Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo ‘Chiefy’ Italiano said he needs confident goalkeepers who can out play out from the back as he explained his decision to drop Josh Oluwayemi in favour of debutant Alby Kelly-Heald.
Oluwayemi was a notable name among the substitutes on Wednesday as Italiano turned to 19-year-old goalkeeper Kelly-Heald for the 0-0 draw with Sydney FC at Sky Stadium midweek.
Alby Kelly-Heald also made history alongside his twin Lukas – they are only the third set of twins to play in an Isuzu UTE A-League match, and the youngest. The young duo were also the first twins to play for the Phoenix.
Asked about his goalkeeping change with the ‘Nix seven points outside the top six, Italiano told reporters: “If I zoom out a little bit, where we’re really strong overall as a team, we’re really strong playing out and playing from the back.
“I essentially need goalkeepers that can play with that confidence.
“We made a decision after the last game, looked at all the footage from the season and thought Alby was deserving of the opportunity.
“Like today, he absorbed a lot of pressure for us. Especially with the ball at his feet, it was very good.
Oluwayemi joined the Phoenix at the start of 2024-25 and he was handed a contract extension after just two appearances for Italiano’s Wellington.
Italiano said “we invested in him for a reason, now it’s a question of him reaching his potential.”
“I just made that choice (to start Kelly-Heald) because I felt it was the right one for the group and the team,” he added.
“He just needs to re-focus and work on all the things we’re looking at that are important to us.
