Wellington Phoenix head coach Bev Priestman has challenged her players to back-up the biggest win in the team’s history.
The Phoenix are visiting Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday night, 10 days on from their record-breaking 7-0 win over Sydney FC at Porirua Park.
Priestman wants the result to be the catalyst for her side’s season.
“I’ve challenged the group this week,” she told media after training on Sunday.
“I think it was a five-nil against Canberra the last time but did they back it up?
“I’ve really emphasised it’s about backing things up and not making that a one-off performance.
“The team seems really focused and we’ve held ourselves to a level this week rather than laidback off the back of a seven-nil win. And I’m really pleased with that.”
Wanderers sit three points adrift at the bottom of the ladder and are coming off a 5-2 defeat in Adelaide on Saturday.
“We have to be prepared that they’re going to be a team that doesn’t want to get that sort of result against them.
“They’re at home and they want to turn the page heading into the New Year.
“We have to respect every team in front of us, and I do think we’ve got a humble team that will.
“The big test is the game coming up. I always do feel like coming off the back of a big result it’s now my job as a coach and the players to keep the standards really high.
“I also think it’s very easy to say ‘oh they’re playing the bottom of the table it’s going to be easy’. It’s not going to be easy.
“That’s the stuff I enjoy that you’ve really got to push a team to find another level, because we’ll have to.”
While the headlines after the Sydney win understandably focused on the seven goals, Priestman was also happy to register another clean sheet.
The Nix have the best defensive record in the competition, conceding just four goals in their opening six matches.
“We’ve done very well defensively. We’ve had errors that have cost us goals but overall we’ve had very few shots against us, on target especially.
“We’re now getting rewarded. I do believe you earn the right to do what we did. We didn’t give up defending in order to score goals.
“We tweaked some things and put more process in that part of the pitch because I do think we have a really good solid foundation.
“For any team to cause us problems they’re going to have to do really well.”
It’s Wellington’s third road match this season. They suffered near identical 1-0 defeats in their previous two.
Priestman believes the team is better for the experience.
“They’ve had some hard lessons and then came back and put that right.
“It’s now about keeping that momentum and keep pushing. And not take anything for granted.
“I think we did everything right heading into the last away games; recovery, mobility, everything. I didn’t think it was poor performances…it was just poor errors that cost us.
“We’ve got to move past that and move on.”
The Phoenix will stay across the ditch after the match as they are playing the Roar in Brisbane on Saturday night.
“It allows you to spend some really good time together.
“Although our last trip we didn’t get the results, maybe we got to see the results when we got home in terms of the togetherness and the partnerships.
“Now it’s about pushing forward.”
Bev Priestman has brought new signing Emma Pijnenburg straight into her touring party.
The Football Ferns midfielder has come into the extended squad in place of centre back Tiana Jaber, who was deemed unready to feature for the first time this season.
The round 10 Ninja A-League match between the Wellington Phoenix and Western Sydney Wanderers is scheduled to kick-off at Wanderers Football Park in Sydney at 9pm Tuesday and will be broadcast LIVE and free-to-air on Sky Open and LIVE on Sky Sport 2 in New Zealand, and on Paramount+ in Australia.
Most recent meeting: 9 March 2025 – Wellington Phoenix 2 Western Sydney Wanderers 1
All-time A-League head to head: Phoenix 5W, Wanderers 1W, 2D.
Wellington Phoenix squad (two to be omitted): 1. Victoria ESSON (gk), 2. CJ BOTT (c), 4. Mackenzie BARRY, 5. Ellie WALKER, 7. Grace JALE, 9. Sabitra BHANDARI, 11. Manaia ELLIOTT, 13. Brooke NEARY (gk), 14. Lucía LEÓN, 15. Daisy BRAZENDALE, 16. Marisa VAN DER MEER, 20. Emma MAIN, 21. Lara WALL, 22. Aimee DANIELI (gk), 23. Brooke NUNN, 24. Pia VLOK, 27. Zoe BENSON, 28. Grace BARTLETT, 32. Emma PIJNENBURG.
Unavailable: 6. Tessel MIDDAG (injured), 8. Macey FRASER (personal reasons), 10. Alyssa WHINHAM (injured), 18. Ella MCCANN (injured).
Western Sydney Wanderers squad (two to be omitted): 2. Janae DEFAZIO, 3. Wang YING, 4. Poppie HOOKS, 5. Milly BENNETT, 6. Amy CHESSARI, 7. Amy HARRISON (c), 8. Olivia PRICE, 9. Kim SOEUN, 10. Yuan CONG, 11. Danika MATOS, 12. Brianna EDWARDS (gk), 14. Ella BUCHANAN, 17. Allyssa NG SAAD, 19. Talia YOUNIS, 20. Sham KHAMIS (gk), 22. Alana CERNE, 25. Holly CASPERS, 37. Ena HARADA, 66. Chloe BERRYHILL.
Main image: Wellington Phoenix players celebrate Grace Jale’s first goal in the 7-0 win over Sydney FC on December 20. Photo: Cam McIntosh/Photomac.
