Wellington Phoenix
2023–24 season
ChairmanRob Morrison
ManagerGiancarlo Italiano
StadiumSky Stadium
A-League Men2nd
Australia CupRound of 16
Top goalscorerLeague: Kosta Barbarouses (6)
All: Kosta Barbarouses (6)
Highest home attendance8,327
vs. Melbourne City
(25 November 2023)
A-League Men
Lowest home attendance4,395
vs. Newcastle Jets
(9 December 2023)
A-League Men
Average home league attendance6,624
Biggest win5–2
vs. Brisbane Roar (H)
(4 November 2023)
A-League Men
3–0
vs Macarthur FC (H)
(18 December 2023)
A-League Men
Biggest defeat0–3
vs. Melbourne City (A)
(27 August 2023)
Australia Cup
0–3
vs. Newcastle Jets (H)
(9 December 2023)
A-League Men
All statistics correct as of 4 January 2024.

The 2023–24 season is the 17th in the history of Wellington Phoenix Football Club. In addition to the domestic league, the club is participating in the Australia Cup for the ninth time.

Overview

Pre-season

On 14 April 2023, it was announced that Ufuk Talay would depart the club at the end of the season. The following week, assistant coach Giancarlo Italiano was announced as the next head coach on a 2-year deal.[1][2]

On 10 May, the Phoenix announced the departures of eight players, including vice-captain Oliver Sail, Clayton Lewis, Steven Ugarkovic and Callan Elliot.[3]

On 11 May, the Phoenix announced their first signing of the off-season in Mohamed Al-Taay on a two-year deal from the Newcastle Jets.[4] On 18 May, it was announced that Nicholas Pennington had signed a one-year contract extension with the club.[5] On 9 June, the Phoenix announced the signing of Jack Duncan on a one-year deal.[6]

On 6 July, the Phoenix signed academy player Lukas Kelly-Heald on a four-year professional contract.[7] On 2 August, it was announced that Reserves midfielder Fin Conchie had signed a three-year professional contract with the club.[8] On 13 September, the club announced the signing of their academy captain Isaac Hughes on a two-year professional deal.[9] On 27 September, the Phoenix announced their final off-season signing in 17-year old Lukas Supyk, who had only joined the club's academy 5 months prior, on a three-year deal.[10] Despite initial criticism, these signings came as a result of the club putting greater emphasis on developing young New Zealand players.[11]

The Phoenix would made a positive start to pre-season with a 5–1 win over Western Suburbs in their first friendly. They would then go on to beat Wellington Olymic twice with an aggregate score of 5–1.

Australia Cup

The Phoenix progressed to the Round of 16 of the Australia Cup after a 2–1 win over NPL side Peninsula Power.[12] However, they would then succumb to a 3–0 loss against Melbourne City in the Round of 16, getting eliminated from the cup campaign in the process.[13]

A–League Men

The Phoenix are set to kick off their season on 22 October against the Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney.[14]

Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 DF New Zealand NZL Finn Surman
4 DF England ENG Scott Wootton
5 MF New Zealand NZL Fin Conchie
6 DF New Zealand NZL Tim Payne
7 FW New Zealand NZL Kosta Barbarouses
8 MF New Zealand NZL Ben Old
9 FW Poland POL Oskar Zawada
10 FW England ENG David Ball
11 MF Bulgaria BUL Bozhidar Kraev
12 MF Iraq IRQ Mohamed Al-Taay
14 MF New Zealand NZL Alex Rufer (captain)
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 MF Australia AUS Nicholas Pennington
18 DF New Zealand NZL Lukas Kelly-Heald
19 DF New Zealand NZL Sam Sutton
23 FW New Zealand NZL Luke Supyk (scholarship)
24 FW New Zealand NZL Oskar van Hattum
25 GK Australia AUS Jack Duncan
26 DF New Zealand NZL Isaac Hughes
30 GK New Zealand NZL Alby Kelly-Heald (scholarship)
40 GK New Zealand NZL Alex Paulsen
43 DF New Zealand NZL Matthew Sheridan (scholarship)

