Socceroos striker Adam Taggart will become a die-hard Macarthur supporter for two hours on Saturday in the hope the wooden-spoon favourites can keep Perth Glory’s finals hopes alive.
Glory host defending champions Western United at HBF Park on Saturday night in their last game of the regular season.
But Perth’s finals hopes will already be over if sixth-placed Wellington, who are three points ahead of Glory, secure either a draw or a win against bottom-placed Macarthur earlier in the day.
If Macarthur pull off victory at home, Glory will have their finals fate back in their own hands.
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A one-goal win to Macarthur would mean Glory need to win by at least two goals in order to leapfrog Wellington both on points and goal difference.
If Phoenix lose by two goals or more, then all Glory need to do is win, assuming the eighth-placed Jets don’t have a crazy big win over Sydney FC on Saturday.
“We’re hoping Macarthur do us a favour and get a win over (Wellington) so that we can make our game as special as possible,” Taggart said.
“For me personally, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on it, and I’ll be rooting for Macarthur in that game.”
Western United are also on 29 points, but their goal difference of minus 14 means they will need an eight-goal swing on Phoenix in order to sneak into sixth spot.
Both Glory and Western United will know the exact equation confronting them when they front up on Saturday night.
Taggart said even if Glory’s finals hopes were killed off earlier in the day, it was important to finish the season with a win.
“If we’ve got a chance to make finals, it will be massive for us,” he said.
“But if we don’t, then I think it’s important to finish the season on a high and go into our break with a positive outlook.
“I know what I’m like, I can eat myself up if it’s a disappointing end.
“Either way you want to finish on a high and make sure that we give it our everything regardless.”
Western United are aiming to send off retiring star Alessandro Diamanti on a high note.
The 39-year-old, who helped Western United win the title last season, announced his retirement earlier this week, ensuring there will be plenty of emotion in Saturday’s farewell.
