melbourne’s Sunday afternoon match. Adelaide United only managed a 1-1 draw against the Queensland Roar, putting Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne on equal points. Melbourne claims top spot by virtue of a superior goal difference.

The big story this week, though, is the return of Grant Brebner.

Brebner hasn’t played since December 2007 and looks ready to make his reappearance after a long time out. The Scotsman talked to the press this week, telling them that this last year has been the toughest of his career:

“It’s been probably the hardest part of my career. In 10 or 12 years I have never faced anything like this.

There were times when I thought ‘is it all worth it?’. It was hard. Thankfully now, towards the other side of it, I am getting there.”

Brebner’s return creates another selection headache for Merrick, who must now decide whether to play the revitalised Brebner or young Leigh Broxham in the defensive midfield role alongside Jose Luis Lopez. To make matters even more interesting, last week’s first half performance showed how effectively Melbourne could operate with a sole defensive midfielder. Unless Brebner or Broxham can be utilised in alternative positions, one (or both) of them is going to be warming the bench this season.

My tips for the weekend:

• Perth Glory to lose to Newcastle Jets. Newcastle have only beaten the Glory twice in nine matches, but Perth will struggle this week without David Tarka and a slew of other players including James Robinson, Hayden Foxe and Naum Sekulovski.
• Central Coast Mariners to draw with Sydney FC. I didn’t get a chance to watch the Mariners play last week, but by most accounts, the Central Coast look like a squad short of depth. Alex Brosque, Stuart Musialik and Dez Giraldi are all returning for Sydney, giving them a good chance of securing a draw or narrow win against the Mariners.
• Wellington Phoenix to whimper before the Melbourne Victory. OK, maybe not whimper, but I think Melbourne have the goods to beat Wellington. It’ll be a tight affair without many goals. Fabiano and Allsopp need to step up and start finishing chances.
• Queensland Roar to beat Adelaide United. Queensland Roar were unlucky to come away with a draw against the Phoenix last week. At home, they have a good chance to get one or two past Adelaide, but it’ll be a very tight game.

Just a reminder to anyone that hasn’t joined, you can sign up to play in the MVFC Blog tipping comp (code: 2119-165) and fantasy football comp (code: 11536-1667) on Foxsports.

After neither side failed to churn out a goal in regular playing time, it was left up to a penalty shoot-out to determine the victor. After both Shane Smeltz and Nick Ward lobbed their penalties over the bar, it wasn’t until the 18th penalty that Michael Theoklitos stopped Karl Dodd’s attempt, giving Melbourne its third piece of silverware.

It was en enjoyable, free-flowing match, with Melbourne and Wellington quite evenly matched. Both sides attacked with verve, but it was two strong defences that triumphed in the end.

Ernie Merrick started with a back four of Vargas and Thwaite in the centre, while Ryall and Kemp played as fullbacks. Kemp struggled with the pace of Leo Bertos early on, but emerged as one of Melbourne’s strongest players after Merrick swapped him to the right side of the pitch.

There was little width to the Melbourne midfield, with Luis Lopez, Hernandez, Ward and Berger all moving in the centre of the park. Berger and Kemp brought width to the formation at times, but it’s plain to see that the main thrust of Victory’s attack will come down the central channel this season.

Up front, Fabiano and Allsopp combined well, but were thwarted by solid defensive performances from Jon McKain, Karl Dodd and Manny Muscat. Still, I was impressed by Fabiano’s touch and vision.

Ultimately, it was Theoklitos that won the game for Melbourne. Some fine saves in the second half kept Melbourne in the game when Wellington were bearing down hard.

The victory means that Melbourne are now the most successful A-League team in terms of silverware amassed. Not only that, but Ernie Merrick is the most successful A-League coach.

Which is all well and good, but most of us know that the Pre-Season Cup means very little. What was most encouraging about last night was the team’s solid performance.

Does Melbourne have the talent and depth to claim more silverware this year? Me thinks so.

The match will be shown live at 5:30 PM on FoxSports 3.

