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Western Sydney Wanderers are bound for a fourth straight A-League season without finals after a poor 2-1 defeat to Wellington Phoenix that has dialled up the pressure on coach Carl Robinson.
The Wanderers remain a remote mathematical chance of finishing in the top six but will need a miracle for it to happen – and if came, they wouldn’t deserve it, having flunked yet another crucial test on Wednesday night at Bankwest Stadium.
Wanderers coach Carl Robinson and Graham Dorrans react at full-time after losing to the Phoenix at Bankwest Stadium.
Credit:Getty
Two first-half goals to Wellington, both conceded from corner kicks, continued Western Sydney’s diabolical handling of set pieces this season, further underlining the doubts over Robinson’s capacity to deliver the success he was brought to the club for.
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Phoenix defender Tim Payne, right, challenges for a header with Adelaide’s Jordan Elsey during last week s 0-0 draw.
Wellington Phoenix believe they will go a long way to achieving a positive result against table toppers Melbourne City if they can silence Golden Boot leader Jamie Maclaren when the two teams meet on Sunday. The lethal Socceroos striker has been scoring for fun this season, netting 22 goals in 20 games for the runaway league leaders, double the next highest scorer on the Golden Boot chart and more than triple the Phoenix’s best. Maclaren’s double against Perth Glory last week saw him become the fastest player in A-League history to reach the 100 goal milestone, achieving the astonishing feat in just 144 appearances.