#DistanceDerby #46 is almost upon us and there is nothing quite like a fresh smorgasbord of stats, historical facts and narrative-building trivia to prepare you for the latest instalment in world football’s most iconic rivalry.
So grab a plate and some condiments and help yourself!
Go-To Guys
The honour of scoring most goals in Distance Derbies is shared by Glory duo Andy Keogh and Diego Castro and Phoenix’s Roy Krishna, all of whom have found the net seven times in this fixture.
Shane Smeltz, who of course featured for both sides, is next on the all-time list with five.
Never A Dull Moment
These two sides have never fought out a 0-0 draw.
The ten most recent meetings have yielded a total of 30 goals.
Chipping In
After Bruno Fornaroli, Antonee Burke-Gilroy has taken the most shots for Glory so far this season with 16.
The versatile 24-year-old has hit the target with six of those, one of which went in and he has also delivered 26 crosses.
Purple Edge
Glory have enjoyed 20 Distance Derby wins to Wellington’s 17, with the teams sharing the points on eight occasions.
The most recent win for the men in purple came in the 2019-20 Finals when Joel Chianese scored the only goal of the game at Bankwest Stadium.
Sharing The Load
Phoenix have shared the goalscoring burden among their squad this term with Jaushua Sotirio and Gary Hooper both bagging four, Rene Piscopo and Gael Sandoval three and Ben Waine and David Ball two apiece.
They are the fourth-highest scorers in the competition having found the net 26 times in 15 games.
Purple And Yellow And Black
A host of players have represented both Glory and Phoenix over the years, including Shane Smeltz, Liam Reddy, Leo Bertos, Eugene Dadi, Nick Ward, Jacob Tratt, Jimmy Downey, Brent Griffiths, Isaka Cernak, Antony Golec and Tando Velaphi.
Spot On, Eugene!
Fan-favourite Eugene Dadi was the first Glory player to score a winner against Phoenix.
The Ivory Coast international fired home from the spot to secure a home victory in September 2008.
#OneGlory
