Perth Glory’s finals hopes took a massive hit after a big loss on the road to Sydney FC, which dealt a major blow to their Isuzu UTE A-League finals hopes heading into a decisive fortnight of the season.
At half-time, it seemed as if Perth Glory had a pep in their step.
Adam Zimarino brought Perth level right on the brink of half-time, cancelling out Adam Le Fondre’s opener with a tremendous long-range strike at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
Then, everything changed.
In the second half, it was all one-way traffic as Sydney FC put the foot down to come away with a much-needed and crushing 4-1 victory thanks to goals from Joe Lolley, Robert Mak and Rhyan Grant.
Perth, as a result, now languish four points outside the top six with two games remaining and will have to win against Adelaide United and Western United at home – while relying on help to book a spot in the finals.
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Star Glory striker Adam Taggart didn’t hide his disappointment post-game, saying in a very honest post-game interview on Network 10 that their effort was simply not up to scratch.
“First half was generally quite a good performance from us. We seem to roll over when they walk the ball in the back of our net few times,” the Socceroos forward said.
“That’s probably the disappointing thing was, I think when we went down just to see a lack of reaction and obviously really disappointed to be a part of that, but that’s football sometimes and you can make sure that doesn’t happen again.
“So it needs to be a big learning period for the team and to use that to motivate us to move on and keep going.”
Perth have struggled immensely on the road, having only won once in their last 22 Isuzu UTE A-League games on the road (D4, L17), coming in a 2-1 win over Central Coast Mariners back in October.
Taggart was asked whether playing on the road had an impact on their second-half showing, but the 29-year-old refused to blame the unfamiliar surroundings.
“I think that’s just excuses. I’m someone who’s really honest with myself first and foremost, and it wasn’t good enough,” he said.
“Their goals were good, but at the end of the day, if you’re gonna let them walk the ball into the back of our net, and then show a lack of reaction, what do you expect?
“It’s disappointing to be part of that. And obviously they were the better side tonight, especially in that second half, they kept the ball really well. We turned the ball over a lot. We need to have a long, hard look at ourselves and be a lot better than that.”
If there’s any glimmer of hope for the Glory to hold on to, it’s that they have been sensational at home this season – where both of their final two games will be played.
Regardless of whether wins are enough to book their place in the top six, Taggart said he hopes that he can give the fans something to cheer for after a few difficult seasons.
“In football, you have to believe in everything,” he said.
“We’ve had some decent home form and we’re back at our main stadium and we need to make sure that we look to end the season on a high regardless of what happens and give our fans something to cheer about.
“There’s been periods of the season where it’s just been not good enough and I feel for all the supporters. It’s been a bit of a rough ride the last couple of years.
“So myself first and foremost, I’m keen and motivated to turn that around.”
