Wellington Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert will put his faith in
his youngsters, with teenagers Louis Fenton and Tyler Boyd
set to start against the Central Coast Mariners at Westpac
Stadium tomorrow night.
Fenton has made nine starts already this season but Boyd has
been limited to 283 minutes across 11 appearances off the
bench.
Paul Ifill's ankle injury has opened up one spot, and Belgian
striker Stein Huysegems is the player most likely to make way
to allow the pair, who Herbert describe as the future of the
club, to start a senior game together for the first time.
Jeremy Brockie will also return to the starting line-up after
missing last weekend's 3-1 loss to Adelaide United with a
hamstring injury.
Fenton and Boyd are both graduates from the club's school of
excellence and Herbert said their selection showed the
direction the Phoenix wanted to go in.
"I think it's pretty clear for everybody to see where we are
heading and that's going to take a bit of time and some parts
we'll get right, some parts we won't at the moment," Herbert
said.
"But I think it's visible, it's tangible and it's pretty
exciting really, if I'm honest. So we'll let these young ones
cut loose tomorrow. I think it's a chance for those young
ones to shine."
Midfielder Dani Sanchez took a limited part in training today
due to a toe niggle but is expected to play tomorrow and
Andrew Durante is fit to play after he missed the second half
of the defeat to Adelaide after his calf tightened up at
halftime.
The Mariners, who lead the A-League, come to Wellington in
good form following a comfortable 2-0 win over Melbourne
Heart last week and beat the Phoenix 1-0 at the Cake Tin
earlier in the season.
The Phoenix are seventh on the A-League ladder after 11
rounds.
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.