14 Apr 2015

Phoenix miss chance to go top

11:59 am on 14 April 2015

The Wellington Phoenix missed a chance to regain first place on the A-League ladder but did close in on the frontrunners after a scoreless draw away to Melbourne City.

Ben Sigmund salutes the crowd

Ben Sigmund salutes the crowd Photo: Photosport

Seeking to bounce back from two consecutive 3-0 defeats in their last two matches, Ernie Merrick's side had a Nathan Burns penalty saved and spurned some serviceable opportunities in the round 25 clash in Melbourne.

The hosts passed up plenty of good chances themselves in a frustrating but entertaining stalemate.

Sixth placed Melbourne City were already assured of a finals berth prior to the game courtesy of Perth Glory's disqualification on Friday for breaching the salary cap.

They can't however finish any higher than the final playoff spot.

The fifth placed Phoenix are also guaranteed a finals berth but they're just one point behind leaders Melbourne Victory, meaning the Wellingtonians still have a chance to finish top of the league.

The Phoenix will be disappointed in the draw, as they failed to close in on what would be an historic first Minor Premiership for the New Zealand side.

"It was pretty up and down. We started a bit shaky, a bit nervous perhaps but when we hit our straps there we looked good," said the Wellington goalkeeper Glen Moss.

"The last couple of weeks were horrible to be fair so it's a good way to bounce back and get a point at a tough place to come."

The Melbourne City captain Patrick Kisnorbo said the result could have gone either way.

"It was an open game, both teams had chances but obviously neither of us capitalised. All in all it was good to get a point. We take the positives out of it, we kept a clean sheet and we're creating chances to score."

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