Head Coach Ruben Zadkovich is calling for more consistency from his Glory charges as they continue the run-in to the end of the regular season with a trip to Newcastle Jets on Saturday (kick-off at 2pm WST).
The men in purple will travel to McDonald Jones Stadium buoyed by a remarkable 1-0 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers which was achieved despite losing defender Jordan Elsey to a red card inside the opening two minutes.
But while the Head Coach was hugely impressed by the character the squad showed to defy the odds and collect three vital points, he now wants to see less variance in performance levels.
View his full pre-match media conference HERE.
“It’s a tight competition all round and I think a lot of teams have struggled to get the consistency in results,” he said.
“We’ve had some good performances consistently, but haven’t got results from those performances and I think there are a few teams who have been like that… and Newcastle are one.
“With the short amount of games left, it’s about taking each game on its merits and getting the maximum.
“For us, we want to go to Newcastle and get three points.
“We believe we can, we’ve proven that we’re good enough and we just have to be consistent.
“It was a fantastic atmosphere being at home [on Friday] and our fans were fantastic.
“They really helped us in that match and I thought the players’ efforts really reflected the pride and the belief that they have in what we’re doing.
“It was backs-to-the-wall stuff; it was about individual battles and individual efforts and being strong collectively and I’m really proud of that performance.
“But we do have to move on quickly and we’re away from home against Newcastle who are a decent side and they can be very dangerous at times, so we’re going to have to be at our best to go away and get a result.”
The Jets currently sit one point and two places above Glory having lost their last three games on the bounce and Zadkovich is expecting the club he captained during his playing days to come out all guns blazing as they too seek to keep their Finals hopes alive.
“There’s that congestion in the ladder and its very tight and we certainly don’t underestimate Newcastle, especially in Newcastle,” he said.
“It’s not an easy place to go and the way they play, they try and get their crowd behind them and they do a good job of that.
“So we expect a difficult match, but on the flipside, we know what we’re playing for and what we’re capable of.
“We proved again on the weekend just how good we can be when we put it together.
“I’m excited for the game against Newcastle and am looking forward to taking a squad there and getting a result.
“The belief and the confidence that the boys got from that win at the weekend, we’re going to carry that into this weekend and I’m looking forward to it.”
In terms of early squad news, Zadkovich confirmed that no fresh injuries were sustained in the win over Wanderers.
While Elsey will miss the game against his former club through suspension, skipper Mustafa Amini is set to return to the squad having served his one-match ban for accruing five yellow cards.
For Newcastle, meanwhile, Jaushua Sotirio and Archie Goodwin are set to miss the game through injury, but the hosts will be able to call upon the services of leading scorer Beka Mikeltadze, who has scored five goals this season and fellow-attacking threat Trent Buhagiar, who has found the net four times in addition to supplying four assists.
Glory’s last victory in the Hunter Valley came in December 2018 and the two sides fought out a 2-2 draw in their most recent meeting at Macedonia Park in Round 15.
Match Details
ISUZU UTE A-League 2022/23 Season Round 21
Newcastle Jets v Perth Glory
McDonald Jones Stadium
Saturday 18 March 2023
Kick-off: 2pm WST
Newcastle Jets squad: Jack DUNCAN (gk), 2. Dane INGHAM, 3. Jason HOFFMAN, 4. Manabu SAITO 5. Matthew JURMAN (co-captain), 6. Brandon O’NEILL (co-captain), 7. Trent BUHAGIAR, 8. Beka DARTSMELIA, 9. Beka MIKELTADZE, 10. Reno PISCOPO, 14. Mohamed AL-TAAY, 17. Kosta GROZOS, 18. Daniel STYNES, 19. Callum TIMMINS, 20. Michael WEIER (gk), 22. Philip CANCAR, 25. Carl JENKINSON (co-captain), 32. Angus THURGATE, 33. Mark NATTA. 39. Thomas AQUILINA
Ins: 10. Reno PISCOPO
Outs: 11. Jaushua SOTIRIO (calf), 26. Archie GOODWIN (groin), 30. Noah JAMES (unavailable)
Perth Glory squad: 2.John KOUTROUMBIS, 3.Jacob DOWSE, 4.Luke BODNAR, 5.Mark BEEVERS, 6.Aaron MCENEFF, 7.Ryan WILLIAMS, 8.Mustafa AMINI (c), 13.Cameron COOK (gk),14.Jack CLISBY, 16.Keegan JELACIC, 18.David WILLIAMS, 19.Zach DUNCAN, 21.Antonee BURKE-GILROY, 22.Adam TAGGART, 28.Trent OSTLER, 29.Darryl LACHMAN, 30.Pierce CLARK (gk), 36.Joseph FORDE, 37.Jacob MUIR, 43.Adam ZIMARINO
Ins: 8.Mustafa AMINI, 21.Antonee BURKE-GILROY, 36.Joseph FORDE
Outs: 15.Jordan ELSEY
Unavailable:Â 1.Brad JONES (gk) (injured), 10.Salim KHELIFI (injured), 15.Jordan ELSEY (suspended), 24.Adrian SARDINERO (injured)
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