Six points from two home games and three consecutive clean sheets have given Perth Glory coach Alistair Edwards plenty to smile about, even when his team isn’t playing that well.
Six points from two home games and three consecutive clean sheets have given Perth Glory coach Alistair Edwards plenty to smile about, even when his team isn’t playing that well.
The Glory’s 1-0 win over Sydney FC at nib Stadium on Saturday was a scrappy encounter and the home side was outplayed for the most part by the struggling Sky Blues.
Sydney had 19 shots on goal, including eight on target, compared to Perth’s 10, with only three troubling the goalkeeper.
The Sky Blues also had 25 more crosses than the Glory, although only 13.5 percent were considered successful.
The Glory dominated matches against Newcastle and Melbourne Heart in the past fortnight, yet only walked away with a scoreless draw and 1-0 win respectively.
But Perth is now firmly entrenched inside the A-League’s top six despite the team’s unconvincing form and Edwards believed his side would only get better.
“This is our second home game, second clean sheet at home and six points from two games at home,” Edwards said.
“We’ve played really good games previously and not got the result, but during the season it evens itself out.
“It’s all about making sure we move on from here and go away with the fact we’ve got the three points.”
Another positive for Glory is the impending arrival of former French international William Gallas within the next fortnight.
Gallas is expected to arrive in Perth next Saturday and will likely line up against Adelaide United at nib Stadium on November 16.
Edwards said the former Chelsea and Arsenal captain would move straight into the centre back position.
“He has played other positions, but he’ll slot in as a centre back because other players in our team like Steve Pantelidis and Michael Thwaite also can play in the midfield,” Edwards said.
“We’ve got a lot of versatility there.”
Perth travel to New Zealand next Saturday for a clash against a depleted Wellington Phoenix, who will lose five players to international duty.
Glen Moss, Leo Bertos, Andrew Durante, Ben Sigmund and Jeremy Brockie have been called into the All Whites squad for the World Cup qualifier against Mexico on November 13.
Perth will also lose the services of marquee striker Shane Smeltz, who came off the bench against Sydney FC on Saturday for his first game since April following hip surgery.
