This time last week, it was doom and gloom for the Perth Glory.
They were sitting at the bottom of the A-League ladder and their season had been completely written off by many pundits. Despite the defiant nature of Glory skipper Richard Garcia and Kenny Lowe, it was becoming increasingly hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. As the well known saying goes: “success breeds success” – something in which the Glory had experienced very little of in the 2015-16 A-League season. It appeared they had forgotten how to win and hope was quickly fading.
You cannot be too quick to write a team off and the Glory have proven us that. Within the space of five days they have recorded consecutive victories, a 2-1 win over the Central Coast Mariners followed up by a 1-0 win over the reigning champions Melbourne Victory, also at home.
Nebojsa Marinkovic is a highly skilled footballer; his set piece execution in particular became imperative to the Glory’s successes last year. Many have watched on in bemusement this season at a player that has failed to produce half of what he is capable of this season. His set pieces have failed abysmally in comparison to last year’s perfectly-weighted, precise bullets. However, he was sure to remind us of his quality on Saturday, scoring a brace and providing the Glory the inspiration they so desperately needed, in doing so ensuring they recorded a much needed victory.
The win against the Mariners was important, but it was Wednesday’s triumph over Melbourne Victory that caught the eye of the Australian football public. The Victory had an incredible 72% of possession during the contest, but failed to record one shot on target within the 90 minutes. The positive here lied within; the Glory’s defence, which appeared to be substantially more resolute than in the past, the unusual opportunistic nature of the Glory, and the return of Socceroo Josh Risdon.
The win exemplified how important Risdon is to the Glory’s defensive structure, as well as his creativity and willingness to take the game on, particularly in transition. Despite the Victory’s sheer domination of possession, the Glory were able to create nine shots to five, with three of those nine being on target. Eventually it was Spanish talisman Diego Castro who was able to put the cherry on top following an impressive run and measured cross by 17-year-old debutant Jamal Reiners.
While neither of the Glory’s wins were incredibly eye-catching or convincing, they both delivered the same result, and an extremely positive one at that. The Glory have shown through their last two encounters that while at this point they may not possess the skill and polish required of a championship-bound side, they have character, heart and a steely resolve, and characteristics that are just as appealing.
Thanks to their recent performances, they have lifted themselves off the bottom of the table and now sit just four points outside the top six. Most importantly, what two wins will do for the Glory is install arguably the most important yet lacking ingredient: confidence. The Glory will be hoping that their recent outings prove to be a catalyst in kick-starting what has been a roller-coaster season. One thing is for sure, the presence of Andy Keogh up front beckons. It is a salivating prospect. He is a man who can provide inspiration.
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