Glory Head Coach Ruben Zadkovich believes that the club’s Members and fans will have a key role to play in Sunday’s home showdown with Adelaide United (kick-off at 4pm, tickets HERE).
Three points are a must for the men in purple if they are to retain a chance of playing Finals football, while the Reds can lock in a second-place finish if they claim the spoils.
Glory’s home record this season has been an impressive one and Zadkovich is backing the supporters to make the difference once again.
View his full pre-match media conference HERE.
“Our fans are great,” he said.
“We were really disappointed last week that we weren’t able to put in a better shift for the guys who were on the 20-year Tour of Duty.
“Even after that performance, when they would have had every right to be pretty disappointed, they were there supporting us at the end of the game and met us back at the hotel.
“Our fans are first-class and they’ve been the extra man for us at home this season.
“We’d love for it to be packed at HBF Park.
“The last game that we played there was a strange one against the Wanderers as we went down to ten men a minute into the game, but I felt like the crowd really stuck by us in that game and the players felt that.
“It was a reciprocal kind of energy.
“I feel if we can do our bit and start the game well and get the crowd involved, they can really play a big part for us.”
Last weekend’s defeat against Sydney FC, Glory’s first in five games, means that their Finals destiny is no longer in their own hands, but the Head Coach feels the squad’s sole focus is getting the better of the Reds.
“We need other results to go our way, so we’ll just worry about the controllables and that’s our performance against Adelaide,” he said.
“The boys know where we’re at and what it’s going to take.
“It was disappointing last week to lose and not get anything from that game, but we still have a chance and while we have a chance, that’s what we’ll work hard towards.
“I can see in the players that’s there’s a real frustration with that performance and that means they want to rectify it quickly.
“They’re not thinking too much about other games and the ladder; they just want to get out on the pitch, put our best foot forward and show what we’re all about.
“We want a good performance and we want a result.”
In terms of early team news, Mark Beevers is set to return from suspension, but Zadkovich is not expecting any of the club’s injured players to recover in time to feature.
United, meanwhile, will be without long-term absentee Juande, along with English import Zac Clough and teenage starlet Nestory Irankunda.
Carl Veart’s men come into the game having been beaten only once in their last 13 outings, with that defeat coming against Western United at Coopers Stadium last weekend.
Craig Goodwin has again starred for the Reds this term, scoring 11 goals and adding ten assists, while Japanese striker Hirohito Ibusuki has found the net seven times and Joe Gauci has been among the most consistent goalkeepers in the competition, making a total of 86 saves.
Match Details
ISUZU UTE A-League 2022/23 Season Round 25
Perth Glory v Adelaide United
HBF Park
Sunday 23 April 2023
Kick-off: 4pm WST
Perth Glory squad: 3.Jacob DOWSE, 4.Luke BODNAR, 5.Mark BEEVERS, 7.Ryan WILLIAMS, 8.Mustafa AMINI (c), 13.Cameron COOK (gk), 14.Jack CLISBY, 15.Jordan ELSEY, 16.Keegan JELACIC, 19.Zach DUNCAN, 20.Giordano COLLI, 21.Antonee BURKE-GILROY, 22.Adam TAGGART, 28.Trent OSTLER, 29.Darryl LACHMAN, 30.Pierce CLARK (gk), 31.Chris DONNELL, 36.Joseph FORDE, 37.Jacob MUIR, 43.Adam ZIMARINO
Ins: 5.Mark BEEVERS, 20.Giordano COLLI
Outs: None
Unavailable: 1.Brad JONES (gk) (injured), 6.Aaron MCENEFF (injured), 10.Salim KHELIFI (injured), 18.David WILLIAMS (injured), 24.Adrian SARDINERO (injured)
Adelaide United squad: 1.James DELIANOV (gk), 3.Ben WARLAND, 4.Nick ANSELL, 6.Louis D’ARRIGO, 7.Ryan KITTO, 8.ISAÍAS, 9.Hiroshi IBUSUKI, 11.Craig GOODWIN (c), 13.Lachlan BARR, 14.George BLACKWOOD, 21.Javi LÓPEZ, 23.Luke DUZEL, 26.Ben HALLORAN, 31.BERNARDO, 35.Luka JOVANOVIĆ, 36.Panashe MADANHA, 37.Jonny YULL, 41.Alexandar POPOVIĆ, 46.Joe GAUCI (gk), 55.Ethan ALAGICH
Ins: 4.Nick ANSELL, 14.George BLACKWOOD, 31.BERNARDO, 23.Luke DUZEL
Outs: 10.Zach CLOUGH (calf), 18.Jay BARNETT (hamstring), 66.Nestory IRANKUNDA (illness)
Unavailable: 2.Harry VAN DER SAAG (knee), 27.Josh CAVALLO (Achilles), 28.JUANDE (leg)
#ONEGlory
