Key Wellington Phoenix player under injury cloud
Wellington Phoenix are sweating on the fitness of another key player ahead of tonight’s match away to Melbourne Victory, days after losing Louis Fenton to a seasonending injury.
Captain Steven Taylor said midfield mainstay Alex Rufer would have to pass a late fitness test in order to make selection, despite being named in the extended squad submitted to the A-League on Thursday.
After taking a knock to the knee, Rufer was forced from the field during the first half of last weekend’s 2-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers, a result that extended Phoenix’s unbeaten streak to four games.
‘‘He’s got to do I think maybe a fitness test and see how he’s going but he caught a bit of a sore one on the knee last game, which isn’t nice. But we’ll see how he holds up,’’ Taylor said.
With back-up midfielder Tim Payne filling the void at right-back, it is expected that 21-year-old Cameron Devlin will be given his first A-League start alongside Matti Steinmann if Rufer is unable to play.
Devlin, who coach Ufuk Talay brought across from Sydney FC, performed well when he came on for Rufer last weekend, impressing with his defensive work and buildup play.
‘‘I thought Cammy did really well in the game when he came on and when he came in previously against Adelaide,’’ Talay said. ‘‘We’ve also got Te Atawhai [Hudson-Wihongi] but we’ll make a decision with what we do on game day.
‘‘In the A-League you’ve got to have some versatile players and Cameron gives us [that] where he can play in a couple of positions, he can play as a No 10 a little bit higher up the park but he can also play as a No 6 because he’s technically good on the ball and he’s also an aggressive little player as well.’’
Phoenix were dealt a major blow earlier in the week when it was confirmed that first-choice right-back Fenton would require seasonending surgery to fix his dislocated shoulder.
Taylor said the players were ‘‘devastated’’ for their team-mate, a popular figure in the dressing room who has endured a rotten run of injuries throughout his career.
‘‘He’s been fantastic, what a season he had last year and he’s done well this season so far. I’m gutted for him.
‘‘But Payney has come in there and been really good, especially after travelling to Europe and coming back to put in the performances he has, he’s been a breath of fresh air for us.’’
Although they eventually got the win, the Phoenix were slow out of the blocks against Wanderers, something Talay put down to spending the entire week in Auckland in the lead-up.
However, now that they have clawed their way into the top-six, Taylor implored the Phoenix to take the game to the struggling Victory who dropped down to 10th after losing 3-1 to Western United.
‘‘I think getting after teams, I think that’s one thing we will be doing; targeting the back four and seeing if they can deal with the pace and power that we’ve got up front,’’ he said.
‘‘We don’t care if teams know
how we play, it’s still difficult to defend against it and we’ll just continue to get at teams, show we’ve got no fear factor.
‘‘We’ve got the young lads in there, they’re expressing their ability, they’ve been outstanding when they’ve come in and the experienced players are stepping up to the plate so it’s an exciting group.’’
In order to continue their winning streak, Taylor said they would have to shut out Victory captain Ola
Toivonen, who has scored every time he has played Phoenix, including last month’s 1-1 draw, a result that launched the Phoenix’s unbeaten run.
‘‘For a big man he’s got good feet, he’s very clever, he makes good runs and his finishing is first class. You can see why he’s a top international and he’s had a fantastic career himself.
‘‘Obviously we have to nullify his time and space and not give him too many opportunities.’’
The Phoenix last won four games in a row in March 2015.
Wellington Phoenix faces Melbourne Victory in round 10 of the A League at AAMI Park, Melbourne, at 7pm.