The joy over Perth Glory’s upset victory over Central Coast Mariners has been tempered with the news that Jacob Burns may have broken ribs.
The joy over Perth Glory’s upset victory over Central Coast Mariners has been tempered with the news that Jacob Burns may have broken ribs.
The Glory guaranteed their place in the Hyundai A-League finals for just the second time with the victory in sweltering conditions at nib Stadium on Sunday, thanks to a Matt Ryan howler which gifted Travis Dodd the only goal of the game, but it came at a major cost.
Burns was stretchered off the field and looked in serious pain after receiving an elbow to the chest in a collision with Joshua Rose, while Steve Pantelidis and Josh Mitchell will both be suspended for Sunday’s game at the Gold Coast after picking up their fifth yellow cards of the season.
Perth coach Ian Ferguson said the potential loss of Burns, compounded by Liam Miller’s ongoing injury concerns and Adam Hughes’ departure, was a massive concern.
“He’s been taken away to hospital. Until we get the scans we don’t know, but we believe it may be a cracked rib,” he said.
“It’s a huge blow losing Jacob, Adam Hughes and Liam Miller. They’re three top quality players. But look, that’s football. These things happen.
“We’ll have a look to see how bad Jacob is. If it’s as bad as we think, we need to get an injury replacement in.”
Burns’ injury will leave Glory drastically short of midfield options to face Gold Coast, with regular partner Miller still potentially unavailable and Pantelidis also out, while Ferguson also faces a major headache for the heart of defence.
But the coach was delighted to bask in the achievement of qualifying for the finals, even though he said he hadn’t realised it until told about it at the post-match media conference.
“That’s been a fantastic achievement for the boys this year. I’m proud of every one of them today,” he said.
“I’m not one to start making rash comments that we’re going to finish second or third or fourth and end up sitting in eighth place. I’ve got to be realistic. To get into the top six was my main aim and that’s what we’ve done.
“The next step for the club and for Tony is to try to repay him with a home final. If we can do that it would be fantastic.”
The win over the Mariners left Perth (40 points) well positioned to host a Hyundai A-League final for the first time, as they will guarantee a top four spot with wins in either of their last two games.
