by Pete Petterson (
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I'm a writer blogger who has been resident in the Hutt Valley since the late 1960's. I'm a father, grandfather and great-grandfather. I have seen many people come and go over the years, seen many things good and bad. Time to remember whanau
Wellington's Phoenix held out reigning champions the Melbourne Victory in an A-League match at QBE Stadium on Auckland's North Shore.
In what was a bruising affair, the Phoenix adapted quicker and better to an unfamiliar and tricky surface - described by some as sub-standard - to score two first half goals, the only ones scored, and moved back into the top six in the competition.
westpacstadium.co.nz
While the reigning champions laid seige to the Phoenix goal in the second half trying to find a way back into the game, the home side survived.
The win saw the Wellington Phoenix stretch their unbeaten run in home games away from Westpac Stadium to 14 matches.
The Melbourne Victory were kept scoreless for only the fourth time in 26 matches against the 'Nix.
There were a total of 8 yellow cards dished out by the referee in what was a volatile match.and which threatened to boil over at times.
The referee taking charge of his 50th match tweaked his hamstring with 15 minutes to go and had to be replaced.
The coach Ernie Merrick confirmed he was happy with the team's performance, and also confirmed the club would be looking to bolster its playing roster by signing a new striker in the January 2016 window.