Transfers

Transfers in

No. Position Player Transferred from Type/fee Contract length Date Ref.
12 MF Iraq Mohamed Al-Taay Newcastle Jets Free transfer 2 years 11 May 2023 [15]
25 GK Australia Jack Duncan Newcastle Jets Free transfer 1 year 9 June 2023 [16]

Transfers out

No. Position Player Transferred to Type/fee Date Ref.
23 MF Clayton Lewis Unattached End of contract 9 May 2023 [17]
5 MF Australia Steven Ugarkovic Unattached End of contract 10 May 2023 [17]
12 DF Australia Lucas Mauragis Newcastle Jets End of loan 10 May 2023 [18]
15 DF Nikko Boxall Unattached End of contract 10 May 2023 [18]
17 DF Callan Elliot Unattached End of contract 10 May 2023 [18]
20 GK Oliver Sail Unattached End of contract 10 May 2023 [17]
21 DF Australia Joshua Laws Unattached End of contract 10 May 2023 [18]
31 MF Brazil Yan Sasse Unattached End of contract 10 May 2023 [18]

From youth squad

N
 Pos.
 Nat.
 Name
 Age
 Notes
18 DF New Zealand Lukas Kelly-Heald18 4-year senior contract[19]
5 MF New Zealand Fin Conchie19 3-year senior contract[20]
26 DF New Zealand Isaac Hughes19 2-year senior contract[21]
23 FW New Zealand Luke Supyk17 3-year contract, the first two of which are on scholarship terms.[22]
30 GK New Zealand Alby Kelly-Heald18 3.5-year scholarship contract[23]
43 DF New Zealand Matthew Sheridan19 1.5-year scholarship contract[23]

Contract extensions

No. Player Position Duration Date Notes Ref.
13 Australia Nicholas Pennington Central midfielder 1 year 18 May 2023 [24]
40 Alex Paulsen Goalkeeper 3 years 2 November 2023 Contract extended from end of 2023–24 until end of 2026–27. [25]
8 Ben Old Attacking midfielder 3 years 22 November 2023 Contract extended from end of 2023–24 until end of 2026–27. [26]

Pre-season and friendlies

26 July 2023 Wellington Phoenix 5–1 New Zealand Western Suburbs Wellington
 Report
  •  ? ?'
 Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
19 August 2023 Wellington Phoenix 2–0 New Zealand Wellington Olympic Wellington
 Report Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
16 September 2023 Wellington Phoenix 3–1 New Zealand Wellington Olympic Wellington
Report Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
7 October 2023 Newcastle Jets 2–2 Wellington Phoenix Sydney
 Report
Stadium: Valentine Sports Park
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
14 October 2023 Melbourne Victory 0–1 Wellington Phoenix Melbourne
Report
Stadium: City Vista Pavilion and Sports Field
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)

Competitions

Overall record

Competition First match Last match Starting round Final position Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
A-League Men 22 October 2023 27 April 2024 Matchday 1 11 6 3 2 18 12 +6 054.55
Australia Cup 4 August 2023 27 August 2023 Round of 32 Round of 16 2 1 0 1 2 4 −2 050.00
Total 13 7 3 3 20 16 +4 053.85

Last updated: 4 January 2024
Source: Soccerway

A-League Men

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Melbourne Victory 12 6 6 0 25 14 +11 24 Qualification for AFC Champions League Elite and Finals series
2 Western Sydney Wanderers 12 6 3 3 20 12 +8 21 Qualification for Finals series[lower-alpha 1]
3 Wellington Phoenix[lower-alpha 2] 11 6 3 2 18 12 +6 21
4 Central Coast Mariners 12 5 3 4 23 18 +5 18
5 Adelaide United 13 5 3 5 27 23 +4 18
Updated to match(es) played on 13 January 2024. Source: A-Leagues
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) wins; 3) goal difference; 4) goals scored; 5) head-to-head results; 5a) head-to-head points; 5b) head-to-head goal difference; 6) Fair Play points; 7) away goal difference; 8) away goals per match; 9) home goal difference; 10) home goals per match; 11) toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.[27][28]
Notes:
  1. ↑ The top two teams enter the finals series at the semi-finals, while the teams ranked third to sixth enter the finals series at the elimination-finals.
  2. ↑ Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for Asian Football Confederation competitions as they are based in New Zealand, which is under the Oceania Football Confederation.

