The interim bosses of Wellington Phoenix have lauded their players' character after clawing back a two-goal deficit to draw with Western Sydney.  A measured opening stanza on Saturday transformed into an end-to-end second half in Auckland, as both A-League sides sought a much-needed three points with abandon.  But in the end neither side could do enough to take home the win, despite the Wanderers having 13 shots to seven, a missed Dimas penalty and a 2-0 lead before the hour mark.  A 60th-minute penalty to Nix playmaker Gui Finkler was followed up by a controversial headed equaliser for Roy Krishna, who benefited from a clear handball in the lead-up.  Yet despite being the recipients of plenty of luck, interim coaches Chris Greenacre and Des Buckingham felt their side could have had more from the match.  Their troops had shown plenty of fight to recover from 2-0 down and may have picked up all three points with more focus.  "It's definitely a step forward, another point on the board and we've shown character to get back in the game, and we haven't had that in a while," Greenacre said.  "We'll take that point and move on to Newcastle next week."  The result sees the former Asian champions drop from sixth to seventh on the A-League ladder after Newcastle's win on Friday, while the Phoenix remain in eighth on 10 points.  It's a far cry from a fortnight ago, when the club was languishing on the bottom of the ladder and reeling after the loss of coach Ernie Merrick.  But the Scot's attacking philosophy clearly lives on in his former assistants, whose side dominated the opening proceedings and could have scored through Jacob Tratt.  Yet it was the Wanderers who broke the deadlock with a goal-of-the-season contender from stalwart Brendon Santalab in the 19th minute.  Dimas delivered an out-swinging corner from the right, which fell perfectly for Santalab to scissor-kick past a stranded Glen Moss.  A more even match ensued after Santalab's effort, as both sides struggled to convert some slick passing into genuine goalscoring opportunities.  Ahead 1-0 at the start of the second half, Wanderers playmaker Mitch Nichols doubled his side's lead in the 56th minute with a measured finish.  A Finkler penalty, his first goal for the club, reduced the arrears four minutes later, before Dimas missed his own chance to score from 12 yards after an Andrew Durante foul.  And he was made to pay for his profligacy when Krishna rose highest at the back post, following a Kosta Barbarouses handball, to tuck away his side's 68th-minute equaliser.  "We got stretched. The whole game got stretched, really, and we knew the key for us was to switch play quickly," Greenacre said.  "At halftime that was an improvement we wanted to make - switch the ball quicker, try and get those plays up and get the balls into Gui."
Wellington Phoenix have dug deep to salvage a 2-2 A-League draw against the Western Sydney Wanderers, pleasing their interim coaches.