Glory to regroup after losing top spot

If Perth Glory coach Kenny Lowe is concerned about his side losing top spot on the Hyundai A-League table, he’s not showing it.

Glory conceded pole position for the first time in 16 rounds to Wellington after a 2-1 loss to the Phoenix at nib Stadium on Saturday night.

It extended Glory’s winless run to eight matches and the club could slip as low as fourth on Sunday if fellow title contenders Sydney FC collect the maximum three points against Brisbane Roar.

But Lowe isn’t prepared to hit the panic button despite his team’s worrying form slump.

“We’ve always said we’re not focused on league tables, so (after) 27 games we’ll look where we finish and assess ourselves then,” Lowe said.

“We’ve already exceeded our expectations, we just now need to regroup, refocus and kick on again. There’s no problem in that and I don’t see any reason why we can’t do that.

“It doesn’t concern me. I think we’ve got enough people in the changerooms that care about it (to) grind through it and come out there other side.

“We’re still in there with a shout, so we’ll work as we’ve always worked and prepare as we’ve always prepared and fingers crossed something will fall for us.”

Lowe rejected claims the pressure was now off his side because they had conceded top spot after such a long reign at the summit of the competition.

“We’ve been up there for, what, 17 weeks or whatever it was, so people have had opportunities to go above us and haven’t taken them,” Lowe said.

“There’s no pressure because we’re not bothered about it. We just do what we do and we’ll end up where we end up and assess where we finish.”

Lowe said he would not be making drastic changes in a bid to arrest his team’s winless run and expected them to bounce back to form over the next six weeks before the start of the A-League finals.

“We’ve got a good set of guys who are really focused, really committed and I’m sure they’ll come out the other side after a little bit of pain,” Lowe said.

“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of pain. It’s how you react to it and I’m sure we’ve got enough people in that group to react to it and who want to kick and do well.”

Versatile winger Mitch Nichols will be available for next Sunday’s away clash with Central Coast after serving a one-game suspension.