Adelaide United and Wellington Phoenix battled out a 1-1 draw in front of 9,070 fans at Hindmarsh Stadium on 18 December, a Hyundai A-League result neither team could really afford as the pressure to secure a top-six finish intensifies. The struggling sides produced the proverbial game of two halves, with the first forty-five minutes of play rarely rising above the mediocre. Wellington's Troy Hearfield could very easily have been shown a red card after scything down Cassio just three minutes into the contest, getting his revenge after the Brazilian had upended him seconds earlier. Referee Craig Zetter settled on giving the offender a stern warning, choosing to keep his cards in his pocket for the vast majority of a match which coughed and spluttered along in the first half, any flow being stifled by niggly infringements as the players took full advantage of the official's approach to the game - the only cards which should be issued around this time of year are Christmas cards! Chances were few and far between, with only four of note coming in the opening half. Fabien Barbiero rattled the advertising hoardings with a twenty-five yarder in the tenth minute, after Scott Jamieson, Cassio and Cristiano combined to present the midfielder with a shooting chance. Seconds later, Cristiano squandered a great chance to break the deadlock as Andrew Durante put him off in the act of shooting, the striker afforded the chance after Matthew Leckie had been thwarted at close quarters by new Wellington goalkeeper, Liam Reddy. Half-way through the first half, Adelaide were denied the lead by the width of a post. Leckie sent Michael Marrone powering through the inside-right channel, and the young midfielder did Durante a treat before rattling the outside of Reddy's left-hand upright - a rare attacking moment to savour in a defence-dominated half. Wellington's only attack of note in the first spell materialised just before the break, with Paul Ifill's surge through the middle supplemented by Troy Hearfield's supporting run. The overlapping fullback battled past two opponents prior to prompting a save from Eugene Galekovic. What the first half lacked in drive and vigour the second half more than made up for - whatever was in the half-time tea certainly did the trick for both sides! Only a superbly timed tackle from Jon McKain prevented Lucas Pantelis from getting a shot in on goal five minutes into the half, as the home team, who kicked off the match propping up the table, sought a second consecutive victory to keep their ailing season alive. Two minutes later, Troy Lochhead blocked a Barbiero drive on the edge of the penalty area, seconds before Pantelis sent a shot sizzling narrowly wide of Reddy's left-hand post following Cassio's good work down the left. Wellington responded with the miss of the match, if not the season. Ifill played the ball wide to Leo Bertos in the 54th minute, and the winger's delightful turn was supplemented by a turn of pace which saw off two opponents. Bertos' cross to the far post found Tim Brown ghosting in with an open goal at his mercy … how he contrived to head the ball past the post only he will know!

The visitors, buoyed by this opening, promptly piled on the pressure, with Ifill stinging Galekovic's chest with a thumping twenty-yarder in the 55th minute, seconds before the unmarked figure of Durante powered a header wide upon being picked out by Bertos' corner to the far post. Just when Wellington looked to be getting on top of proceedings, they were put firmly back in their place by an absolute snorter of a goal! Galekovic launched the ball forward in the 57th minute, Cristiano nodding it down to Alemao, who surged upfield past a couple of opponents before lashing a twenty-five yard rocket past a stunned Reddy - he didn't even move! - into the bottom far corner of the net. 1-0 Adelaide, and how! How starkly that moment of magnificence contrasted with the first forty-five minutes of mundane fare. It was a goal the game sorely needed, and what a goal it was! Wellington were reeling from this blow, and Leckie looked to deliver the knockout punch. His strong run past two opponents on the hour only faltered when McKain blocked his shot, while he rattled the side-netting seconds later after Reddy had tipped away a Cristiano effort. Pantelis surprised all-comers with a vibrant left-flank raid and cross in the 66th minute, but Wellington failed to clear their lines, and it was only a vital block by Reddy which kept them in the contest seconds later, the 'keeper denying a Barbiero piledriver in sound fashion. After Pantelis and Cassio had combined down the left to present Leckie with a chance which he directed straight at Reddy, the first sign that Wellington was getting back on an even keel again came in the 72nd minute, with Vince Lia heading an Ifill corner across the face of goal. Five minutes later, the visitors were level, thanks to the incisiveness of substitute Adrian Caceres. With virtually his first touch, he scampered past two opponents down the left before dashing along the by-line and fizzing in a low cross which ricocheted into the net off the legs of Galekovic, as the goalkeeper defended his near post. Now it was Adelaide's turn to reel against the ropes, as Wellington looked to deliver the knockout blow and avoid getting into double-figure territory with draws for the season. Ifill headed a Hearfield free-kick straight at Galekovic, while Brown sent a downward header bouncing over the crossbar on receipt of a Hearfield corner in the dying minutes of a match which saw one last opportunity to break the deadlock spurned by Adelaide, with Reddy smothering an Adam Hughes effort in stoppage time after further good work by Leckie. The 1-1 draw was the result neither team desired, as it means both remain outside the top six placings heading into Christmas, with just eight rounds remaining until the end of this phase of the competition. Adelaide:     Galekovic; Alemao, Mullen, Fyfe, Jamieson; Marrone (Hughes, 79), Barbiero, Pantelis; Leckie (booked, 70) Cristiano (Monterosso, 85), Cassio (Shin, 85) Wellington:     Reddy; Hearfield, McKain, Durante, Lochhead (booked, 78); Ifill, Brown, Lia, Bertos (booked, 45); Barbarouses (Caceres, 76), Daniel (Rojas, 64) Referee:     Craig Zetter