Wellington Phoenix marked their return to Isuzu Ute A-League action on 17 December by returning to winning ways at Sky Stadium, as they overpowered ten-man Adelaide United 3-1 in front of 4535 fans, the Yellow Fever members of whom relocated to another area of the ground after twenty minutes in protest at A-League management's ill-considered decision to "sell the crown jewels" - award Grand Final hosting rights to Sydney for the next three years. One thing you can always guarantee with the A-League is dissatisfaction with some element of it. On this occasion, league management's desire to put profits before people - anybody would think we're talking right-leaning politicians here! - has rightly upset fans of all clubs throughout the league. What the powers-that-be so often forget is that football is the world game, played and followed by peoples of every race, colour, creed, financial status and sexual persuasion on the planet - "The Working Man's Ballet", to quote the title of former England international Alan Hudson's autobiography. Because of that long-established association with the working classes, any moves to deny the rank and file the same rights, privileges and opportunities as those which the landed gentry can afford invariably draw the ire of those most affected by such actions - those at the coal face, the ones you find on the terraces week in, week out, rain, hail or shine, supporting their club through thick and thin. A-League management's decision to sell the Grand Final hosting rights to Sydney for the next three years, rather than maintain the traditional status of the highest ranked team enjoying those rights, is a slap in the face to those fans, many of whom won't be able to afford to travel to Sydney at short notice to attend a football match in which their team is playing, should said team happen to qualify for the Grand Final. The whole thing smacks of an ill-considered situation prompting a short-sighted response from an organisation which deserves to see teams from outside the host city contesting its Grand Final for the next three seasons, if only for the sight of all those empty seats at Homebush Stadium … that would serve as a fitting punishment for the A-League's pursuit of greed at the expense of their most important stakeholders - the fans and players of all teams in the league. Enough politics. On with the action, and the home team couldn't have got off to a better start, netting after just 65 seconds. Tim Payne pinged one over the top from halfway, rewarding the storming run of Oskar Zawada, whose emphatic volley flashed past a stunned Joe Gauci en route to the upper reaches of the net. "Anything you can do, we can do also", replied Adelaide, whose twelfth minute equaliser set up the contest. They had worked their way back into the match after the early setback, and Craig Goodwin's stunning twenty-five yard free-kick was due reward for their efforts, the ball screaming over the defensive wall and crashing into the net off the underside of the crossbar. With that, the gloves were off, but Gauci's gloves were nearly on the ball outside his penalty area in the sixteenth minute. Yan Sasse - finally showing glimpses of his potential - played a through ball for David Ball to pursue, but the goalkeeper slid out to deny the striker … and kept on sliding, only just withdrawing his hands from the ball in time. Wellington's fans howled for a handball, but referee Jonathan Barreiro called it right without needing to resort to a video replay of the incident -  well spotted, that man! Seconds later, the official was being hounded by Adelaide at the other end of the park as Lucas Mauragis clipped Ben Halloran in the penalty area as the United man cut in from the right. No penalty was the call. In the twentieth minute, Sasse led a raid which saw him linking up with Ball and Zawada, who was fouled in the penalty area. "Play on" was the call from referee Barreiro, so Wellington did, Clayton Lewis, Bozhidar Kraev and Mauragis combining on the left before presenting Ball with the chance to restore the home team's lead. Gauci had other ideas, however, superbly tipping the striker's drive over the bar. The resulting corner was cleared, and Adelaide stormed downfield, earning a free-kick for their efforts. Goodwin's delivery was cleared to Ethan Alagich, whose twenty yard volley was blocked by Zawada's outstretched leg - it was bound for the bottom corner of the net but for the striker's intervention. After Zawada had whipped in a cross just beyond the fast-arriving figure of Kraev, Ryan Kitto combined with Juande and Goodwin to create an opportunity for Hiroshi Ibusuki, whose shot on the turn was smothered by Oli Sail. Back came Wellington, Sasse produced a lovely piece of skill in the penalty area on receipt of Payne's ball forward. The beneficiary was Ball, whose shot was blocked on the line by the perfectly placed Alexandar Popovic in the 34th minute. Two minutes later, a Zawada shot struck the hand of Lachlan Barr outside the penalty area. Referee