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
11 6 3 2 18 12  +6 21 4 0 1 10 6  +4 2 3 1 8 6  +2

Last updated: 4 January 2024.
Source: Ultimate A-League

Results by round

Round1234567891011271314151617181920212223242526
GroundAHHAHAHAHAANHAAHAAHAHHAHAH
ResultDWWDWWLWWLD
Position84332131112
Points147811141417202021
Updated to match(es) played on 4 January 2024. Source: Ultimate A-League
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

22 October 2023 1 Western Sydney Wanderers 0–0 Wellington Phoenix Sydney
15:00 AEDT Report Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 10,468
Referee: Ben Abraham
28 October 2023 2 Wellington Phoenix 2–1 Perth Glory Wellington
17:30 NZDT
Report
Stadium: Sky Stadium
Attendance: 6,101
Referee: Daniel Elder
4 November 2023 3 Wellington Phoenix 5–2 Brisbane Roar Wellington
17:30 NZDT
Report
Stadium: Sky Stadium
Attendance: 7,003
Referee: Jack Morgan
10 November 2023 4 Melbourne Victory 1–1 Wellington Phoenix Melbourne
19:45 AEDT
Report
Stadium: AAMI Park
Attendance: 10,583
Referee: Shaun Evans
25 November 2023 5 Wellington Phoenix 1–0 Melbourne City Auckland
17:30 NZDT
Report Stadium: Go Media Stadium
Attendance: 8,327
Referee: Lachlan Keevers
2 December 2023 6 Western United 0–1 Wellington Phoenix Ballarat
15:30 AEDT Report
Stadium: Mars Stadium
Attendance: 2,043
Referee: Tim Danaskos
9 December 2023 7 Wellington Phoenix 0–3 Newcastle Jets Wellington
19:30 NZDT Report
Stadium: Sky Stadium
Attendance: 4,395
Referee: Jonathan Barreiro
18 December 2023 8 Macarthur FC 0–3 Wellington Phoenix Sydney
19:00 AEDT Report
Stadium: Campbelltown Stadium
Attendance: 4,893
Referee: Alex King
23 December 2023 9 Wellington Phoenix 2–0 Western Sydney Wanderers Wellington
17:30 NZDT
Report Stadium: Sky Stadium
Attendance: 7,294
Referee: Casey Reibelt
29 December 2023 10 Sydney FC 3–1 Wellington Phoenix Sydney
19:45 AEDT
Report
Stadium: Allianz Stadium
Attendance: 14,343
Referee: Alireza Faghani
4 January 2024 11 Adelaide United 2–2 Wellington Phoenix Adelaide
19:15 ACDT
Report
Stadium: Coopers Stadium
Attendance: 11,187
Referee: Jonathan Barreiro
14 January 2024 27 Perth Glory v Wellington Phoenix Sydney
19:45 AEDT Report Stadium: CommBank Stadium
19 January 2024 13 Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory Wellington
19:00 NZDT Report Stadium: Sky Stadium
27 January 2024 14 Newcastle Jets v Wellington Phoenix Newcastle
18:00 AEDT Report Stadium: McDonald Jones Stadium
2 February 2024 15 Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix Brisbane
18:45 AEST Report Stadium: Suncorp Stadium
10 February 2024 16 Wellington Phoenix v Western United Wellington
17:30 NZDT Report Stadium: Sky Stadium
16 February 2024 17 Macarthur FC v Wellington Phoenix Sydney
19:45 AEDT Report Stadium: Campbelltown Stadium
24 February 2024 18 Perth Glory v Wellington Phoenix Perth
18:45 AWST Report Stadium: HBF Park
3 March 2024 19 Wellington Phoenix v Adelaide United Wellington
17:00 NZDT Report Stadium: Sky Stadium
9 March 2024 20 Melbourne City v Wellington Phoenix Melbourne
17:30 AEDT Report Stadium: AAMI Park
16 March 2024 21 Wellington Phoenix v Sydney FC TBC
17:30 NZDT Report Stadium: TBC
29 March 2024 22 Wellington Phoenix v Brisbane Roar Wellington
19:00 NZDT Report Stadium: Sky Stadium
6 April 2024 23 Central Coast Mariners v Wellington Phoenix Gosford
TBC Report Stadium: Industree Group Stadium
12 April 2024 24 Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory Wellington
19:00 NZDT Report Stadium: Sky Stadium
19 April 2024 25 Newcastle Jets v Wellington Phoenix Newcastle
19:45 AEST Report Stadium: McDonald Jones Stadium
27 April 2024 26 Wellington Phoenix v Macarthur FC Wellington
TBC Report Stadium: Sky Stadium
29 April 2024 12 Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners Wellington
17:00 NZDT Report Stadium: Sky Stadium

