‘There is no hiding anymore’.
That’s the blunt message from Head Coach Bobby Despotovski as his Glory side prepare for Thursday’s Westfield W-League clash with Western Sydney Wanderers at Marconi Stadium (kick off 4,30pm WST).
Glory head into the game occupying fourth spot on the ladder with two games of the regular season remaining, but Melbourne City, Adelaide United and Canberra United are all vying to pip them for a finals berth should they slip up.
The stakes, therefore, could hardly be higher and after a disappointing defeat away at Newcastle last time out, Despotovski is expecting a reaction from his charges on Thursday.
“The players realise the great opportunity that we missed at Newcastle when we didn’t perform as we expected to,” he said.
“No-one was more disappointed than the players themselves, but now we have this Western Sydney game and we have to respond.
“From the training sessions that we’ve had, I think the girls are on the right track to perform well and get the positive result that we need.
“There is no hiding anymore. Results elsewhere went in our favour last weekend and we’re still in the top four, but we can’t drop anything in our final two games. It’s still up to us and I’m looking for the players to stand up and be accountable.”
One of those results that went Glory’s way last weekend was Wanderers securing a shock 4-1 win away at Adelaide and Despotovski is anticipating that the red-and-blacks will prove a tough nut to crack.
“I’m expecting a hard game'” he said.
“I’ve said all year that Western Sydney are a better team than their ladder position suggests and we have to be prepared for a very hard game.”
In terms of early team news, Nikki Stanton is expected to return to the side having missed the Jets game due to suspension, while Sarah Carroll may make her long-awaited return from injury, leaving Grace Henry as the only confirmed absentee.
Glory proved too strong for Wanderers when the two sides met at Dorrien Gardens back in Round 3, Rachel Hill bagging a brace and Sam Kerr also finding the net in a 3-0 win and the women in purple have claimed all three points on their last two trips to Western Sydney.
They are set to round off their regular season on Friday 1 February with what could be a blockbuster game against current ladder leaders Melbourne Victory at Dorrien Gardens.
Match Details
Westfield W-League 2018/19 Season Round 13
Western Sydney Wanderers v Perth Glory
Marconi Stadium
Kick-off: 4.30pm (WST) 7.30pm (Local)
Referee: Katie Patterson
Assistant Referee 1: Sarah Ho
Assistant Referee 2: Emma Kocbek
Fourth Official: Avrol Beecham
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS 505 from 4.00pm (WST) and My Football Live App, Live Fast and Data Free for Telstra mobile customers
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash tag #WSWvPER
To purchase tickets visit www.w-league.com.au/tickets
Western Sydney Wanderers FC Squad: 1.Jada WHYMAN (gk), 4.Maruschka WALDUS, 5.Rachel LOWE, 6.Servet UZUNLAR, 7.Lo’eau LABONTA, 8.Erica HALLOWAY, 9.Remy SIEMSEN, 10.Kylie LEDBROOK, 11.Elizabeth ADDO, 12.Susan PHONSONGKHAM, 14.Courtney NEVIN, 15.Talitha KRAMER, 17.Sydney MIRAMONTEZ, 19.Leena KHAMIS, 20.Caitlin JARVIE, 30.Nicole SIMONSEN (gk)
**one to be omitted**
Ins: 20.Caitlin JARVIE (returns from suspension)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: Nil
Perth Glory squad: 1.Eliza CAMPBELL (gk), 2.Sarah CARROLL, 3.Kim CARROLL, 4.Alyssa MAUTZ , 5.Shannon MAY, 7.Nicole STANTON, 9.Rachel HILL, 10.Jacynta GALABADAARACHCHI, 11.Leticia McKENNA, 12.Jenna ONIONS, 13.Jamie-Lee GALE, 14.Caitlin DOEGLAS, 15.Alexia MORENO, 20.Sam KERR (c), 21.Morgan AQUINO (gk), 24.Natasha RIGBY, 25.Katie NAUGHTON
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 2.Sarah CARROLL (returns from injury), 7.Nicole STANTON (returns from suspension), 10.Jacynta GALABADAARACHCHI (promoted)
Outs: 17.Liana COOK (not selected)
Unavailable: Nil
#OneGlory
