Perth Glory have catapulted themselves into the top six at the expense of the Newcastle Jets’ finals chances with a 2-0 victory at nib Stadium on Monday.
The Glory were the more clinical of the two finals aspirants as goals from Irishman Andy Keogh and midfielder Gyorgy Sandor either side of half time were enough to see off a brave but ultimately outclassed Jets outfit.
Newcastle did not help their own cause, with Daniel Mullen receiving his marching orders midway through the second half for a second bookable offence after fouling Josh Risdon, adding to the visitors’ misery. It continues the Jets’ horror record in the Western Australian capital, with former Kiwi international Vaughan Coveny is still the only man to net a winner for the Jets in Perth.
Perth now take the place of Sydney FC in the top six and look a real chance to push on for a tilt at a maiden A-League title, while the Jets push for the six appears to be over.
Keogh as deadly as ever
The first half was a tight, tense and largely chanceless affair for the most part, with both sides threatening to come to life without really creating anything of note. Andy Keogh was once again the man to change that for the Glory with a clever piece of striking play late in the first half. He caught the Jets centre-back pairing of Nigel Boogaard and Mullen ball watching for the smallest fraction of a second and that was enough. He cleverly pulled away from his markers to get on the end of an Aryn Williams cross and put the Glory ahead in a game that neither side had really done enough to lead. In matches with so much on the line heading into the finals series, it is often the smallest margins that define the end result. Keogh’s intelligence and class shone through yet again for the Glory. He has simply been a wonderful signing for not only the Glory, but also the league as a whole.
Jets succumb to the pressure yet again
If we take a look back at the early stages of the season, the Jets have had real issues in dealing with expectations. Anyone who has gone to a Scott Miller press conference will know that he welcomes the pressure and expectations that have been placed on the side both internally and externally. The results themselves though do not show a team that can handle this raising in expectations. Back in round five, the Jets had the opportunity to go to the top of the ladder, but were beaten by a late Mitch Nichols strike at home which put a dampener on things and led to a run of 11 matches without a win, including six without a goal. Here, the Jets really had to win to have a realistic possibility of making a finals charge but seemed to wilt under the heat of the moment. The Novocastrians have come a long way from where they were last year, though it appears they still have a long way to go.
Glory making compelling case for title push
Make no mistake, this Glory side is the best they have had since the latter years of the NSL and they are a real chance of going all the way this year. The Glory has firepower all over the park in the likes of Diego Castro, Keogh and Nebojsa Marinkovic. They are coupling this with a tough and resolute backline, hardened by the January addition of former Socceroo Shane Lowry. Pace and energy is also added in the wide areas through the likes of Josh Risdon and Chris Harold and it is no wonder that the Glory have been in a real purple patch of form lately. Even in the recent defeat to the Wanderers, they were desperately unlucky to get nothing from the contest. Everyone around the league is raving about the run of Adelaide and the free-scoring exploits of Melbourne City and rightfully so, but the boys from the west really must not be forgotten. Kenny Lowe has his men firing and it would not surprise in the slightest to see the Glory right in the mix deep into the finals. It would be nothing less than the long suffering fans of the Glory deserve to see their team as the best in the land once again.
Outside90 Player of the Year Votes
3 – Josh Risdon
2 – Andy Keogh
1 – Chris Harold
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