Australia Cup

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

4 August 2023 Round of 32 Pensinula Power Queensland 1–2 (a.e.t.) Wellington Phoenix Brisbane
19:30 AEST
  • Greenwood 71'
 Report
Stadium: A.J. Kelly Park
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Shane Skinner
27 August 2023 Round of 16 Melbourne City 3–0 Wellington Phoenix Melbourne
14:00 AEST
Report Stadium: Jack Edwards Reserve
Attendance: 1,153
Referee: Lachlan Keevers

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Includes all competitions. Players with no appearances not included in the list.

As of 4 January 2024
No. Pos. Nat. Player A-League Men Australia Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
3 DF New Zealand Finn Surman 110 20 130
4 MF England Scott Wooton 110 1+10 130
5 MF New Zealand Fin Conchie 0+40 00 40
6 DF New Zealand Tim Payne 111 20 131
7 FW New Zealand Kosta Barbarouses 116 20 136
8 MF New Zealand Ben Old 4+72 00 112
9 FW Poland Oskar Zawada 5+14 20 74
10 FW England David Ball 6+30 0+10 100
11 MF Bulgaria Bozhidar Kraev 114 20 134
12 MF Iraq Mohamed Al-Taay 7+40 10 120
14 MF New Zealand Alex Rufer 110 20 130
15 MF Australia Nicholas Pennington 110 21 131
18 DF New Zealand Lukas Kelly-Heald 8+20 20 120
19 MF New Zealand Sam Sutton 3+60 0+10 100
23 FW New Zealand Luke Supyk 0+20 0+10 30
24 FW New Zealand Oskar van Hattum 0+40 10 50
26 DF New Zealand Isaac Hughes 0+20 0+10 30
34 FW New Zealand Josh Rudland 00 1+11 21
36 FW New Zealand Ben Wallace 00 0+10 10
40 GK New Zealand Alex Paulsen 110 20 130
41 FW New Zealand Kaelin Nguyen 00 0+10 10
42 FW New Zealand Fergus Gillion 0+10 0+10 20
43 DF New Zealand Matthew Sheridan 0+10 00 10
52 MF New Zealand Jackson Manuel 0+10 00 10

Disciplinary record

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total cards are equal. Players with no cards not included in the list.

As of 4 January 2024
Rank No. Pos. Nat. Name A-League Men Australia Cup Total
Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card
1 14 MF New Zealand Alex Rufer 400 100 500
2 7 FW New Zealand Kosta Barbarouses 300 100 400
15 MF Australia Nicholas Pennington 300 100 400
4 9 FW Poland Oskar Zawada 200 000 200
11 MF Bulgaria Bozhidar Kraev 200 000 200
19 MF New Zealand Sam Sutton 200 000 200
7 3 DF New Zealand Finn Surman 100 000 100
6 DF New Zealand Tim Payne 100 000 100
18 DF New Zealand Lukas Kelly-Heald 100 000 100
24 FW New Zealand Oskar van Hattum 100 000 100
40 GK New Zealand Alex Paulsen 100 000 100
Total 2100 300 2400

Clean sheets

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total clean sheets are equal. Numbers in parentheses represent games where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start of play. Goalkeepers with no clean sheets not included in the list.

