Glory Head Coach Alex Epakis is confident that beating Wellington Phoenix is all that will be on his charges’ minds when the two teams meet at Wollongong’s WIN Stadium on Friday (kick-off at 2.05pm WST).
(View the full pre-match media conference featuring Alex Epakis and skipper Natasha Rigby HERE).
A dramatic final round of the regular Liberty A-League season is in prospect, with Glory and Melbourne Victory battling it out to secure the last Finals spot.
Epakis’ side must bag all three points against Phoenix, while hoping that Victory lose at home to a resurgent Canberra United in order to leapfrog the navy-and-whites into fourth place, but the Head Coach is adamant that events elsewhere will not distract his side.
“Every week the questions have been coming up about Finals and it is exciting because the club hasn’t been in Finals for a couple of years and if it was to happen, it would be a fantastic outcome,” he said.
“But the reality is that this could be our last game and we just want to make sure that if it is, it’s a performance and result we’re happy to end on.
“It would be fantastic and we’re hoping it [qualifying for the Finals] happens, but if we focus too much on that and lose sight of the job in front of us, we’re going to make life hard for ourselves.
“Wellington are a really good team and we really can’t take the result for granted.
“Full credit to Wellington; they’re a strong, positive team and it just further underlines the fact that we’re going to have to be really good this Friday.”
In terms of squad news, Epakis went on to confirm that he has no fresh injury problems to contend with ahead of the crunch clash.
“We should have the same squad available as we did for the last fixture,” he said.
“Leena Khamis is available for selection again, Liz Anton the same and we’re in a healthy place in terms of the team.”
With all to play for at WIN Stadium, Epakis revealed that his final pre-match message will feature both emotional and instructional elements.
“There would have to be a level of sentiment in whatever is said, but also a level of coaching focus as well,” he said.
“The relationship that I’ve formed with the playing group has been quite strong between myself, the staff and the players.
“We’ve really come together as a strong unit while we’ve been over here [in Sydney] and whatever is said is genuinely from the bottom of my heart and something that I really believe in.
“So whatever the message ends up being, the players will know it’s something that I believe.
“The key message in the last few weeks has been to just have the belief that we can compete and play with the best, so I imagine the last thing I say will be something around that focus.
“Last year was so difficult, so for the players that were part of that journey, 12 months later to have the opportunity to play in the Finals would be pretty special.
“I think we just want to continue to test ourselves against the best teams and a Finals scenario would allow us to do that.
“That’s exciting for me as a coach.”
Wellington will head into Friday’s game buoyed by a 3-2 midweek win over Western Sydney Wanderers, the second time they have managed to secure maximum points in what has been a challenging maiden Liberty A-League campaign for the Kiwi club.
Glory claimed the spoils in the first women’s Distance Derby back in late January, but had to come from behind to do so, Sofia Sakalis, Cyera Hintzen and Mie Leth Jans all finding the net in a last-gasp 3-2 victory.
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