Wellington Phoenix staying upbeat in Wollongong despite injury crisis

It has been a tough week for the Wollongong-based club who, despite signing former Sydney FC striker Charles Lokoli-Ngoy on Wednesday, are in the middle of an injury crisis.

Key defender Luke DeVere was on Thursday ruled out for up to 12 weeks due to a knee concern he sustained during Sunday's loss 2-0 loss to the Mariners. Forwards Tomer Hemed (hamstring) and Jaushua Sotirio (knee) remain sidelined, while defender Joshua Laws is in doubt for their next clash due to an ankle injury. Striker David Ball will also miss two games due to suspension.

However, midfielder Alex Rufer insists it's not panic stations for the Phoenix, who remain upbeat about their prospects this season.

"We have a strong squad here and we he have belief that every player can come in and do a job. We look forward to the game coming and putting on a good performance," he said.

"I wouldn't see this is a low point, I'd say this is a challenging point. This is a great opportunity for us to show how strong we are as a team. This club has been in some poor places in terms of the table, but I feel our performances don't reflect where we belong. As I said, it's a challenging point in the season, but it's good. The best way you improve and learn is to be in these positions. It's sink or swim for us."

Read more: Wellington defender set for extended stint on sidelines

The Phoenix are set to play three games in eight days, starting with Sunday's clash against the Western Sydney Wanderers at WIN Stadium.

Wellington have only secured one win so far this season - and are yet to claim victory in Wollongong. Standing in their way is a Wanderers side this weekend which is entrenched in the top six.

Heading into this crunch period, Rufer admits that the Phoenix will miss DeVere's experience in defence.

"It's extremely unfortunate [DeVere's injury], but Luke is a very positive guy, so he's going to be staying around the dressing room as much as he can. He has a lot of leadership and is a valued member of the team. But as ruthless as it sounds, we have to move on and look to prepare as best as we can for our next game," he said.

"We're not happy with where we are on the table. Last week was a poor result, but we've been playing good football. We're extremely positive and every game for us is important. But the more games we can play, the better. Hopefully we can get nine points from these three games, it's massive to turn our season around. And we have every belief as a squad that we will do that."