Wellington Phoenix coach Mark Rudan plans to bring in more talent to supplement his rising squad and their list of shrewd overseas signings and quirky characters.
Phoenix' coach Mark Rudan. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Phoenix moved up to fifth in the A-League standings after equalling their club-record unbeaten run of seven games with a 3-2 away win over Western Sydney.
Rudan felt they hadn't played well and was miffed at allowing two goals from corners.
Wellington twice conceded a lead, the second time in the 84th minute, but Rudan praised his players for not allowing their heads to drop, with striker Roy Krishna securing a dramatic win with his second goal just before the end.
Rudan wasn't fussed about the unbeaten streak which will rise to record proportions if Phoenix scores a home win over winless last-placed Central Coast next Saturday.
"Records, that sort of stuff, it really doesn't bother us, it's not a focus for us," Rudan said.
"For us it's about building, but it's a long way to go in terms of where we can get to."
Asked if they will look for more players in the January transfer window after signing Republic of Ireland international forward Cillian Sheridan, Rudan said: "We have not stopped looking for players and we will add."
Sheridan made an impact in his Phoenix debut off the bench on Tuesday, helping to set up both of Krishna's second-half goals.
Rudan was impressed Sheridan had taken himself out of his comfort zone by playing in Poland, Cyprus, and Bulgaria.
"Not many people from the UK decide to do that, that tells me enough about the character," Rudan said.
"This guy is willing to go through some tough times in order to find success for himself, that's really important."
Rudan has already had one big import success story this season, with Polish goalkeeper and acrobatic showman Filip Kurto, who pulled off a crucial one-on- one save late in Tuesday's game.
"I like characters, I really do, I think we've gone way too far down the other way about players not being able to express themselves and being who they are," Rudan said of Kurto.
"Cillian, there's a lot of talk about what he does on social media, he's got a podcast and all that sort of stuff.
"So long as it doesn't affect their performance that's the most important thing."
The Phoenix next play the Central Coast Mariners on Saturday in Wellington.
-AAP/RNZ
