Head Coach Alex Epakis is backing his side to rise to the challenge of launching a late charge for the Finals ahead of Sunday’s crunch home clash with Newcastle Jets (kick-off at 4pm, tickets HERE).
Glory are currently nine points adrift of Melbourne Victory who occupy fourth spot in the table, but they do have two games in hand on the reigning Champions.
And off the back of an eye-catching win over league leaders Western United last weekend, Epakis is quietly confident that the gap is not insurmountable.
View his full pre-match media conference HERE.
“It was a great performance [v Western United] and it’s something that we’re really hoping sets the tone for the second half of the season,” he said.
“It’s an exciting opportunity and one that the team and I are going to relish.
“Our backs are against the wall, we’re not expected, based on where we are at the moment, to make the four, but our thinking internally is that if we give every week the performance that we just had and treat every week like a Final, we give ourselves a real chance.
“We love doing it the hard way, so I’m definitely not writing it off.
“I want to give us every opportunity and I know the players want to push for that and let’s see where we go.”
The Jets will head west with a new Head Coach in place after Gary van Egmond replaced Ash Wilson at the helm and the Macedonia Park clash will be their third game in seven days.
But they did battle back twice to hold Glory to a 2-2 draw when the sides met back in early December and despite the off-field turmoil and arduous fixture schedule, there is no danger of Epakis underestimating them.
“We had the opportunity to observe them on Sunday,” he said, “and they’ve got another game tonight [Wednesday] and then they’ve got us, so it’s a tough week for them.
“For us, now that we’re in a good space with form, we just have to make sure that we continue to focus upon ourselves.
“We know if we nail our processes, we’ll find a way to win and that’s the key point from our perspective.
“I think we’ve learned the hard way how to manage going up in games, seeing out games and managing momentum swings.
“But I’m also very aware that we’re a very different team to what we were two or three months ago when we played them.
“I’m very confident and optimistic about where we are as a group currently and there is still improvement in us and what we’re doing.
“It’s just about making sure we don’t take our focus away from the 90 minutes and we see the job out across the whole 90-minute period.”
Epakis went on to confirm that the squad picked up no fresh injuries from the trip to Ballarat, although long-term absentee Rylee Baisden will again miss out along with midfielder Ella Mastrantonio who will serve the second game of her reduced suspension.
The Jets, meanwhile, have enjoyed two wins so far this season and currently sit in 10th position.
Scoring goals has not been a major issue for Sunday’s visitors, with Tara Andrews and Sarah Griffith both bagging four apiece and Lauren Allan claiming three, but their defensive record of 31 goals conceded is the worst in the league.
Glory will be searching for a first home win in this fixture since November 2014, although they did claim a 4-2 victory in the Hunter Valley in January 2020.
Match Details
Liberty A-League 2022/23 Season Round 14
Perth Glory v Newcastle Jets
Macedonia Park
Sunday 12 February 2023
Kick-off: 4.00pm WST
Perth Glory squad: 1.Morgan AQUINO (gk), 3.Kim CARROLL, 4.Natasha RIGBY (c), 6.Tijan MCKENNA, 7.Liz ANTON, 8.Hana LOWRY, 9.Demi KOULIZAKIS, 10.Susan PHONSONGKHAM, 12.Sofia SAKALIS, 13.Sarah CAIN, 14.Hannah BLAKE, 15.Cyera HINTZEN, 16.Isabella WALLHEAD, 17.Abbey GREEN, 18.Sadie LAWRENCE, 19.Izzy FOLETTA, 20.Sarah LANGMAN (gk), 22.Claudia MIHOCIC, 23.Alana JANCEVSKI, 42.Gabriella COLEMAN
Ins: 6.Tijan MCKENNA, 16.Isabella WALLHEAD, 22.Claudia MIHOCIC, 42.Gabriella COLEMAN
Outs: None
Unavailable: 11.Rylee BAISDEN (injured), 21.Ella MASTRANTONIO (suspended), 24.Milan HAMMOND (injured)
Newcastle Jets squad: 1. Georgina WORTH, 3. Emily GARNIER, 4. Josie ALLAN, 5. Leia PUXTY, 6. Cass DAVIS (captain), 7. Chloe WALANDOUW, 9. Tara ANDREWS, 10. Sophie STAPLEFORD, 12. Murphy AGNEW, 13. Lauren ALLAN, 14. Lucy JOHNSON, 15. Sarah GRIFFITH, 18. Taren KING, 19. Ash BRODIGAN, 20. Claire COELHO 22. Cannon CLOUGH, 23. Teigen ALLEN, 24. Josie MORLEY, 25. Lara GOOCH, 29. Adriana KONJARSKI.
Ins: Nil
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 11. Tessa Tamplin
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