As of 4 January 2024
Rank No. Nat. Goalkeeper A-League Men Australia Cup Total
1 40 New Zealand Alex Paulsen 50 5
Total303

Awards

Players

No. Pos. Player Award Source
40GK New Zealand Alex Paulsen A-League Men Player of the Month (October/November) [29]

Managers

Manager Award Source
Australia Giancarlo Italiano A-League Men Coach of the Month (October/November) [30]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rollo, Phillip. "Ufuk Talay to finish up at Wellington Phoenix; new coach announced next week". Stuff.
  2. ↑ Pine, Jason. "Wellington Phoenix appoint Giancarlo Italiano to replace Ufuk Talay as men's head coach". The New Zealand Herald.
  3. ↑ "Men farewell departing players". Wellington Phoenix.
  4. ↑ "Men make first off-season signing". Wellington Phoenix.
  5. ↑ "Pennington signs on for another season". Wellington Phoenix.
  6. ↑ "Experienced 'keeper joins the Nix". Wellington Phoenix.
  7. ↑ "Nix sign young Wellington defender to landmark deal". Wellington Phoenix.
  8. ↑ "Reserves midfielder signs maiden pro contract". Wellington Phoenix.
  9. ↑ "Reserves captain graduates into the first team". Wellington Phoenix.
  10. ↑ "Nix sign NZ U-17 international to long-term deal". Wellington Phoenix.
  11. ↑ Rollo, Phillip. "Wellington Phoenix coach on board with club's new strategy". Stuff.
  12. ↑ "Wellington Phoenix debutants star with winning goal in extra-time Australia Cup strike". Stuff.
  13. ↑ Rollo, Phillip. "Former player Steven Ugarkovic haunts Wellington Phoenix in Australia Cup". Wellington Phoenix.
  14. ↑ "Feast of football continues in the capital". Wellington Phoenix.
  15. ↑ "Men make first off season signing". Wellington Phoenix. 11 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "Experienced 'keeper joins the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. 9 June 2023.
  17. 1 2 3 Rollo, Phillip (3 March 2023). "Wellington Phoenix exodus: Oli Sail, Clayton Lewis and Steven Ugarkovic to leave next season". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 "Men farewell departing players". Wellington Phoenix. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "Nix sign young Wellington defender to landmark deal". Wellington Phoenix. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  20. ↑ "Reserves midfielder signs maiden pro contract". Wellington Phoenix. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  21. ↑ "Reserves captain graduates into the first team". Wellington Phoenix. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  22. ↑ "Nix sign NZ U-17 international to long-term deal". Wellington Phoenix. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Academy duo secure scholarship contracts". Wellington Phoenix. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  24. ↑ "Pennington sign on for another season". Wellington Phoenix. 18 May 2023.
  25. ↑ "Young 'keeper shows his love for the club by committing long-term". Wellington Phoenix. 2 November 2023.
  26. ↑ "Young Auckland midfielder recommits to the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. 22 November 2023.
  27. ↑ "A-League Competition rules". A-Leagues. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023.
  28. ↑ "Explained: Why the A-Leagues ladder sorting rules have changed this season". A-Leagues. 2 January 2024. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024.
  29. ↑ "Presenting the first Isuzu UTE A-League Fan Player of the Month for 2023/24... Alex Paulsen! 🧤🔥". A-Leagues Facebook. 5 December 2023.
  30. ↑ "Talk about a dream start to life as a head coach for Giancarlo Italiano 🤩🔥". A-Leagues Facebook. 5 December 2023.
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