Stuff
Football Ferns midfielder Betsy Hassett is set to boost Wellington Phoenix ahead of their crunch clash with Brisbane.
A-League Women round 16: Wellington Phoenix v Brisbane Roar Where: Sky Stadium, Wellington When: Saturday 5.40pm Live coverage: Sky Sport 7, live updates on Stuff
“Super Betty” has come to Wellington Phoenix’s rescue ahead of a must-win A-League Women match against Brisbane Roar.
The vastly experienced Football Fern missed last weekend’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Sydney FC in Auckland after breaking her nose and suffering a concussion while on international duty against Argentina.
But after sourcing a protective mask that will allow her to play, assistant coach Callum Holmes indicated Hassett would slot straight back into match day squad for Saturday’s clash at Sky Stadium as long as she ticked “a couple of final boxes” in her return to play protocols. She trained with the team on Friday.
If Hassett is passed fit, the attacking midfielder’s return should provide a much-needed boost for the bottom-place Phoenix, having scored a brace in their last match in Wellington – a comprehensive 5-0 win over Canberra United.
“Betsy is pretty much ready to go, we just need to tick a couple of final boxes,” Holmes said.
“You might potentially see her in a mask. With the nose, if she’s going to get hit it’s going to hurt.”
Judging by team-mate Chloe Knott’s Instagram, Hassett sees a certainty to play. She posted a photo of Hassett sporting her mask at training, writing “Super Betty to the rescue. Scoring goals is her mission.”
Five points adrift at the bottom of the table but with two games in hand, the Phoenix will likely need to beat the seventh-place Roar to have any chance of catching Newcastle Jets, who they meet on March 25.
The Phoenix and Roar played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in their last encounter, despite experiencing travel troubles en route to Brisbane and losing centre-back Kate Taylor to an early red card.
With Lily Alfeld (back) and Georgia Candy (concussion) unavailable, emergency goalkeeper Corina Brown will again provide cover for Brianna Edwards on the bench.
