A Glory side containing three teenage starters battled bravely in Wednesday’s ISUZU UTE A-League clash with Wellington Phoenix at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, but were ultimately edged out 1-0.
Full match highlights HERE.
The all-important goal arrived three minutes into the second half and even that was tough on the men in purple, a cruel deflection taking Gael Sandoval’s shot past Liam Reddy and ensuring that the Glory ‘keeper was unable to mark the milestone of his 400th national league game with a clean sheet.
Ruben Zadkovich’s side increased their attacking output as the game wore on and both Antonee Burke-Gilroy and substitute Callum Timmins came close to earning them a share of the spoils in the final ten minutes.
Taking into consideration the club’s crippling injury list and gruelling fixture schedule, it was little wonder that Zadkovich was pleased with the way his young charges competed against a Phoenix side which had thumped title contenders Western United 4-1 last time out.
View his full media conference HERE.
“I’m obviously very frustrated because we didn’t get anything out of the game,” he said, “but it’s a very proud group at the moment… they can’t really give any more in terms of effort and mentality.
“It’s disappointing to lose, but I’m extremely proud of my players tonight.
“It’s got to be one of, if not the youngest team in A-League history and they stuck to the gameplan phenomenally well.
“We had to be economical tonight with a three or four-day turnaround and then another three-day turnaround [to come].
“We had to set up economically in the first half and try and at least compete and get ourselves in the game and give ourselves a chance to go and win it in the second half.
“The young kids stuck to that gameplan really, really well and I was proud.”
Two more teenagers from the PGFC Academy, Chris Donnell and Jacob Muir, were handed their senior debuts on a rainy night in Sydney’s south and both acquitted themselves extremely well against a confident Phoenix outfit.
The Kiwi side began brightly and were on the front foot for much of the first half, but for all their possession, they only forced Reddy into two meaningful saves.
The first came in the 17th minute when the ex-Phoenix ‘keeper tipped a Sandoval strike over the bar and the second came on the stroke of half-time as this time Rene Piscopo was foiled at close-range.
Sandoval was not to be denied shortly after the restart, however, pouncing upon a loose ball on the edge of the box and claiming his fifth goal of the season with a shot which cannoned off a cluster of defenders on its way into the net.
Glory’s response was immediate, as Josh Anasmo and substitute Jayden Gorman both tried their luck from range and Burke-Rawlins then fizzed a fierce shot narrowly over the bar after a Josh Rawlins cross had only been half-cleared.
Two minutes from time, Timmins had the chance to level it up, but he placed his curling, left-foot shot narrowly wide of the target with Phoenix ‘keeper Oliver Sail beaten.
Glory are set to return to action on Saturday when they take on Western United in Launceston, but Zadkovich’s threadbare squad is set to be even more depleted for that Round 24 clash after Trent Ostler and Jack Clisby succumbed to respective shoulder and knee injuries either side of half-time.
Match Details
Perth Glory 0 Wellington Phoenix 1 ((Sandoval 48′)
Half-time: 0-0
Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Referee: Lachlan Keevers
Perth Glory: 33.Liam REDDY (GK) (C), 14.Jack CLISBY (22.Josh RAWLINS 57′), 21.Antonee BURKE-GILROY (24.Pacifique NIYONGABIRE 71′), 23.Mich OXBORROW (19.Callum TIMMINS 72′), 26.Giordano COLLI, 28.Trent OSTLER (88.Jayden GORMAN 35′), 29.Darryl LACHMAN, 32.Aidan COYNE, 37.Jacob MUIR, 41.Chris DONNELL, 42.Josh ANASMO (47.Tyler VECCHIO 71′)
Substitutes not used: 12.Cameron COOK (GK), 18.Daniel STYNES
Yellow Cards: Clisby
Red Cards: None
Wellington Phoenix: 20.Oliver SAIL (GK) (C), 4.Scott WOOTTON, 5.James MCGARRY, 6.Tim PAYNE, 7.Gael SANDOVAL, 9.David BALL (18.Ben WAINE 63′), 10.Rene PISCOPO (8.Ben OLD 63′), 11.Jaushua SOTIRIO (36.Riley BIDOIS 90+5′), 13.Nicholas PENNINGTON, 17.Callan ELLIOT (16.Louis FENTON 79′), 33.Finn SURMAN
Substitutes not used: 40.Alex PAULSEN (GK), 3.Matthew BOZINOVSKI, 34.Jackson MANUEL
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None
#OneGlory
