Perth Glory moved into a finals spot and extended the Newcastle Jets’ poor form in Western Australia with a 2-0 at nib Stadium.
In an even first half, both teams had limited chances to take the lead. Chris Harold curled a strike narrowly past Mark Birighitti’s right-hand post for the hosts, while Newcastle’s Milos Trifunovic was twice denied by the defensive efforts of Alex Grant and Shane Lowry. As the half wore on, Perth looked more likely to break the deadlock and they struck just before half-time, when Andy Keogh headed home Aryn Williams’ perfectly-weighted cross.
Newcastle couldn’t have asked for a worse start to the second half, as Diego Castro superbly set up Gyorgy Sandor to make it 2-0. Their uphill battle became nigh on impossible soon after, when Daniel Mullen was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence. Two goals and an extra man up, Perth saw out the rest of the game with minimal trouble.
Perth Glory
Ante Covic – 7: Had little to do in the first half, aside from deal with a few crosses.
Aryn Williams – 6: Was caught out of position a few times early, but made up for it with a lovely cross for the opening goal. Came off at half time, after a nasty clash of heads with Milos Trifunovic.
Shane Lowry – 7: Strong at the back, as per usual. Was shifted out to the left in the second half and did well to contain Alivodic, although was burnt for pace a few times.
Alex Grant – 8: Made a superb intervention to deny Milos Trifunovic a goal early in the first half, and did the same in the second half. Always alert to any potential threat, one of his best games in a purple shirt.
Josh Risdon – 7: Constantly a threat going forward, but never neglected his defensive duties. Bombed up and down the touchline all game long.
Chris Harold – 7: Looked lively, but was unable to really dominate proceedings. His pace was well countered by Cowburn, and was on the receiving end of some strong tackle.
Krisztian Vadocz – 7: It looks like Perth have finally found an adequate replacement for Rostyn Griffiths. The mobile big man covered a lot of ground throughout and was composed on the ball in the middle of the park.
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Gyorgy Sandor – 7: Controlled the middle of the park well with his countryman Vadocz. Scored the Glory’s second with a composed finish after Castro had drawn Birighitti out of his goal.
Nebojsa Marinkovic – 7: Lively on the left, linking well with Risdon and Castro. Always looking to cut in and provide an option, whilst his distribution was very good. Limped off with an injury in the second half.
Andy Keogh – 7: Linked up well with the rest of the attack and scored for the fourth consecutive game in a row, although faded in and out of the game at times.
Diego Castro – 8: As predicted, caused the Jets many problems on and off the ball. Slightly subdued in the first half, he tore the Jets to pieces in the second, providing a beautifully composed assist for Sandor’s second and making a nuisance of himself whenever he was on the ball.
Substitutes
Dino Djulbic – 7: Made a welcome return from injury and bar a couple of stretched interceptions, was barely troubled.
Richard Garcia – 7: Worked hard upon his introduction and helped retain possession at all times.
Kosta Petratos – 6: Had one hard chance late when Keogh picked him out with a chipped pass, but fired over the bar.
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