Perth Glory’s National Youth League side has hung on for a 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar at 6PR Stadium on Saturday evening.
Boasting several members of Perth’s senior side, the Glory took the lead through Tommy Amphlett in the 27th minute before doubling the advantage 10 minutes later when Anthony Skorich scored from the spot.
The visitors hit back within a minute of the re-start as half-time substitute Matthew Thurtell found the back of the net, but Perth hung on for the victory despite having several players suffering cramp by the end.
The result sees Brisbane lose top spot on the National Youth League table to Gold Coast United, who enjoyed a 3-1 win over Sydney earlier in the afternoon, as the Glory re-claim third position.
With the seniors enjoying a bye this weekend, Perth had the luxury of fielding several players with first-team experience, including Scott Neville and Josh Risdon in defence, along with midfielders Andrija Jukic and Howard Fondyke, with Amphlett leading the line.
Given the quality on the park, it was hardly surprising when Perth created the first chance, Jukic firing narrowly over in the second minute.
Brisbane’s James Meyer saw an effort saved in the seventh minute by Glory stopper Aleks Vrteski, while Neville was forced into action in the 21st minute, the senior defender showing his class as he denied Daniel Bowles a shot at goal.
Perth went ahead in the 27th minute however, when Fondyke played in Amphlett with a delightful throughball that released the striker through on goal and allowed him to slot it home.
In the 35th minute, another Fondyke throughball set up Amphlett but this time Roar stopper Matthew Acton did well to block the striker’s shot.
The hosts didn’t have to wait long to score, though, as a dinked cross from Cameron Edwards two minutes later, appeared to have been handled in the area by Dane Milovanovic, with Skorich stepping up to blast home the penalty.
Perth could have gone further ahead four minutes before the break when Edwards saw a low shot beat the ‘keeper and ricochet off the inside of the post while Fondyke had three shots at goal blocked by Brisbane’s defence from a 44th-minute corner.
The wasted chances proved costly as the Roar pulled one back just 45 seconds into the second half, when the alert Thurtell produced a great overlapping run before cutting inside Perth’s defence and firing past Vrteski.
Brisbane were stepping up the attack as Vrteski was forced to palm an inswinging free kick from Kenneth Dougall around the post before Dougall fired into the upright in the 58th minute.
Edwards then crashed a shot over the bar down the other end after being teed up by Skorich, with the Roar almost taking advantage of the miss with 15 minutes remaining when Rocky Visconte saw a powerful drive come off the crossbar.
That was the best chance Brisbane could muster however, as the Glory defended grimly over the game’s final stages on their way to recording their fifth win of the season.
Perth Glory 2 (Amphlett 27, Skorich 37p)
Brisbane Roar 1 (Thurtell 46)
