Glory’s goal-scoring record-breaker Andy Keogh believes Perth have the X-factor that could bring the Hyundai A-League Championship to the West after their thrilling win over Melbourne City on Sunday.
The Republic of Ireland striker scored the opening goal of the night in the 3-2 win to become the first player in Australian national league history to score in eight consecutive games.
Keogh, Castro combo breaks City hearts
But it’s not individual records the forward is after. He’s focused on winning another four games to help Glory land their first ever A-League crown as they prepare for the playoffs after this weekend’s final round match.
“Of course we can win the grand final but so can a lot of other teams,” said Keogh, when asked by Fox Sports if Glory can win the A-League grand final.
“If we perform like we did tonight we’ve got a very good chance. We’re delighted to get the win [against City].
“I think we thoroughly deserved it. To be honest I think we could have been four, five, even 6-0 up before they even scored. On a personal level it was great to get the opener as well.”
The win over City means Glory is the hottest team in the competition heading into the finals, winning 10 of their last 11 games.
While the likes of Keogh, Spanish whiz Diego Castro and Nebo Marinkovic have gained many of the plaudits, Glory’s rise has come on the back of contributions from all over the park.
Keogh praised the influence and partnership of midfield duo Kristian Vadocz and Gyorgy Sandor as a key factor in Perth’s mid-season turnaround.
“The two lads anchor great. They allow us going forward to really express ourselves, knowing that they’ll be cleaning up behind us if we do give the ball away,” he said.
“It’s made a massive difference. Kristian coming in has really helped Gyorgy as well, allowing him to gallop forward a bit more and join in as you saw with his goal tonight.
“But it’s not just them, the back two as well, Shane Lowry and Alex Grant have been tremendous.
“They are two old fashioned centre backs that really like kicking lumps out of people.”
While Glory has left their run too late to still be in contention for the Premiers’ Plate heading into Round 27, they can still sneak into the top four and secure a home final in the opening week of the playoffs.
Glory needs to beat Sydney FC on Sunday and hope one of City or the Wanderers fail to pick up maximum points in their matches earlier in the weekend.
