Perth Glory are eyeing a club record eight-match unbeaten run in the Hyundai A-League when they tackle cellar-dwellers Gold Coast United on Monday.
Perth Glory are eyeing a club record eight-match unbeaten run in the Hyundai A-League when they tackle cellar-dwellers Gold Coast United on Monday.
Ian Ferguson’s men have turned their season on its head in recent times, and have found scoring prowess in their past two matches with big wins over Melbourne Victory (4-1) and Adelaide United (3-0).
Shane Smeltz has scored the game’s first goal in each of Perth’s past three wins, and Ferguson will be hoping his gun striker’s form can continue when the New Zealand international’s former team visits nib Stadium.
United boss Miron Bleiberg will be well-aware of Smeltz’s capabilities, in particular his ability to fire early goals, as his opening strikes of late have all come within the first 16 minutes of the match in Perth’s past three wins.
However, the 2008-09 and 2009-10 Golden Boot winner may have additional pressure to hold up at his end of the field, with teammates Evan Berger and Steve McGarry likely to be missing in the Glory midfield for the United visit due to injury.
But Perth’s winning hopes are bolstered by the fact that they will have had eight days since their last match, while United will be back in action five days after a trip to Launceston to play Victory on Wednesday.
Perth’s current seven-match unbeaten streak is already their longest since the A-League’s inception in 2005, with their 15-match run without a loss in 2002-03 in the National Soccer League their greatest run on record.
Glory’s recent revival is in stark contrast to United’s prolonged struggle throughout season 2011-12, with Bleiberg’s men scraping three wins in 17 games – and none in their past five outings.
United let a lead slip at the Sydney Football Stadium for the second time this season – most recently going down 2-1 to Sydney FC after conceding a two-goal lead earlier in the campaign – and shipping late goals will be something Bleiberg must fix if he is to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon.