Barreiro missed it, but he couldn't fail to award Wellington their second goal, in the 37th minute. Callan Elliot's flighted cross to the far post found Kraev launching himself into a full-length dive to send a diving header flying past Gauci - due reward for a plethora of Wellington pressure and a succession of corners, under the pressure of which Adelaide ultimately wilted. Lewis spurned a glorious chance to further extend the home team's lead five minutes later, squandering a free-kick earned by Steven Ugarkovic, whose swashbuckling sixty yard run only came to an end when he was crudely fouled by Popovic just outside the area. Cue a United response on the stroke of half-time, Goodwin's sumptuous cross bedazzling two defenders and presenting Ibusuki with a great chance to equalise. But the uncharacteristically tall Japanese striker's touch was more akin to a pass, allowing Payne to clear the danger and launch a counter-attack which culminated in a corner from Lewis which Halloran had to clear off the line, Gauci having flapped wildly at the inswinging delivery. The second half was just six minutes old when Adelaide was dealt a mortal blow - Halloran was sent off for his second bookable offence. It was his first yellow card which he was left to rue, the midfielder blowing up at referee Barreiro for awarding a goal-kick when the player considered a corner to be the correct decision. Silly boy - he should know better, too! Mr Barreiro earned further ire from the visitors seven minutes later when missing a clear foul on Goodwin by Elliot, whose pull-back of the Socceroo went unpunished. To which Wellington responded by charging down the left, Mauragis and Kraev at the helm. Sasse was the beneficiary of their industry, but Kitto's tracking run foiled the Brazilian on this occasion. Not in the 61st minute, however, with Sasse gathering the ball after Gauci punched Ugarkovic's corner away from the target. Until this match, the newcomer had fired blanks in Wellington's colours, but this deflected effort completely wrong-footed United's 'keeper - 3-1. The ten men offered brief resistance, with Ibusuki leading the line well. His control in the penalty area in the 65th minute was first rate, especially given he held off two defenders in the process before letting fly. Sail parried the attempt, and Popovic pounced to pull a goal back, only to fall victim to the offside flag. Scott Wootton and Zawada both narrowly failed to get on the end of a Sasse cross following another Ugarkovic corner soon afterwards, while Adelaide survived another scare in the 71st minute after Gauci spilled a Mauragis cross. Sasse, who created that opportunity, then set sail for goal in the 76th minute, outfoxing two opponents with a nimble piece of footwork before firing in a cross which struck the hand of Barr - the second time in the match he had been guilty of handball. Referee Barreiro didn't miss the offence this time around, and duly pointed to the penalty spot, from where Kraev's bid to make it 4-1 foundered on a fabulous full-stretch save by Gauci by the post. Wellington continued to press for more goals against their wounded opponents, Barr making amends for his blemish by outwitting Costa Barbarouses as he looked to latch onto Ugarkovic's super through ball. Seven minutes from time,  Barbarouses beat two opponents before slipping fellow substitute Ben Old through to the by-line. His cross was blocked by Gauci, while Barbarouses' bid to convert with the follow-up foundered on Popovic's vital block, seconds before Gauci produced a super double-save to deny the player who is now in his third spell with the club from his home city. Barbarouses was denied yet again two minutes from time, this time by Barr's block of his goalbound shot, while in stoppage time, substitute Ben Waine's bid to latch onto a through ball fell foul of Gauci, who dashed out of his penalty area to clear the sphere to safety. The game was long over as a contest by this stage, however, and Wellington will be disappointed  that they failed to win by a greater margin than 3-1, particularly after Adelaide's reduction to ten men soon after half-time. Nonetheless, Uful Talay's charges' second win of the season has fired them into sixth place - the last of the play-off spots - after a third of the campaign's completion, with the return from injury of captain Alex Rufer a welcome bonus ten minutes from time. Wellington:     Sail; Elliot, Wootton (booked, 85), Payne, Mauragis; Sasse (Old, 80), Ugarkovic (Pennington, 90), Lewis (booked, 81) (Rufer, 90), Kraev; Ball (Barbarouses, 73), Zawada (Waine, 80) Adelaide:     Gauci; Lopez, Popovic (booked, 42), Barr, Kitto; Halloran (booked, 26, 51 - sent off), D'Arrigo, Juande, Goodwin; Ibusuki (Blackwood, 80), Alagich (Irankunda, 62 (booked, 90)) Referee:     Jonathan Barreiro