A second-half penalty from Adam le Fondre has been enough to give Sydney FC a pressure-relieving 1-0 A-League victory over Wellington in Campbelltown.
Phoenix striker David Williams Photo: Photosport
The Sky Blues' frustrating month looked set to continue on Saturday evening after they failed to convert a number of clear-cut opportunities.
However, substitute Alex Brosque made an instant impact after drawing a foul from Phoenix goalkeeper Filip Kurto in the 65th minute.
And le Fondre made no mistake from the spot, blasting over a flat-footed Kurto to kick out momentarily to a two-goal lead in the golden boot race.
His clutch delivery would've provided a sigh of relief for coach Steve Corica, whose side have fumbled their way to just one win in their previous four matches.
For the Phoenix, however, the defeat continues their own barren run that has yielded just one win in their past six games.
This season's surprise packets had a handful of looks at an equaliser, however Cillian Sheridan, Max Burgess and Alex Rufer all were denied.
Mark Rudan's side remain delicately placed in sixth - six points ahead of Newcastle, who face Adelaide on Sunday afternoon.
And the loss was soured by a suspected season-ending knee injury to defender Dylan Fox, who was taken off on a stretcher in the first half.
Wellington had moved their home game to the western Sydney ground because of a festival, and a lack of available alternative venues.
And the meagre 5115 crowd, made up primarily of Sky Blues fans, would've feared another frustrating performance after the opening period.
The chances flowed early and often for Sydney FC, with Reza Ghoochannejhad and le Fondre setting each other up for misses inside the opening 20 minutes.
Wellington weren't without their own opportunities, and thought they had the opener when Michal Kopczynski acted quickest to a ricochet.
However, the Sky Blues were bailed out after Kopczynski was ruled offside, despite the keeper well clear of his goalmouth.
The Phoenix defender was caught just in between two Sydney FC players coming off their own goal line.
-AAP
