Wellington Phoenix revived their Hyundai A-League play-off hopes on New Year's Eve with a well-deserved 2-0 win over Central Coast Mariners at Bluetongue Stadium, much to the chagrin of the bulk of the 11,137 fans present, who witnessed the home team's fifth successive defeat. The result allowed the victors to hurdle the vanquished on the table, as the Mariners' remarkable run of not having won a home game since mid-September continued unabated. Wellington fired a warning shot that they hadn't come just to attend the post-match fireworks display in the third minute, when Troy Hearfield brought the best out of rookie 'keeper Andrew Redmayne with a rasping snapshot from broken play. Central Coast responded to that in the tenth minute, with John Hutchinson playing the ball wide to overlapping fullback Bradley Porter, who was steaming up in support at a rate of knots which took him past Tony Lochhead and into a modicum of space from which he whipped in a cross. The ball arced onto the head of Michael McGlinchey, but the All White midfielder failed to get enough power in his header to beat Liam Reddy from six yards. The 'keeper instantly sparked a counter-attack which saw Vince Lia release Hearfield down the right at pace, and he made a monkey out of Andrew Clark prior to whipping a low cross into the goalmouth which zoomed across the bows of the incoming Lia and Paul Ifill. After Nik Mrdja had seen his twenty-five yard free-kick deflect inches past the right-hand post of a stranded Reddy, a delightfully angled pass from Nicky Travis put Hutchinson in on the left. Wellington's 'keeper proved up to the task this time, smothering the Maltese international's shot low to his left in the nineteenth minute. Six minutes later, Ifill set off on a solo run which left Pedj Bojic in his wake, but the striker's rifled twenty-five yarder fizzed narrowly past the left-hand post of Redmayne, whose distribution of the ball was a feature of the Mariners' play. It was Bojic who sparked the home team's next meaningful attack, his hoisted ball forward in the 33rd minute being flicked on by Matt Simon into the feet of Mrdja, who muscled his way in between Wellington's central defenders, only for Reddy to race off his line and block the striker's shot at close quarters. Two minutes later, Wellington should have opened the scoring. Tim Brown found himself in space on the right following a quickly taken free-kick, and clipped in a measured cross to the far post which was tailor-made for the fast-arriving figure of Lia to head home from point-blank range. Porter had other ideas, however, and got in ahead of the midfielder to head clear from beneath his crossbar. It was a let-off for the Mariners, and one they looked to exploit seven minutes before half-time. Hutchinson and Mrdja combined on the left, with the latter's hanging cross being flicked on by Simon for McGlinchey, who was racing into the penalty area in support. Lochhead thwarted his All White team-mate's intentions, however, and sparked a counter-attack which saw Manny Muscat - back from suspension - and Brown weave an opening for Adrian Caceres to enjoy. On receipt of a delightful pass on his old stamping ground, the striker darted through into the danger zone, only for Redmayne to race off his line and save at his feet. The game hinged on two penalty incidents, one either side of half-time. It's fair to say Matthew Breeze isn't the Central Coast supporters' favourite referee at the best of times, and he gave them another reason to find fault with his officiating a minute before the interval, when ignoring calls for what appeared to be a clear-cut penalty as Lochhead sent Simon tumbling to earth as the striker dashed into the area in pursuit of the ball.

Two minutes after the action resumed following the half-time break, the referee rightly pointed to the penalty spot after a slick one-two between Caceres and Lochhead had seen the former fire a cross into the near post for Ifill, who was swiftly upended by a poorly timed and conceived challenge from behind by Bojic - it was even more clear-cut than the earlier Simon incident, if that was possible! Ifill picked himself up, dusted himself down, placed the ball on the spot and planted it beyond the despairing dive of Redmayne to open the scoring - 1-0 Wellington. Central Coast should have been level within three minutes, when Simon, who had a game he will wish to forget, missed an absolute sitter from inside the six-yard box! Porter's sweeping cross-field ball picked out Hutchinson on the left, and his cross into the near post area saw Simon win the aerial duel with a couple of defenders, then find himself with the ball at his feet on the edge of the goal area with Reddy scrambling to cover the yawning gap between himself and his near post. Simon's eyes were like saucers, such was the situation. Sadly for the home team, his feet didn't respond in like manner, the striker contriving to stumble at the vital moment and steer the ball past the post. It wasn't getting any better for Simon on the hour mark, as his stray pass was swooped on by Muscat, who instantly brought Caceres into play on the left. The ex-Mariner was relishing the opportunity to excel at his old team's expense, and on this occasion he raced forward before unleashing a thumping drive which Redmayne tipped over the crossbar. Mrdja and Ifill exchanged headers over the crossbar inside the next ten minutes, the former failing to do justice to a Porter cross after the fullback had rampaged down the right once more, while the latter was unmarked when picked out by Leo Bertos. The Mariners were looking increasingly toothless - it wasn't hard to see why they had failed to score in nine matches prior to this one this season, a feat only Adelaide United come close to matching. Once Wellington doubled their advantage ten minutes from time, there was no way back for the home team, who were undone by a former Mariner. Lochhead's pinpoint cross-field ball found Caceres roaming freely on the right. He led a couple of defenders a merry dance on his way into the penalty area before deftly back-heeling the ball into the path of Ifill, who thundered a vicious fifteen yard drive under the diving figure of Redmayne and into the bottom far corner of the net - 2-0, game over. Wellington came close to adding a third goal five minutes later, substitute Diego Walsh poking a shot past the post after linking with Bertos. Redmayne's resulting goal-kick sparked a riposte from the Mariners which just about summed up their evening - plenty of hard work by Mrdja, who did well to work an opening while surrounded by defenders, but another woeful finish, this time by McGlinchey, whose seven-yard snapshot on the turn sailed past the post. Victory was well received by the Wellingtonians, who hadn't won for six weeks and were starting to drop off the play-offs pace. That is the problem now facing Central Coast, and with games running out - they have played one game more than the majority of teams above them - it's one they need to resolve sooner rather than later. Central Coast:     Redmayne; Porter (booked, 66), Bojic, Wilkinson, Clark (Lewis, 63); Travis (Nikas, 70), Crowell, McGlinchey, Hutchinson; Simon (booked, 51) (Macallister, 65), Mrdja (booked, 61) Wellington:     Reddy; Hearfield (booked, 90), McKain (booked, 58), Durante, Lochhead; Lia, Muscat, Brown (Walsh, 74); Bertos, Ifill (Barbarouses, 83), Caceres (Rojas, 90) Referee:     Matthew Breeze