Perth Glory have held on for a gritty 1-0 victory over Sydney FC in their National Youth League clash at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Saturday afternoon.
Sydney controlled the tempo for much of the first half, continually dictating play in attack, but it was Perth leading at the half thanks to Stephen Walmsley’s late goal.
Glory goalkeeper Alex Pearson was superb in the initial 35 minutes, making numerous saves as his team weathered a continual storm of pressure by Sydney.
Sydney had their first chance in the second minute with captain Joel Chianese lofting the ball to Kofi Danning in the box, but his header wasn’t powerful enough to beat Pearson.
Minutes later Glory got their first sniff from a corner, however the Sky Blues quickly cleared the ball, before Chianese streaked down the right flank to counter.
Danning and Chianese continued to trouble Perth’s defence and at eight minutes the Sydney captain curled his attempt from near the penalty spot into the crossbar.
Seven minutes later, Blake Powell sliced his way through a pair of Glory defenders and fired an attempt, which Pearson confidently denied with a brilliant diving save.
Glory survived another surge following a corner, first stopping a Danning strike, before hanging on as Powell skyed the ball from close range.
Antony Golec provided yet another chance for Sydney, covering half the field on the left flank and finding Powell in the box, who sprayed the ball across the goal face.
Towards the end of the half Perth began to turn the tide, with a Dean Evans header diffused by Sydney keeper Dylan Mitchell.
The next minute Perth made the breakthrough with Anthony Skorich linking with an unmarked Walmsley deep in the box, who easily found the back of the net.
Danning and Chianese each sprayed deep attempts in the early stages of the second half, before Sydney had their first quality opportunity to lock the scores.
Powell tested the Perth’s replacement keeper early in the second half, however his header was calmly claimed by Tim Doyle.
Sebit Oyet had a golden opportunity to extend the lead at the 54-minute mark, blasting the ball from the left side of the box, only to be smothered by the outstretched Mitchell.
Justin Hayward had two chances to level almost immediately after being injected into the game, first brushing an attempt right from inside the goal box, before slicing a long-range dip moments later.
Both sides had late chances as the intensity lifted during the final 20 minutes, with Hayward and Chianese probing from long range, while Oyet delved into his bag of tricks without reward.
Doyle secured the win late in the game with a desperation save on Chianese’s last-gasp attempt from near the penalty spot.
Sydney FC: 0
Perth Glory: 1 (Walmsley 40)
