Brendan Hamill double secures big Wanderers win against Wellington Phoenix

Defender Brendan Hamill hit his first A-League double but suffered a suspected broken nose as he kept Western Sydney Wanderers on track for the finals.

Hamill broke a 1-1 half-time stalemate, scoring from two corners, as the Wanderers shored up sixth spot with a 4-1 home win over bottom-of-the-table Wellington Phoenix at Spotless Stadium on Saturday.

Chris Ikonomidis added a fourth goal near the end as the Phoenix, who parted company with coach Darije Kalezic during the week, conceded four for the third time in Sydney this season.

Hamill headed home a 68th-minute corner from substitute Alvaro Cejudo and ten minutes later tapped home a Mark Bridge flick from another delivery from Cejudo, who came on near half-time, after Marcelo Carrusca came off with a quadriceps injury.

"We scored from set-pieces which is something that we are working on a lot." Wanderers' coach Josep Gombau said.

Hamill had a wound as well as a couple of goals for his troubles.

"In stoppage time I headed the ball and I headed one of their players in the head and it hurt a little bit and it didn't stop bleeding," Hamill told AAP.

"I think it's broken, but that's alright, part and parcel of football."

Each side scored in a frantic two-minute period late in the first half.

Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

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Brendon Santalab, who was starting in place of injured top scorer Oriol Riera, tapped in from close range following a fine run by Mark Bridge.

But as in last week's home draw with Perth, the Wanderers had barely finished celebrating before they conceded an equaliser.

Youngster Sarpreet Singh lashed the ball home after a Roy Krishna shot was blocked.

Prior to the goals it was mid-season recruit Ikonomidis who came closest to opening the scoring when his free kick thudded into a post.

Gombau said he saw some things in the half he felt could damage Wellington, such as getting in behind their wing backs and felt they exploited that well after the break.

"I think at the very beginning we had some difficulties because Wellington started the game very well and they pressed us so high," Gombau said.

Wellington could have hit the front early in the second half when Krishna forced a fine save from Vedran Janjetovic with a fierce drive, but fell away badly in the final quarter.

"I think it shows we are a group of players lacking confidence because as soon as the first set play went in heads started to drop," Phoenix interim coach Chris Greenacre said.

"When the second one goes in the game is dead and buried and out of our reach.

"Disappointed, but for an hour we were pleasantly pleased with the performance.

"It's been a tough week for the guys with the old coach leaving."