Perth Glory leapfrogged Wellington Phoenix on the Hyundai A-League standings and all but booked themselves a play-offs spot on 22 January, as they conquered the Kiwi combination 2-0 before 9,368 spectators at ME Bank Stadium. An at times bad-tempered affair got off to a firecracker start, with Liam Reddy saving at the feet of Daniel McBreen after thirty seconds, and a Leo Bertos corner fizzing across the face of Perth's goal - it only needed a touch for the deadlock to be broken - two minutes later. Referee Ryan Shepheard had his hands full throughout proceedings dealing with any number of incidents of an unsavoury nature, and it was a wonder, with all the goings-on, that he didn't issue at least one red card during the ninety minutes. Returning to his old stamping ground for the first time since his switch to Wellington, Eugene Dadi was particularly lucky to remain on the park, when he scythed down Perth captain Jacob Burns with a studs-up lunge before half-time. Having already been booked, the striker was fortunate to escape from this incident with just a flea in his ear from the official - the punishment didn't fit the crime. (Mind, how often is that the case these days in a world dominated by political correctness?) Dadi's booking had come in the aftermath of the game's first goal, struck in the 23rd minute. Naum Sekulovski's angled cross picked out McBreen, whose deft first touch provided him with ample space to rifle home the opener from ten yards. It was a blow from which Wellington, who squandered a tenth minute opening when Tim Brown volleyed well wide following Paul Ifill's enterprising right wing raid, never recovered. They fell further behind three minutes before the end of an uninspiring first half. Burns played the ball wide to Jamie Coyne, who worked a one-two with the hard-working Steven McGarry before getting round Troy Hearfield and picking out the fast-arriving Todd Howarth with his cross to the far post. The flanker met the ball flush on the half-volley, and it soared into the top far corner of the net - 2-0. The visitors found themselves on the back foot four minutes into the second spell when Reddy was forced to save a McBreen drive low to his left after the striker surged downfield on a solo raid. A further four minutes had elapsed when Wellington's 'keeper kept his team in contention by denying Howarth at close quarters, as he looked to get a shot on goal following the industry of McGarry inside the visitors' penalty area. Seconds earlier, Reddy's opposite number, Tando Velaphi, was called into action for the first time in the match when swatting away a vicious drive from Hearfield. The 'keeper then required two attempts to keep out a rasping twenty-five yarder from Brown, before Hearfield fired over the top and Brown directed a header narrowly past the far post following more fine work by Ifill, who evaded two challenges before curling in a cross.

Wellington had worked hard to get back into the contest, and in the 69th minute were presented with the chance to do so from the penalty spot. Substitute Adrian Caceres weaved his way past two opponents into the area before letting fly, only for Velaphi to parry his shot. Hearfield swooped on the rebound, but was tripped by Perth substitute Scott Bulloch, a challenge which gave referee Shepheard little option but to point to the penalty spot. No sooner had he done so, all hell broke loose downfield, with Sekulovski and Vince Lia sparking an off-the-ball incident which swiftly saw a gathering of the clans, who, it's fair to say, had been up for a set-to right from the outset. The official quickly restored order, issued yellow cards to the perpetrators, and returned to the penalty area to oversee a spot-kick which presented Wellington's leading scorer, Ifill, with the chance to move into double figures for the season. For whatever reason, he never took it, instead deferring to Dadi, whose return to Perth had been far from glorious. This gave him a chance to make amends, but what happened next turned what should have been a memorable evening for the conspicuous striker into one of utter ignominy - one of the worst penalties ever taken in the history of football, make no mistake! It was akin to a pass-back to the 'keeper, Dadi's ungainly run-up supplemented by a shot which trickled towards the centre of the target, giving Velaphi the easy task of literally picking the ball up just inside his goal area and carrying on with the game. Having squandered this lifeline in such a pathetic manner, Wellington kept battling for a way back into the match. Caceres fired a twenty yard free-kick over the wall and the bar soon afterwards, while the substitute opted to take on opponents and go for goal himself in the 77th minute, despite Dadi being in acres of space in the middle. Given the penalty miss, could you blame the replacement for ignoring a team-mate who didn't do justice to the shirt on the night? What's more, Caceres gave Velaphi cause aplenty for concern with his rasping twenty yarder - the 'keeper saved solidly. McBreen squandered a glorious chance to make it 3-0 seven minutes from time when skying the ball from four yards, after McGarry and Mile Sterjovski had prised open Wellington's defence, while seconds later, McGarry was denied a goal his efforts deserved by a fine save by Reddy, the last of a generally less than memorable spectacle, save for one unforgettable incident - that cringe-worthy penalty attempt … Perth:          Velaphi; J. Coyne, C. Coyne, Todd, Sekulovski (booked, 71); Sterjovski, Burns, Jukic (Pellegrino, 68), McGarry, Howarth (Bulloch, 56 (booked, 82)); McBreen (Harnwell, 88) Wellington:     Reddy; Sigmund (Greenacre, 64), McKain, Durante, Hearfield; Brown (booked, 8), Muscat (booked, 60), Lia (booked, 71) (Walsh, 88); Ifill, Dadi (booked, 25), Bertos (Caceres, 55) Referee:     Ryan Shepheard