Perth Glory coach Alistair Edwards has labelled Sunday’s 1-0 result over Melbourne Heart at nib Stadium on Sunday a ‘crucial win’.
Perth Glory coach Alistair Edwards has labelled Sunday’s 1-0 result over Melbourne Heart at nib Stadium on Sunday a ‘crucial win’.
Perth had started the season with two tough road trips to Adelaide and then Newcastle and had only managed to come away with one point from the opening fortnight.
The Glory now sit mid-table with four points from the opening three rounds and have another home match against Sydney FC next Saturday afternoon.
In front of a crowd of 13,856, Perth dominated the first half but failed to capitalise before Jamie Maclaren struck five minutes after the break with what proved to be the winner.
Edwards said he felt Perth deserved the three points, despite their wastefulness in front of goal.
“The way the league is going it’s very competitive and it’s very hard for teams to win away from home,” Edwards said.
“For us to get the home win and send our great fans home happy it’s an important first up game at nib.
“It would have been good to get a few more goals, hitting the woodwork a few times, but on the whole, very good.”
While happy with the three points, Edwards said the team still has plenty of work to do to on the training pitch.
“There is a style of football we want to play and at times it was quite good, but not consistent enough,” he said.
“There’s a few things with this, the way we want to play as a football club, but then also getting some opportunities for the young players to develop.”
Michael Thwaite made a successful return from a hamstring injury he suffered just days out from the start of the season, while local Perth product Matthew Davies debuted and Ryan Edwards, Sidnei and Maclaren played for the first time in front of a home crowd.
Edwards said he felt the team had the perfect balance between youth and experience but it would still take a ‘long time’ for the team to gel together as he wanted.
“I think everyone in the changerooms knows we’ve got a good blend of experience and youth,” he said.
“The likes of Jacob Burns and Steve McGarry and Danny Vukovic and Shane Smeltz and soon-to-be William Gallas are crucial for us moving forward, but it’s just great to have those older guys helping the younger guys.”
Ryo Nagai limped from the field with a leg injury in the second half, but Edwards said it was nothing more than cramp and he expected him to line-up against Sydney next week.
