Perth defender Jamie Coyne believes it’s vital the Glory make a statement when they host Sydney FC on Sunday, the first of three clashes with the table-topping Sky Blues in the second half of the season.
In a quirk of the fixture, the Glory have already played some teams twice but hasn’t been tested against a Sydney side that holds a narrow one-point lead over second-placed Melbourne at the top of the table.
Having been challenging for top spot themselves early in the season, the Glory have dropped off the pace a little and haven’t won in the last four rounds.
But Coyne believes the side can still be right up there come Round 27, if it can just eradicate the concentration lapses that have cost them dearly over the last month when the club’s conceded late goals in three consecutive 2-1 losses to Gold Coast, North Queensland and Melbourne.
“(Eradicating the errors) has given us something to work on,” said Coyne on Tuesday as he prepares to return to the side after a thigh strain saw him miss last round’s 1-1 draw with Wellington.
“We definitely have to improve on it because obviously teams know or feel that maybe they can do something late in the game against us.”
“I don’t really think it’s a fitness thing it’s just more of a concentration thing.”
“Obviously soccer’s not a high-scoring game, so you’ve got a 1-0 lead you want to keep it.”
“To concede goals late in the half, or near the end of the game, is pretty disappointing.”
“But it also comes because we probably allow the pressure to build up. We’ve sat back a little bit when we’ve had the lead instead of maybe going for the kill and looking for a second goal.”
“If you don’t take your chances you expect to get punished, and that’s what’s happened.”
Coyne is well aware there will be no second chances against a Sydney side bristling with attacking talent like Alex Brosque, Mark Bridge and John Aloisi.
But he believes a good result in front of a home crowd at ME Bank Stadium will give the Glory great confidence as it faces the current league leader repeatedly in the run home to a possible finals appearance.
“We were up the top two or three for a couple of weeks and we’re pretty disappointed to drop that back a little bit,” Coyne said.
“There’s not a big gap there (between all sides on the table) … but as the season goes on I think one or two teams probably will pull away.”
“Hopefully we can get on that winning run and that can be us, so that’s something we’re going to strive for.”
“So it is a big game this weekend, having not played them so far. Hopefully we get the three points,” he said.
Coyne is also predicting a hot reception for former Glory skipper Simon Colosimo as he returns to play in Perth for the first time since leaving the club at the end of the 2007-08 season.
“When Simon left here it wasn’t the best circumstances,” Coyne said.
“He’s a friend of mine and obviously he’s a good player and has been having a good season, but hopefully he plays pretty crap on the weekend, that would be nice and hopefully the fans get stuck into him, that would be good,” he joked.
