Perth Glory coach Dave Mitchell declared his side’s victory over Wellington on Sunday was crucial in order to restore confidence around the club after a disappointing opening to the new campaign.
The Perth side went into Sunday’s clash having earned just one point from four matches, with its last outing being a demoralising 3-0 loss to Queensland where the Glory was completely outplayed.
But despite missing several big names – including Brazilian playmaker Amaral – the Glory proved too good for the Phoenix to earn their first win of the season through Eugene Dadi’s 77th-minute penalty and giving a relieved Mitchell something to smile about at last.
“Today was about getting the three points and getting the self belief in there … because we played well in some games and we haven’t got the just desserts,” said Mitchell.
“(Wellington) came here to defend and catch us on the break. Last season we would have got caught by that but the good thing was, I think we looked very solid in defence today.”
“Our midfield was good and Eugene was excellent up front and it was a good team performance and the result was good.”
After a frustrating initial four matches, Mitchell admitted there were some anxious moments during the game’s final stages especially after seeing his side concede an injury-time equaliser to Newcastle in Round 2.
“I was very nervous, because just one chance in the box and one mistimed clearance and they could pop one in. But, no, thankfully it didn’t happen and we got the game,” he said.
The Glory coach declared it was an impressive backs-to-the-wall type of performance from his side and especially from his under-fire defence which had conceded 12 goals in the first four matches before being bolstered by the experienced Jamie Harnwell for this encounter.
Mitchell felt the result would act as a springboard for the remainder of the season.
“We all got the monkey off the back now and it’s important we try and steady things from here on in and look solid,” Mitchell said, emphasising how important it had been to keep a clean sheet, the club’s first in 19 matches.
“I think we looked solid but we can play a lot better than that,” he added.
“But I just looked in that dressing room and there’s a couple of players around and if we can get them back there’ll be some competition for places and the squad’s looking quite good.”
