Sydney FC maintained their table-topping prospects in the Hyundai A-League on 12 December, and ended Wellington Phoenix's unbeaten home record as they edged out the Kiwi combination 1-0 in decidedly windy conditions at the A-League's newest venue, Palmerston North's FMG Stadium. Gusts of around 100 knots blasted down the ground throughout proceedings, and showed up the technical shortcomings of the home team, who failed to come up with a tactical plan to exploit the conditions, unlike their opponents, whose wily playmaker, Steve Corica, was the star turn in a game which was starved of quality by the testing conditions, and which saw Sydney finish proceedings with ten men on the park. A twenty-yard snapshot from Alex Brosque tested the reflexes of Reece Crowther in the fifth minute of play, as Wellington's custodian commenced a spell as his team's first-choice 'keeper thanks to Mark Paston having been diagnosed with a fractured tibia during the week - he played the entire game last weekend not knowing he had the injury! Wellington retorted three minutes later via a lovely ball wide from Adrian Caceres. He picked out Daniel in yards of space inside the Sydney penalty area, which the Brazilian exploited by deftly lobbing the ball across to Tim Brown. From six yards, he shot tamely at the target, allowing the retreating Shannon Cole to head the effort off the line. On the quarter-hour, Chris Payne and Karol Kisel worked an opening on half-way which saw the latter clip the ball forward for Brosque to pursue. He had a right royal tussle with the fit again Jon McKain until the defender nudged the striker once too often. To make matters worse for McKain, he was inside the penalty area when the offence took place, and as Brosque hit the deck, referee Mike Hester had no hesitation - penalty, and a yellow card for the offender. Corica rammed home the spot-kick - 1-0 Sydney, much to the despair of the 6,459-strong crowd. It was a setback from which Wellington never really recovered, despite enjoying plenty of possession with the wind at their backs. Penetrating Sydney's rock-solid rearguard was something they did far too infrequently, and it was the visitors whose game plan was better suited to the conditions. Long-ball tactics, with the wind at your back, are what you expect to see at schoolboy level, or in modern-day rugby matches, but it was Wellington's chief attacking weapon throughout proceedings … the lack of subtlety, skill, vision and variation was, to say the least, disappointing. Every once in a while, they gave Sydney 'keeper Clint Bolton cause for concern, such as in the 22nd minute, when a rasping twenty-five yarder from Caceres was saved well low to his left by the shot-stopper. But it was Sydney who made better use of the ball when in possession, and created their fair share of chances as a result. In the 26th minute, Crowther had to race out of goal to head clear from Brosque as Corica clipped the ball forward to release the striker, while Andrew Durante recovered to thwart Brosque five minutes later, after the front-runner had pounced on a poor header back towards Crowther by Wellington's captain. Corica then spread play wide to Payne, who worked an opening with Cole which saw the fullback's teasing cross volleyed across the face of goal by Brosque, who looked on as, two minutes from time, Simon Colosimo launched himself through a crowded penalty area to meet Cole's corner with a diving header which flashed past Crowther's right-hand post. Wellington's first half showing had been poor, but they almost finished it on level terms on the scoreboard. Leo Bertos' clever back-heel allowed Caceres to get the better of Sung Hwan Byun on the right and fire over a deep cross to Paul Ifill, who still had plenty to do. He did it well, evading a couple of challengers before lashing a fifteen-yarder goalwards which Bolton smothered low to his right in first half stoppage time. The home team began the second half brightly, with Bertos' 49th minute corner picking out Daniel on the far post. His powerful header was tipped round the post by Bolton, who had little else to do throughout the rest of the half save watch a

succession of long-range Wellington efforts fly anywhere but at the target. Sydney set the tone in this regard with their first chance of the second spell, Brosque's through ball allowing Payne to get the better of McKain and fire a shot well over the advancing Crowther, who, given he was eight yards off his line, would have been beaten all ends up had the youngster chipped him. Crowther made amends four minutes later with a superb one-handed save low to his left. Wellington failed to clear a Corica free-kick, and Byun slipped Brosque through the inside-left channel. He looked certain to score, but the 'keeper had other ideas. The pair clashed again - literally - on the hour, as McKain headed the ball back towards his 'keeper. Brosque and Crowther collided, with the ball spilling free to Payne. At a point when he was inside the goal area with just Durante between the striker and the goal, referee Mike Hester intervened, pulling play back as both players were still prone on the ground. Sydney were filthy with this decision, and with some justification - one wonders if play would have continued had the goalkeeper not been one of those involved. The official erred on the side of player safety in making his call, and both players received treatment for their knocks before play was allowed to continue. The visitors were looking the side more likely to alter the scoreboard, and in the 64th minute, they came within a yard of doing so. Stuart Musialik clipped a clever ball in behind Wellington's defence for Payne to dash onto, and this time the youngster was able to guide his effort over the advancing figure of Crowther, only to look on in despair as Durante, racing back, hooked the ball clear from under the shadow of the crossbar. A rare raid of quality from Wellington inevitably involved Ifill in the 64th minute, the striker jinking his way into the penalty area before picking out Vince Lia with a near port cross. The midfielder's glancing header flew across the face of goal. Back came Sydney, Corica orchestrating a neat 74th minute move which also featured Kisel and culminated in Brosque seeing Crowther turn his shot from the edge of the penalty area over the crossbar. Six minutes later, Wellington were handed a lifeline when Colosimo's reckless lunge at Lia saw referee Hester unhesitatingly reaching for his back pocket. Out came the red card, Sydney's first sending-off of the season. The home team threw everything at their opponents in the time which remained, but Sydney's rearguard remained resolute. Byun's vital headed clearance prevented Troy Hearfield's cross from picking out Ifill, who, along with Lia, had sent shots blazing high, wide and far from handsomely over Bolton's goal in the minute prior to the dismissal. The goalkeeper looked on as Brown, picked out by Bertos' corner, directed a free header over the crossbar seven minutes from time, then headed the ball at Bolton four minutes later after Ifill had wriggled his way through two challenges before crossing to his team-mate from the by-line. Hearfield was denied by Terry McFlynn shortly afterwards as the home team went hunting for a share of the spoils, but they got what they deserved from the game in the end - they didn't do enough to earn a draw, let alone victory. So Sydney continue to enjoy a share of the longest unbeaten home run in A-League history, their victory ending Wellington's hopes of holding that particular record outright. The visitors, despite finishing with ten men, were deserving victors in the wind, and, indeed, could have won by a greater margin but for Crowther's efforts behind a team which appears to be losing its self-belief at a time when a strong run to make the play-offs is essential. Wellington:     Crowther; Hearfield, McKain (booked, 15), Durante, Lochhead; Bertos, Lia (booked, 34), Caceres (Barbarouses, 66), Brown, Daniel (booked, 90); Ifill Sydney:     Bolton (booked, 83); Cole, Keller, Colosimo (sent off, 80), Byun; Kisel (Gan, 84), Musialik, Corica (booked, 71) (Grant, 90), McFlynn; Brosque (booked, 78), Payne (Ryall, 81) Referee:     Mike Hester