A last-gasp penalty from the soon-to-depart Shane Smeltz fired bottom-of-the-table Wellington Phoenix to a deserved 2-1 victory over the under-achieving Sydney FC in their Hyundai A-League eleventh round encounter at Sydney Football Stadium on 7 November. The Kiwi combination took the game to their over-rated opponents, the description of Sydney particularly appropriate given their performance in this match. The perceived impression was of the 'we only have to turn up against this lot to win' variety … what materialised was further proof that three points are earned, not bought, and you have to do better than go through the motions to secure them. Tony Lochhead's early twenty-five yarder reflected Wellington's bright start, but like so many of the New Zealand team's displays, they enjoyed plenty of possession, but rarely gave their opponents' goalkeeper genuine cause for concern. Steve Corica led the home team's response, spraying the ball across to Shannon Cole in the twelfth minute. His cross picked out Alex Brosque, who directed a tame header at Mark Paston. Cole then wasted a set-piece opportunity after Brosque had been taken out after the ball had gone, with the infringed-upon striker going close soon after, following a right royal mix-up between Ben Sigmund and Paston, who ignored his defender's calls to "Come fetch" and ended up being caught in no man's land as Brosque darted in between them. A timely tackle by Sigmund did enough to put off the Sydney striker in this seventeenth minute incident, which wasn't the only mistake Paston was to make in this match - he had a shocker! Five minutes later, Corica did Lochhead a treat on the right flank before attempting to pick out Brosque. Sigmund headed the danger away, but only as far as Mark Bridge, whose effectiveness for Sydney in this match rivalled that of Paston for Wellington. The striker's shot careered well wide of the far post. In the 28th minute, Bridge combined with Terry McFlynn on the left. The midfielder hoisted an inviting cross towards the far post, where fullback Beau Busch was arriving after racing in off the right wing. His header reflected Sydney's performance - it failed to hit the target. Sydney were to pay for their profligacy in the 33rd minute. Smeltz crossed from the left, forcing the home team's goalkeeper, Ivan Necevski, into action for the first time in the match. He pawed the ball out to the flank, where Tim Brown assumed possession. The midfielder's cross to the near post picked out the darting angled run of Leo Bertos, whose glancing header sent the ball bulleting into the top far corner of the net past a started Necevski, and silenced the restless Sydney crowd, save for the hundred-odd Yellow Fever fans among the 12,856 folk in attendance. Stung, Sydney looked to get back on level terms before half-time. Six minutes prior to the break, McFlynn fired over a cross to the far post, Cole his target. Paston came out and feebly punched the ball against the striker, riding his luck with the ricochet. After the interval, only one team came out giving the impression that they wanted to win this match, and to the home fans' surprise, it was Wellington, for whom this was by some distance their best display of the season to date.

Within five minutes of the resumption, Lochhead released Bertos down the left and steamed up in support of the striker, who utilised the outlet the fullback offered him. Lochhead's cross wasn't cleared, and Michael Ferrante's twenty yard volley, one he executed excellently given the degree of difficulty involved, was smothered low to his left by Necevski. Five minutes later, Jon McKain's raking ball forward sent Bertos buccaneering down the left once more. Again, Lochhead backed his team-mate up, and on receipt of the ball this time round simply smacked the leather off it. His shot crashed into the side-netting, just like that of Bertos just shy of the hour mark, after Smeltz had got to the by-line upon receipt of a throw-in and set up his front-running partner. Sydney weren't playing to anything like their potential. Perhaps coach John Kosmina should expend more energy on doing his job and getting the best out of his players, rather than goading opponents with comments which speak volumes about the true character of someone who, in his prime, was one of Australia's foremost footballers. It took a 68th minute free-kick from Bridge to rouse the home team into life, the striker's effort curling low round the wall and past the left-hand post of Paston. Wellington's goalkeeper looked on seven minutes later as McFlynn thundered a twenty yard volley narrowly past his right-hand post after Bridge had turned provider with a right wing run past two. But Paston was made to look clumsy in the 77th minute, as Sydney drew level. Latching onto a headed clearance, Stuart Musialik let fly from twenty-five yards with an effort the 'keeper should have saved, no question. But he was still diving to his left when the ball hit the net behind him - come back, Glen Moss, all is forgiven! Wellington's frailties are such that, upon conceding a goal of this nature, many would have expected Sydney to go on and win the game. And when a defensive collision left two visiting players on the deck, and Corica with just Paston to beat, it looked like that script would be played out. But a desperate Karl Dodd saved the day for Wellington, and inspired them to storm up-field and chase an unlikely winner. They got it, too, in the last minute of the match. Smeltz swooped on a pathetic Tony Popovic throw-in and raced down the right. Sydney's captain raced back to cover in an attempt to make up for his error, but his hands again proved to be his downfall, as he parried the ball back to Necevski, who saved on the line. Sydney, to a man, bawled at referee Craig Zetter regarding the matter of intent, but the official wasn't having a bar of their arguments, and resolutely pointed to the penalty spot. Smeltz doesn't miss from twelve yards - 2-1 Wellington, their second victory in as many matches at the home of the A-League's biggest spenders, this one lifting them off the bottom of the table in the process. Sydney:     Necevski; Busch, Prentice, Popovic, Golec; Brosque (Aloisi, 74), Musialik, Corica, McFlynn, Cole (Fyfe, 61); Bridge Wellington:     Paston; Muscat, Sigmund, Dodd, Lochhead; Brown, McKain, Hearfield (Barbarouses, 78), Ferrante; Smeltz, Bertos (Coveny, 90) Referee:     Craig Zetter