Perth Glory consolidated fifth spot in the league with a 2-1 win over the Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium.
Perth started strongly and Krisztian Vadocz almost opened the scoring in spectacular fashion, when his audacious chip from just inside Wellington’s half was pushed away by a scrambling Glen Moss. As the Phoenix started to work themselves into the game, Perth missed a golden chance to make it 1-0 when Marc Warren picked out an unmarked Diego Castro, but the Spaniard couldn’t direct his header on target.
Just as some spite and heavy tackles crept into the game, Perth took the lead through Andy Keogh, who beat Andrew Durante to Richard Garcia’s cross and fired home. Wellington searched for a response, but they found themselves denied by a resolute Perth defence time and time again and the score remained 1-0 at half time.
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The Glory started the second half strongly, as Diego Castro twice came close to extending their lead and Keogh had a header saved. However, they were unable to capitalise on their possession and the hosts grew in confidence. They used the flanks and worried the Glory, but their defence soaked up the pressure.
Eventually, Perth were able to capitalise on their possession when Chris Harold latched onto a long ball. Although he was unable to apply the finish, Castro was on hand to poke home the follow-up and move his team within three points of fourth placed Adelaide.
Tom Doyle grabbed a late consolation with a fantastic strike from the edge of the box, but it was too little, too late.
The Glory will cause some damage in the finals
The 2-1 win may not have been their classiest victory of recent times, but it was a vital three points which strengthened their spot in the top six. Perth dominated the majority of the game, yet still found themselves under pressure for parts of the game. Instead of folding however, Perth simply rolled up their sleeves and grit their teeth to claim a deserved win. In possession of a strong defence, a hard-working midfield and an attack capable of scoring for fun, Perth can cause any team in the finals problems. Throw in their ability to grind out tough results and no one will fancy playing them at the business end of the season.
Perth’s defence is underrated
Despite enjoying most of the goal-scoring opportunities, Perth found themselves under the pump for large stretches of the game. Wellington threw wave after wave forward, but were unable to seriously test Ante Covic. Most of the credit must go to the Glory’s miserly back four. Josh Risdon and Marc Warren guarded the wings well, but the central defensive pairing of Shane Lowry and Alex Grant were superb all game. The pair made sure the Phoenix were unable to march through the middle of the park, made numerous last-ditch interventions and the only shot on goal they allowed was Doyle’s spectacular strike which beat Ante Covic all ends up. While Perth’s attack has been soaking up the plaudits in recent weeks, the defence has quietly gone three games without conceding, so perhaps it’s time they received some credit.
Wellington will miss Ben Sigmund
Since he joined Wellington in 2008, Ben Sigmund has been one of the league’s most underrated defenders. The big Kiwi has been a mainstay at the heart of the Phoenix’s defence, notching up almost 150 appearances. Having missed a large chunk of this season through injury, it’s been no surprise to see Wellington’s defence struggle without Sigmund’s leadership and composure. Despite being 35 years old, he proved he’s still a valuable contributor at this level and helped stem Perth’s onslaught in the second half. Having announced he will retire at the end of this season, Wellington (as they’ve discovered already this season) will find it hard to replace him. My message to ‘Nix fans – enjoy him while you can.
Perth hit the highs with Lowe
It was Kenny Lowe’s 68th game in charge of Perth Glory, making him their longest serving coach in the A-League era. While perhaps it’s more of a damning record on Perth’s history since the A-League began, Lowe has brought some much-needed stability to the club. Despite a poor start to life as coach, Lowe has turned Perth into a well-oiled machine, always hungry and now one of the best sides in the league. The Cake Tin has for a long time been an unhappy hunting ground for Perth Glory, but their 2-1 win makes it five games undefeated in Wellington. Lowe has overseen all five of those games and he deserves a lot of credit for the club’s upturn in fortunes on the field in recent years.
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