David Williams struck twice and Antonis Martis also found the net in the final 11 minutes as Glory retained the Gold Fields Challenge Cup with a 3-0 win over the Gold Fields WA State Team on Sunday evening.
Click HERE to view Alen Stajcic’s post-match interview.
The State Team, featuring a host of former Glory players including Liam Reddy, Neil Kilkenny and Mitch Oxborrow, provided Glory with their sternest pre-season challenge to date in a contest which kept a sizeable crowd at the State Football Centre absorbed for the full 90 minutes.
WA’s resistance was finally broken in the 79th minute when Jayden Gorman teed Williams up for his first and moments later, midfielder Martis fired home his maiden goal for the club.
Williams then added some gloss to the scoreline right at the death, again linking up with Gorman before applying an emphatic finish from inside the box.
Click HERE to watch our wrap of the moments that mattered.
The best chance of an evenly-contested first-half, meanwhile, had fallen the way of the State Team as Chok Dau picked out former PGFC Academy teammate Michael Domfeh with a fine cross from the right, but the striker clipped his shot narrowly wide.
As the game wore on, however, it was Glory who began to gain the upper hand and only a fine save from Reddy prevented Williams’ deflected effort from finding the net early in the second half.
Although Oli Sail did then have to be alert to foil Josh Anasmo at the other end, Alen Stajcic’s side soon forced WA onto the back foot once more and moments after Stefan Colakovski sent a shot wide, Williams made the breakthrough.
Gorman seized upon an errant pass in the WA box, squared for Williams and the evergreen frontman showed great composure to pick his moment and slam the ball into the net.
Three minutes later, Glory doubled their lead as Bruce Kamau raced goalward before unselfishly squaring the ball for the onrushing Martis who fired home from just inside the box.
And with almost the last kick of the game, Gorman again picked out Williams and he applied another clinical finish.
Moments later, Mark Beevers and co were hoisting the Challenge Cup aloft, before swiftly turning their attentions to next Sunday when their pre-season preparations will be ramped up once again as they take on A-League rivals Melbourne Victory at Hay Park in Bunbury.
Match Details
Gold Fields Challenge Cup
Gold Fields WA State Team 0 Perth Glory 3 (Williams 79′, 88′, Martis 82′)
Half-time: 0-0
State Football Centre
Referee: Shane Skinner
Perth Glory Line-Up: 1.Oliver SAIL (GK), 2.John KOUTROUMBIS (7.Stefan COLAKOVSKI 46′), 29.Darryl LACHMAN (28.Kaelan MAJEKODUNMI 69′), 5.Mark BEEVERS (14.Riley WARLAND 69′), 9.Oliver BOZANIC (21.Antonis MARTIS 46′)15.Aleksandar SUSNJAR (16.Joseph FORDE 46′), 20.Giordano COLLI, 11.Adam ZIMARINO (4.Luke BODNAR 69′), 23.Daniel BENNIE (77.Bruce KAMAU 69′), 12.Luke IVANOVIC (27.Jayden GORMAN 69′), 22.Adam TAGGART (18.David WILLIAMS 46′)
Substitutes not used: 13.Cameron COOK (GK)
(picture courtesy of Tom McCarthy)
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