Can Glory make it another Heart-stopper? Grab a ticket today for this thriller at nib Stadium and find out!
Perth Glory v Melbourne Heart
Saturday 17th December, 7.00pm
Can Glory make it another Heart-stopper? Grab a ticket today for this thriller at nib Stadium and find out!
It’s been a tough few days for Perth Glory. The huge disappointment of having their game with Sydney postponed thanks to the pesky weather meant that the side from Western Australia lost any momentum they’d hoped to achieve after their fine win over Gold Coast United a couple of weeks back. And so their long and arduous journey to New Zealand last weekend resulted in defeat. Still, home is where the heart is for Glory and they’ll be looking to get back to winning ways this Saturday night. So, as always, it’s up to The Shed to help them do it. Show guts and go for glory as Perth take on one of the Hyundai A-League’s in-form sides in what is set to be a thriller of a match.
Glory take on a Heart side that are absolutely on fire at the moment. After a terribly slow start to the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season, they have now recorded four wins from their last five games and are well positioned for an attack at the top two places on the ladder. If anything sent a message out to the rest of the league about this team’s credentials, it was the performance that they put in against Brisbane Roar last weekend. A stunning display which mixed powerful attacking and brave defending saw the visitors record an amazing 2-1 win and inflict Roar’s first home defeat since January 2010. If you are looking for a yardstick as to how good a result this is, Glory were smashed 4-0 at the same stadium a couple of weeks earlier.
However, Perth know how to beat Heart, having turned them over on their own patch already in the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season. At AAMI Park, it was star striker Shane Smeltz that did the damage, netting once in each half. His first, a magnificent header, was his 50th Hyundai A-League goal in his 79th appearance, which is pretty good going! His 51st didn’t take long to follow either. Midway through the second-half, the forward curled a beauty from just outside the box. David Williams’ converted penalty was little consolation for the home side. The Shed will be hoping for the same level of quality from their players on Saturday night. In fact, they don’t even have to look that far back. If the team can reprise the kind of display they gave the last time they turned out at nib Stadium, that’ll do nicely. Then, two penalties against an undisciplined Gold Coast United were enough to secure three points.
Perth’s cause could be helped by the possible return of key midfielder Travis Dodd, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Can Glory gain the win and get the better of Heart for the second time this season, or will the visitors make it another amazing away day? The result of this game could turn out to be crucial when the teams jostle for position in the end of season shake-up. So get along and show your support. It’s a Sunday showdown not to be missed!
