Phoenix demonstrate depth with draw

Wellington Phoenix's youngsters stepped up on Sunday, showing grit and determination in sneaking a point off A-League leaders Brisbane Roar.

With seven frontline players missing through injury or suspension, Wellington's depth came under close scrutiny in cool, blustery conditions at Westpac Stadium.

Although a win would have been preferable, Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick was happy enough with a scoreless draw.

"Under the circumstances, that was an outstanding performance by our inexperienced squad," he said.

The return of Albert Riera from suspension made a huge difference, particularly defensively.

The Spaniard marshalled the midfield superbly in tandem with Vince Lia, and with solid support from 19-year-old Matt Ridenton down the right.

With striker Roy Krishna sidelined by injury for three months, Merrick was impressed with Michael McGlinchey's relentless work in the attacking third, well backed up by Blake Powell and Jeffrey Sarpong.

But the most satisfying performances came on defence, where mainstays Manny Muscat (suspension) and Ben Sigmund (injury) were missing in action.

Skipper Andrew Durante, with 234 A-League matches to his credit, provided a huge amount of invaluable experience for Dylan Fox, Justin Gulley and Troy Danaskos to call on.

"The back four, other than Dura, had nine A-League games to their credit," Merrick said, pointing in particular to 21-year-old Fox.

"He's got all the qualities - he's almost like an old-fashioned British centreback that wins the ball in the air, and he can put in a tackle.

"There's no doubt he's got a big future with this club."

Almost as important as sneaking a point from the Roar was managing to come through the match without any of Wellington's three players on four yellow cards adding a fifth.

The Phoenix missed Muscat - serving the first game in a two-match ban - at the back, and were also without Roly Bonevacia and Alex Rodriguez in the midfield after they accumulated five yellow cards.

Durante, Riera and Lia all kept clean sheets, much to Merrick's relief, and will take the field against Newcastle Jets next week.

"Last year, we won the fair play away - I don't want to win that again, but I don't want as many suspensions either."