Another uninspiring Wellington Phoenix display proved suffice to secure all three points at Westpac Stadium on November 23, as they overcame reigning Hyundai A-League champions Newcastle Jets 2-0 in front of 5500 fans, who delighted in seeing the visitors reduced to nine men throughout the course of a dour encounter. The first half was particularly mind-numbing, given only two real incidents of note occurred in forty-five minutes which can most kindly be described as boring - entertaining this most definitely was not!! The first incident came in the twelfth minute, when Newcastle fullback Tarek Elrich hoisted the ball forward for Joel Griffiths to chase. His presence caused uncertainty in the mind of the approaching figure of Mark Paston, whose poor attempt to punch the ball to safety sat up perfectly for the incoming figure of Marko Jesic. The striker's eyes lit up at the sight of a gaping goal into which to fire the ball, but his first-time strike flashed a foot past the post, much to Paston's relief. After Mark Milligan and Michael Ferrante had exchanged shots on goal which warmed the gloves of Paston and his opposite number, Newcastle's Ante Covic, the 29th minute saw a scene which the visitors could ill afford. Griffiths lost control of the ball on receipt of a free-kick, and was crowded out in his attempts to recover his error. He then made a bigger one, lashing out wildly at Karl Dodd right under the nose of referee Matthew Breeze. The official had his red card in the air before you could blink, but it should have been brandished towards Dodd, as well as Griffiths - the defender's retaliatory actions went unpunished by the referee, meaning Newcastle's talisman had to endure the Yellow Fever's undisguised glee at his premature departure unaccompanied. Wellington failed to make best use of their numerical superiority in the time which remained in the first spell, a situation which continued into the second half, during which they conceded far too many needless free-kicks, and yielded possession far too frequently for a team boasting a man advantage. Indeed, it was Newcastle who provided the greater threat as an attacking force. In the 47th minute, Matt Thompson surged through the middle before slipping Jesic in on the right. His low cross-shot fizzed across the face of goal, just too far in front of the incoming figure of Jin Hyung Song, who slid in just too late to make contact with the ball and turn it home. Four minutes later, the visitors' task took on Mt. Everest proportions, as Milligan flew in over the top of the ball to leave Jon McKain on the deck. Again, referee Breeze had the red card out before blinking was possible, prompting Milligan to audaciously ask the official what he was being sent off for. So the nine men soldiered on, a rearguard action largely their lot, although such was Wellington's lack of innovation and enterprise once they had entered Newcastle's half that the visitors, in all honesty, weren't truly threatened.

Covic grabbed anything which went above head height, while such were the efforts of the Jade North-marshalled defence that the home team were largely reduced to long-range efforts, with Ferrante, McKain and Leo Bertos the players chiefly responsible for giving Covic cause to get his gloves dirty from shots fired in his direction. His opposite number wasn't allowed to rest on his laurels, however, Paston being forced to save free-kicks from James Holland and Thompson, the latter's twenty-five yard effort taking a deflection off the defensive wall which forced Wellington's 'keeper to parry the sphere to safety on the hour. Gradually, Newcastle's rearguard action began to tire, and after ineffective debutant Fred had been crowded out by defenders upon receipt of a clever back-heel from Bertos which unlocked the visitors' back-line, the introduction of substitutes Daniel and Troy Hearfield in the last twenty minutes ultimately provided Wellington with the inspiration to see off their dogged opponents. Eleven minutes from time, Hearfield capitalised on a defensive error to whip in a first-time cross to the near post. Shane Smeltz, hitherto unsighted, darted across Adam Griffiths to meet the ball with a bullet-like header which crashed into the net inside Covic's near post - a fine goal eleven minutes from time. After Bertos had battered the side-netting upon receipt of Daniel's measured cross-field ball, the Brazilian received just such a pass from Dodd, and instantly turned it into Bertos' stride four minutes from time. A first-time cross from the striker was deftly turned home across Covic by Hearfield - 2-0, game over. Er, not quite, for Newcastle weren't prepared to give up that easily. After substitute Jesper Hakansson had spurned both attempts to turn home an Elrich cross following Adam D'Apuzzo's right wing raid, the visitors were handed a glorious chance to get back into the match in stoppage time. Dodd again escaped punishment after bringing Elrich down in the area, referee Breeze deeming that the penalty was suffice in this regard, as he had already booked the defender for felling the same player earlier in the match. Elrich picked himself, dusted himself down, put the ball on the spot and stepped up to let fly, only to see Paston dive to his right to save comfortably. It was a shot which largely summed up Newcastle's night, but at least it generated some excitement, an attribute sorely lacking from this largely forgettable fixture. Wellington:     Paston; Muscat (Hearfield, 69), Sigmund, Dodd (booked, 76), Lochhead (booked, 53); Bertos, McKain, Brown, Ferrante; Smeltz, Fred (Daniel, 74) Newcastle:     Covic; Elrich, A. Griffiths (booked, 54), North, Thompson (Hakansson, 79); Holland, Song (D'Apuzzo, 56), Milligan (sent off, 51), Kantarovski; Jesic (Naidovski, 88), J. Griffiths (sent off, 29) Referee:     Matthew Breeze