Glory ALW Head Coach Stephen Peters has spoken of his side’s need to get on the front foot in Friday’s must-win clash with Western United at the Sam Kerr Football Centre (kick-off at 7pm, tickets available HERE).
Click HERE to view his full pre-match media conference
The women in purple desperately need three points to remain in the Finals conversation having gone down 2-1 to Newcastle Jets at No.2 Sportsground last time out.
But while they are yet to record a win on their travels this term, Glory have been a much more formidable proposition at home and Peters believes recapturing those performance levels is vital if they are to get the better of fourth-placed United.
“Our performances in the last two games at Sam Kerr have been fantastic and hopefully we can do it again on Friday,” he said.
“I think it’s the nature of how close the supporters are to the pitch.
“The girls have used the terminology “a 12th man” for us, so it’s great they feel that way and hopefully the fans feel that too.
“Western are a very bizarre team.
“I haven’t really got a complete read on them.
“Sometimes you watch them and they’re just so hard to stop and sometimes you watch them and it looks like they’re asleep.
“But they are a talented team and if you let them play and be comfortable, they are definitely going to hurt you, so we’ve got to be, in true home fashion, getting in their faces and letting them know that they’re in Perth.”
Peters also revealed his disappointment at the nature of last weekend’s loss to the Jets and his hopes that the squad will respond by going toe-to-toe with a United side that beat them 4-1 in late January, albeit with Glory having gone into that fixture off the back of a two-and-a-half-day turnaround.
“I spoke for a long time after the game about how much we let ourselves down in that particular game,” he said.
“To give the Jets a two-goal lead inside the first three minutes was very difficult to digest and something that we just can’t afford to do, especially given that we’re not exactly free-flowing away from home.
“But I was very pleased with the reaction and I thought, at times, we played quite well.
“It was nice for Ella [Lincoln] to get her first goal and there was still another 40 minutes or so to get the equaliser and not to be able to manufacture that goal was tough to digest.
“Western, when they’re on, I think are very good and that day at Tarneit, they were way too good for us.
“So we need to improve and we need to be up for the fight because they’re a team fighting for honours this season and we need to be ready for that.”
In terms of early team news, the Head Coach reported that goalkeeper Casey Dumont is close to shaking off the Achilles issue that has ruled her out of the last two games, while Miku Sunaga may return to the matchday squad, but Gabby Hollar, Georgia Cassidy and Ella Abdul Massih are among those who will again miss out.
As for Friday’s opponents, they lost for the first time in seven games last weekend as they were edged out 2-1 by second-placed Melbourne Victory.
Kat Smith’s side have been the great entertainers in the ALW thus far this term, with their aggregate of 67 goals in 18 games comfortably the competition’s highest.
21-year-old forward Kahli Johnson has contributed eight goals to their total, while Matildas midfielder Chloe Logarzo has claimed five and American import Catherine Zimmerman, four.
Friday will mark the fifth instalment of this fixture, with both sides having claimed two victories apiece.
Match Details
Ninja A-League 2024-25 Season Round 18
Perth Glory v Western United
Sam Kerr Football Centre
Friday 7 March 2025
Kick-off: 7pm
Perth Glory squad: 2.Mischa ANDERSON, 3.Hollie PALMER, 5.Grace JOHNSTON, 6.Tijan MCKENNA, 7.Megan WYNNE, 11.Natalie TATHEM, 13.Naomi CHINNAMA, 14.Miku SUNAGA, 17.Morgan ROBERTS, 18.Izzy FOLETTA, 19.Sarah O’DONOGHUE, 21.Miranda TEMPLEMAN (gk), 23.Izzy DALTON (co-c), 25.Ella LINCOLN, 27.Charli WAINWRIGHT, 29.Onyinyechi ZOGG (co-c), 30.Jessica SKINNER (gk), 44.Kelli BROWN
(Two to be omitted)
Ins: 2.Mischa ANDERSON, 14.Miku SUNAGA
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 1.Casey DUMONT (gk) (injured), 8.Georgia CASSIDY (injured), 9.Gabby HOLLAR (injured), 10.Susan PHONSONGKHAM (injured), 16.Bella WALLHEAD (injured), 20.Ella ABDUL MASSIH (injured)
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