The Brisbane Roar came to Wellington as one of, if not the standout team of the opening few weeks in the A-League. The Roar then left Wellington torched by the Wellington Phoenix who put on a show in an exciting fixture which finished 3-2. We know that Ernie! is eager to see the Phoenix play a fun style of footy at home while trying to get what they can away from home and the entertaining display served as a double whammy as it wasn't just a win, it was a win that should enhance the buzz around the Nix in Wellington and throughout Aotearoa.

This wasn't a perfect display from the Nix as they allowed the Roar to enjoy plenty of the possession and it was a see-sawing battle which saw the Roar respond to Michael McGlinchey's lovely free-kick to level the scores. Roy Krishna then slotted a similar opportunity to his goal last week, which saw the Nix bounce back to 2-2 before Blake Powell finished of a move that should have Nix fans across the land pumped with anticipation as they passed the ball through the midfield from the right to the left before crossing it into Powell. 

Everything went swimmingly in terms of how Ernie! played his cards and how his cards/players responded. Roly Bonevacia and Jeffrey Sarpong aided Michael McGlinchy in creating going forward, which in conjunction with Roy Krishna's more prominent role up front gives the Nix one of the more potent attacking forces in the A-League. Who knows whether Krishna can get close to Nathan Burns' goal scoring feats or not, but I can see the collective sum of the Phoenix's attack filling that void. 

What was perhaps more impressive than the dazzling footwork of Roly and Sarpong, the pace of Krishna and the craftiness of McGlinchey, or all of that together was the impact of Alex Rodriquez and Blake Powell.  Rodriquez came on and maintained the good work of the midfield with Rodriquez ensuring that each and every Phoenix midfielder finished with 80% passing accuracy. Blake Powell came on and like Rodriquez, Powell's impact was immediately visible as he combined nicely with his midfielders while giving the Nix a slightly different attacking target to Sarpong, whom he replaced.

Krishna and Sarpong are quite similar and Ernie! likes to use them both up front on opposite flanks, with the usual fluidity as well. This works well as they both like to take on defenders while also playing off of each other as well, with Sarpong threading a few nice passes (most notably one for Krishna's goal) and 94% passing accuracy. Krishna's speed and presence gives Sarpong a bit of room, but more importantly a target to hit and this combo will continue to develop nicely.

Just on Sarpong - I love what Ernie! has done with the lad. He came off the bench in game one, started game two but came off midway through the second half and this week he started before coming off with 12 minutes to go. Ernie! is letting Sarpong simmer in the A-League and each week we have seen Sarpong look more comfortable.

Powell's inclusion then allowed Krishna to float where ever he pleased with Powell better suited to roaming around the box. This gives the Nix multiple ways to attack and Powell showed that he could be a key player this season coming off the bench when the Nix are behind or level at home and need a goal - because we want to fucking win at home!

I can't really get too deep into the defenders because the Nix are simply trying to hang in there while Andrew Durante is out of action. Ben Sigmund and Manny Muscat were once again good enough to keep the Nix in the game, along with Vince Lia and Albert Riera in the middle of the park and that's all that really matters right now.

Thomas Doyle still worries me. This week Doyle had 44% passing accuracy and while he showed he's one of the better athletes for the Phoenix, boosting it up and down the sideline, Doyle lacks the polish to give the Nix dual threats down each flank. Louis Fenton also looks a bit jittery on the right as well, although his preference to dribble gives the Nix options going forward, whereas Doyle looks like he's still trying to figure out what his niche is.

Getting the win over a quality team was awesome, yet the realisation that the Wellington Phoenix could hold the most 'cult-hero' candidates of any team in the A-League has me far more excited. Each of the attacking players has something unique while also sharing a common factor, whether it's Krishna, McGlinchey, Roly or Sarpong - they all love to express themselves/play with a sense of fun/throw the footy around/razzle and dazzle. 

The on-field efforts should strengthen what was a vocal crowd at Westpac, led as always by the Yellow Fever. Kiwi sports fans generally shut up or they have a limited repertoire of chants/songs which has always been a bummer. The Yellow Fever however are showing kiwi sports fans how to support your team and while people might point to it being a 'football' thing, there's no reason why other sports fans can't sing songs and sing 'same old Aussies, always cheating' on repeat.

Kudos to the Yellow Fever and kudos to the Phoenix, together ya'll can make Wellington a shit place to travel to and a great place to see lovely Nix football.