Coach Ian Ferguson says a new-found confidence in the Perth Glory dressing room has played a key role in the club’s rapidly improving Hyundai A-League fortunes.
Coach Ian Ferguson says a new-found confidence in the Perth Glory dressing room has played a key role in the club’s rapidly improving Hyundai A-League fortunes.
Perth crushed Melbourne Victory 4-1 on Sunday, with two goals to Shane Smeltz and one each to Mile Sterjovski and Andrezinho capping a dominant performance at nib Stadium.
That extended the Glory’s unbeaten run to six games while seeing them move six points clear of seventh-placed Victory and, amazingly, within four points of the top two.
While Ferguson said he was always confident a run of better results was coming, it represents a great improvement over their fortunes earlier in the season, which included a streak of just one win from 11 matches.
The coach said the playing group’s enhanced belief had been crucial to the dramatic turnaround.
“It’s a credit to the boys that over the past five or six weeks we’ve put this run together … I’m absolutely proud of every one of them,” Ferguson said.
“It was one of the more pleasing games I’ve been in charge of. I felt comfortable, I felt as though we were in charge for most of the game.”
“I feel as though we’re getting over the hump now.”
“We’ve bonded so well, we’re a really tight unit and when we go into games now we’re pretty confident. In the last six weeks, it’s probably the first time in my time (at the club) that we’ve felt it.”
The Glory’s reworked 4-4-1-1 formation was again effective against the lacklustre Victory side, with Steve McGarry again flourishing in an attacking midfield role and Smeltz performing well up front.
Ferguson said getting the tactics right over the past six weeks had been another factor in their improved results.
“We’re starting to get the continuity, the consistency and the balance there and now it’s kicking on,” he said.
“The hardest thing for me was finding the balance and the shape and the personnel and who fits in where. I think the balance is right now with the formation we’re playing.”
“I’ve always said when we got this side together we’d probably see the best of these boys around round 12 and I think that’s what’s happened.”
Even though Perth now sits comfortably in the top six, Ferguson said it was vital they didn’t get too far ahead of themselves.
“I don’t feel as though I’ve vindicated myself, I want to go on for this whole season and do well,” he said.
“If we reach the top six, I’d say we’ve achieved what we wanted to achieve, but there’s still a long way to go.”
The Glory next face Adelaide United on the road on Sunday.
