Wellington Phoenix took a giant step towards securing a spot in the Hyundai A-League play-offs on 15 January by recording their third win on the bounce in overcoming North Queensland Fury 3-0 at Westpac Stadium, a result which sees them edge past the elusive thirty points barrier. It's the first time since the era of Wynton Rufer at the Football Kingz that a New Zealand team has achieved this milestone in Australia's showpiece club competition, and in doing so, Wellington equalled the club record of three successive victories, a feat first achieved in November 2008. The game was played in driving rain, a howling wind and single-digit temperatures - typical wintry Wellington weather conditions, but aren't we supposed to be in mid-summer? - and it was North Queensland who adapted the better to them initially, with Robbie Fowler rattling the side-netting after pouncing on a Jon McKain mistake in the third minute. Four minutes later, the visitors' captain sent Dyron Daal racing clear with the most deft of touches to expose Wellington's offside trap. The striker squandered a great chance to open the scoring by shooting tamely at Liam Reddy, who parried the ball to safety in the inclement conditions. Eight minutes later, Daal was racing away once more, this time down the left in pursuit of a quickly taken free-kick by Chris Tadrosse. The striker got in a cross which Fowler, rising in between defenders, got on the end of, but was unable to get any power in his header, which afforded Reddy an easy save. Wellington started far more slowly by comparison to their opponents, but fired their first shot in anger in the eighteenth minute, a rasping twenty-five yarder which skidded along the rain-slicked surface and brought a fine smothering save out of Justin Pasfield, who needed to hang onto the ball given Eugene Dadi was following in at pace to punish any blunders. The last save either 'keeper had to make in the first half came two minutes later, Reddy forced to tip a teasing cross-shot from James Downey to safety as North Queensland's new recruit - he met his new team-mates at Wellington Airport! - chanced his arm in the swirling wind. Otherwise, the conditions held sway, leading to plenty of frustration from players on both sides. That frustration was soon directed into a few challenges of the less than acceptable variety, some of which referee Peter Green allowed to go unpunished, others not. The official's inconsistency and lenience in the conditions unnerved the players even more, and prompted Fowler to unleash a verbal volley at Mr Green ten minutes before half-time which saw the Liverpool legend receive a yellow card for telling it like it was - the person far more deserving of the booking was the one administering it! Prior to this, Bertos unleashed a thirty yard wind-assisted piledriver of a free-kick which was heading for the top corner of the net until Matt Smith bravely headed it to safety. And after it, a raking Vince Lia cross-field ball sent Paul Ifill careering down the left at pace. With defenders closing in on him, Wellington's leading scorer bore down on goal, with Bertos in support to his right. The striker was caught in two minds, and what resulted was a woeful effort from Ifill - if it was intended as a shot, it went well wide, and it was well over-hit were it a pass. Either way, the last chance of the first half was badly spurned. Unlike the first of the second spell. Bertos' corner, Dadi's six-yard header, top corner. 1-0 Wellington, and didn't the 7,727 fans who braved the inclement conditions love it?

It was a goal which ignited the game, with attacks at both ends of the park resulting. All too many of them, however, lacked precision at the vital moment, promising raids all too often foundering on a wayward cross or final pass, or just rock-solid defending - Andrew Durante was the game's star turn in this regard, with Tadrosse similarly impressive, particularly in the first half, for the visitors. Wellington looked to double their advantage as North Queensland reeled from the setback, with Tim Brown and Dadi combining to send Bertos buccaneering down the left. He checked inside before unleashing a vicious low drive which Pasfield did well to parry just beyond the incoming figure of Dadi. North Queensland scrambled the ball clear, and were presented with a chance to level the scores in the 52nd minute when Fowler - the last player Wellington wanted to see in this situation - swooped on a loose ball just outside the home team's penalty area, instantly sized up the situation and promptly let fly. Reddy saved impressively to his right, but was found wanting by Fowler fifteen minutes from time, when the striker whipped in a wicked corner to the near post which had the Wellington custodian struggling. His team-mates baled him out, although Dadi wasn't one of them. For, in the 67th minute, the man responsible for breaking the deadlock had left the fray with a blood-soaked towel clutched to his head after a clash of skulls with Matt Smith. The defender also suffered some damage, but was able to continue, unlike Dadi, who took a few minutes just to get to his feet, but was eventually able to progress under his own steam. That's something Wellington certainly did twelve minutes from time, as they killed off any prospects of a North Queensland comeback - they had been threatening without testing Reddy - with a well-taken second goal. Costa Barbarouses, Dadi's replacement, fired in a cross from the right which arced just too far beyond Brown for the midfielder to exploit. Ifill, who had started the raid, picked up the pieces on the left-hand side of the penalty area, dashed across the top of the box before drilling a twenty-yarder hard and low beyond the diving Pasfield and unerringly into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. 2-0 became 3-0 a minute from time. Bertos and Barbarouses worked a short corner on the right which saw the latter again deliver a telling cross. This time, McKain was on the end of it, and directed a looping header over Pasfield and into the net - game over. The home team was denied a fourth goal in stoppage time by the efforts of substitute Grant Smith and Rostyn Griffiths, who blocked shots from Ifill and Brown respectively as Wellington looked to fulfil their fans' calls for a fourth goal. 3-0 it remained, however, a result which sees Wellington, the team with the most draws but the fewest number of defeats, climb back into fourth spot on a table, all but ending North Queensland's play-off hopes in the process - even with "God" on their side, it looks to be too tall an order for the A-League debutants now. Wellington:     Reddy; Hearfield, McKain, Durante, Lochhead; Lia, Muscat (booked, 28), Brown (booked, 55); Ifill, Dadi (Barbarouses, 67), Bertos North Queensland:     Pasfield; Grossman, Griffiths, M. Smith, Tadrosse (booked, 46); Downey, Talay (Agius, 60), Kohler (G. Smith, 77 (booked, 86), Brockie; Daal, Fowler (booked, 35) Referee:     Peter Green