It’s the biggest game in the history of the Phoenix, who finished bottom of the table last year. Wellington officials are expecting a strong home crowd of up to 10,000. Not bad for a Wednesday night football game in the middle of winter.

If Sky NZ should decide to televise the match, it’s possible that FoxSports will show the game in Australia as well. Fingers crossed!

It’s been a promising pre-season for Melbourne. After narrowly losing to Adelaide United two weeks ago, the Victory scored a 1-0 win over the Perth Glory last week. Compare that with last year’s pre-season, when Melbourne lost four in a row.

It’s also encouraging to see Melbourne’s new recruits creating problems for the opposition. Melbourne’s goals in its past three matches have come from Ney Fabiano, Michael Thwaite and Pondeljak, suggesting that this year, Melbourne’s squad doesn’t just look good on paper: it also looks good on the field.

Melbourne faces the Wellington Phoenix on Wednesday night in Wellington, after the New Zealand side beat Sydney FC 3-2.

Well, I got my wish.

Melbourne turned out to win their third in a row, and they did. In style.

Of the three doubtfuls, Danny Allsopp was the only one to miss out. Nick Ward and Kevin Muscat both had great games, with the former scoring his first goal for the Victory. Adrian Caceres again stated his case for first team selection; as did Carlos Hernández, with his fourth goal of the season.

And then there was Kaz Patafta. Adrian Caceres came off in the 73rd minute; the crowd roared with respect for both Caceres and Patafta, his replacement; and Caceres emphatically encouraged Kaz to get out there and keep the momentum rolling.

Which young Patafta did. A superb goal from a tight angle.

The pressure is on Newcastle now, as they prepare to play the Central Coast Mariners tonight. The Mariners have been in relatively poor form recently, but let’s hope they deliver a better performance tonight. They need it as much as we do.

Sure. It’s critical. If the Central Coast Mariners do us a favour and beat the Newcastle Jets (preferably by a big margin), everything could come down to the last round – which would make for a wonderful climactic end to the season.

But there’s another reason why beating the Phoenix tonight is important – nay, essential:

Victory fans need to be able to sing their Victory song.

Only twice this season have we enjoyed that pleasure – and the last time was way back on the 21st of October. Twice. Even in the humiliating first season, when we finished 7th, fans had four opportunities to sing the song. Tonight is not just about keeping finals hopes alive: it’s about giving fans a cause to sing.

Unfortunately, the Victory’s hunt for a third home win could be hindered by the absence of Kevin Muscat, Danny Allsopp and Nick Ward, all of whom are struggling with injury/illness. If the worst-case scenario – none of them can play – should come to pass, Merrick will be playing without three players who were instrumental in the wins against Central Coast and Queensland.

The gap left by Ward and Allsopp could be covered by Kaz Patafta and Carlos Hernández, with the Costa Rican playing up front alongside Archie Thompson. But it’s hardly an ideal use for Hernández, who showed on Saturday why he’s at his best playing behind the strikers, threading balls through for Archie and Allsopp.

Muscat’s absence could prove a bigger problem, especially if Grant Brebner is still unavailable due to injury. Without Muscat or Brebner, Leigh Broxham – the only remaining defensive midfielder – has some heavy weight on his shoulders. In my opinion, bringing Steve Pantelidis into the squad as a midfielder would be a wise move, with him and Broxham locking down the centre of the park.

Wellington will also be playing without their captain, Ross Aloisi, who picked up a one-match ban last week. The Phoenix are out of contention for the finals, but remain a realistic possibility for the wooden spoon. If the Perth Glory can beat Adelaide United tonight, a Wellington loss would see them sink to 8th. Personally, I’d like to see Wellington finish better than that – they’ve played some excellent football this season and certainly deserve to break the New Zealand curse of always finishing dead last.

But for tonight, my main desire will be to fire up at full time and roar, at full voice: “Melbourne hear the sound of drumming…”

My tip: Melbourne Victory 3, Wellington Phoenix 1

Your tip?