'Terrible' Wanderers can only improve after dismal display, says Mark Bridge
Western Sydney Wanderers forward Mark Bridge believes his teammates were at their very worst against Melbourne City last week and have to answer their critics by breaking their winless run on Sunday against Wellington Phoenix at Sportingbet Stadium.
The Wanderers were put to the sword by an Aaron Mooy-inspired City outfit, who won 2-1 but the margin could easily have been greater.
That result leaves the Wanderers last and four points below Newcastle, a side widely condemned for being in disarray yet even they have at least managed a win.
Bridge said their comeback game after a three-weak break for the Asian Cup was unacceptable.
"Apart from Sunday's game, I'd have said we've been playing good, we've just been unlucky [this season]," he said. "But on Sunday we were terrible and deserved the loss. Now it's a matter of bouncing back in Penrith on Sunday.
"Probably 95 per cent of the boys were very disappointed and it's hard. We took a 1-0 lead, you think things will finally turn, and then from then it went downhill. Everyone is disappointed and frustrated but eager to play that next game."
It seems a lifetime ago that the Wanderers were crowned Asian champions, a result that has left a hangover.
"It's been tough to go from the highs of winning the ACL to coming back here and [going winless] for 13-odd games," Bridge said. "It's very tough mentally. We're over halfway now, so we've got to start winning games if we're going to make a run for that top six."
Boosting the cause will be the return of Tomi Juric and Matthew Spiranovic, although the pair's condition will be monitored before they are given the go-ahead to play.
"They're both quality players, but whether or not they play this week, nobody knows," Bridge said. "I haven't seen how they've pulled up from [Socceroos] camp and they were away a long time. But if they're fit and ready to go, of course, they're going to bring added confidence for us."
A Penrith local, Bridge said it was a thrill to be playing on his "home" soil this week and believes there is a natural coming together of the Wanderers and the stadium's main tenant, the Penrith Panthers.
"It's a great stadium and we've got a lot of fans out here, so it's something we're looking for," he said. "I've still got a lot of mates who follow the Panthers. We play in different seasons, so there's no reason you can't follow both."
The heavily resourced Panthers were once prospective bidders for the Wanderers before Football Federation Australia hastily intervened, selling the club to businessman Paul Lederer.
The Panthers are keen to have the Wanderers use the venue more often as it would boost their claims to state and federal governments for a stadium upgrade.
Panthers fullback Matt Moylan said he was looking forward to seeing the Wanderers fans bring their unique style of support to the foot of the Blue Mountains.
"They're getting pretty big crowds at their games and I've been to a few of them myself," he said. "I think the atmosphere they'll get out here on Sunday will be very good."
