Wellington Phoenix captain Andrew Durante has warned his teammates of the threats posed by Andy Keogh ahead of their clash against Perth Glory.
The Glory marksman, who will play his 100th game in Perth colours, has four goals in five games this season and has conjured up a lethal partnership with 23-year-old Chris Ikonomidis.
POPOVIC: Strong preseason key to Perth’s early glory
FULL-TIME HIGHLIGHTS: Adelaide United v Brisbane Roar
Durante believes Keogh is a ‘good player’ and someone he and former Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor must be wary of.
“I think if you look around the league, everyone would want someone like Andy Keogh who can score goals, but also throws himself around,” said Durante.
“He’s a real winner.
“He’s someone we’ve looked at, we’ve analysed him and how we can nullify him, and obviously stop the service to him.
“He’s a wily character, he plays off the shoulder, he’s always in good pockets. So it’s going to be a difficult task for us, but I think we’ll be up for it.”
Wellington will have to be up for it if they are to grab anything from the game.
Mark Rudan’s team opened their 2018/19 Season with a 2-1 victory at home over Newcastle Jets, but are now on a three-game losing streak.
But Durante, who has been at the club for over 10 years, urged his teammates to not dwell on bad moments and errors in the game.
“Those moments can’t affect you mentally, we need to be better than that.
“That’s something we’ve spoken about this week – even if we do concede a goal, just get on with it, be positive, be encouraging, and just try and get that next goal.
“There are always senior guys who, after something bad happens, they are encouraging saying ‘come on, don’t worry,’” said Durante.
“But unless the other guys are buying into it, or the others are saying encouraging things as well, it won’t really work.
“So we spoke about that, we need everyone to put it behind us.
“If there’s a bad moment in the game, or if you’re having a bad few touches, or whatever it is, we’ve got to be better, put it behind us, get ourselves back in the game.
Wellington Phoenix host Perth Glory at Westpac Stadium on Sunday, December 2. KO is 5pm AEDT
